As at the archived register entry captured 23 May 2025, Cintra House at 23 Boyd Street, Bowen Hills, is entered on the Queensland Heritage Register as entry 600054. The archived register entry, captured on 23 May 2025, describes the house as sitting in a prominent hillside position. The undated Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries page (its footer credits the State Library of Queensland) says the name Cintra is also used for a southern extension at 55 Boyd Street, which it calls today’s ‘Cintra’.
Origins of the stone house
According to the archived register entry (captured 23 May 2025), the original house was a two-storeyed, Georgian-influenced stone house built in 1863 to 1864 for George Webb, to a design by Benjamin Backhouse. The undated Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries page says the original Cintra is named Cintra House, at 23 Boyd Street. The register says it had four rooms on each level, surrounded by a ground floor verandah.
Boyd Morehead and the southern extension
In 1877 the property was bought by Boyd Dunlop Morehead, a pastoralist and businessman who was Premier of Queensland from 1888 to 1890. The archived register entry (captured 23 May 2025) says Morehead extended the house to the south to accommodate his growing family, and that the extension now forms a separate residence. The Anzac Square page says instead that the house was extended to the south by later residents. The two sources differ on who added the southern extension, and this guide reports both accounts.
A Brisbane City Council heritage entry for the extension at 55 Boyd Street says it was constructed as an extension wing in 1880 for Morehead. The same entry says architect James Cowlishaw designed it.
Later owners and division
According to the archived register entry (captured 23 May 2025), Morehead died in 1905, and in 1912 Cintra was acquired by railway contractor and businessman Acheson Overend. In 1925 the property was sold and divided in two, and the connection to the southern extension was dismantled. The council entry says the two parts were divided and sold separately in 1925. The council entry says one of Cowlishaw’s daughters, Charlotte de Little, bought the extension and had additions and alterations made in the late 1920s.
The register says the southern extension later became the Cintra Nursing Home, after alterations and additions. Cintra House became Our Lady of Victories Convent in 1927. The council entry says the extension was sold to the Plant family in 1957, became the North Brisbane Private Hospital in 1966, and was reclaimed as a private residence in 1989.
Wartime use and later years
The undated Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries page reports that during WWII the US Army occupied the adjacent Luna Park and Newstead House, as well as the residence at 55 Boyd Street. The unit based at Cintra was Photo Unit 1, a 12-man detachment of the US Army’s 832nd Signal Service Battalion, which moved to Brisbane from Sydney in late 1942. Its films were mostly used for training, though a considerable amount of footage reached publicly displayed newsreels about the war effort.
The archived register entry (captured 23 May 2025) says the main house was the headquarters of the Queensland Motor Sporting Club from 1966 to 1973. It was then refurbished and became Cintra House Galleries until 1987, when it returned to use as a family home.
Description and setting
The archived register entry (captured 23 May 2025) describes the main house as a two-storeyed masonry house dating from the 1860s, with double-storeyed verandahs on two sides and a corrugated metal roof. The archived register entry (captured 23 May 2025) also says little of the earlier interior fabric survives. It calls the house one of Brisbane’s most commanding hilltop residences. The archived register entry, captured 23 May 2025, describes the sweeping north lawn as lined with a row of mature palm trees.
The council describes the extension as a single-storey rendered masonry building with a prominent gable and a decorated portico, which reflects the appeal of Bowen Hills for affluent residents. The two heritage descriptions cover different buildings: a two-storey main house and a single-storey extension.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Queensland Heritage Register number for Cintra House?
The archived register entry, captured 23 May 2025, lists Cintra House at 23 Boyd Street as entry 600054.
Who designed the original house?
The archived register entry, captured 23 May 2025, says the original stone house was designed by Benjamin Backhouse for George Webb.
When did Boyd Morehead buy the property?
The archived register entry, captured 23 May 2025, says the property was bought by Boyd Dunlop Morehead in 1877.
Who designed the 55 Boyd Street extension?
The council heritage entry says architect James Cowlishaw designed it.
Did the house become a convent?
The archived register entry, captured 23 May 2025, says Cintra House became Our Lady of Victories Convent in 1927.
Who added the southern extension?
The archived register entry, captured 23 May 2025, says Morehead extended the house. The undated Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries page says later residents did. A council heritage entry says the extension wing was built in 1880 for Morehead. The sources differ on who added the extension, and this guide reports both accounts.
