The Ipswich Club

Story

Ipswich Club House is a heritage-listed villa at 14 Gray Street, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George Brockwell Gill and built from to 1916. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 August 1992.HistoryThe grand two-storey timber building which is owned and used by The Ipswich Club was built for Ipswich butcher and pastoralist, J.P. Bottomley in 1916. Bottomley commissioned prominent Ipswich architect, George Brockwell Gill, to design the house as a family home. In 1898 Bottomley purchased allotment 16 from the Cramb estate and the adjacent allotment, 15, was purchased in June 1914. The Ipswich City Council water rates book for 1915-16 notes a new house on site from 1 March 1916.Bottomley was the youngest of 14 children and was born in Bradford, Yorkshire. He came to Australia, arriving in Ipswich in 1884. Initially he worked with Watson Brothers, Butchers, but later he had his own butcher's business and bought pastoral land in the Burnett and western districts. The business he worked for was probably that of Richard Watson and his two brothers. Watson owned the grand residence, "Elamang", at East Ipswich. Bottomley became a high profile Ipswich figure, serving for nine years on the Purga Shire Council, including four years as chairman, and also serving the Ipswich City Council for two years. He was also president of community organisations including the Ipswich Show Society, Ipswich Chamber of Commerce, Queensland Pastoral and Agricultural Society and the Ipswich Bowling Club.