Sidney House once stood proudly on the banks of the Brisbane River at Toowong, a grand riverside residence built for retailer Thomas Finney in an era when the suburb was becoming one of Brisbane’s most desirable addresses.
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Although Sidney House has long disappeared from the Toowong landscape, its former site was part of what was once the ABC site on Coronation Drive, formerly known as River Road. Its history can still be traced through a watercolour created in 1890 and a distinctive stained-glass window, both now held in the Queensland Art Gallery collection.
A grand home by the river
Thomas Finney arrived in Brisbane in 1862 with his workmate James Isles, and the pair went into business together in the drapery trade. Their partnership became Finney Isles and Co, which expanded into a major Queensland retail business and developed into an early form of the modern department store.
Toowong was already regarded as one of Brisbane’s most desirable places to live during the late nineteenth century. The opening of the Brisbane to Ipswich railway line in 1875 further enhanced the appeal of the area, which was developing as a fashionable residential district along the river.
Finney’s second wife, Sidney Ann, purchased three acres of land at Toowong in 1881. Architect Francis Drummond Greville Stanley was commissioned to design the couple’s home, which was named Sidney House in her memory after she died before its completion in 1889.
The house was a substantial residence built in the fashionable Italian domestic style. It featured two storeys, wide verandahs and extensive grounds, with the property occupying a prominent position beside the Brisbane River.
A house filled with detail
Sidney House was a substantial residence with numerous rooms and elaborate decorative features. The house had servants’ quarters and a cellar in the basement, while stone eagles were positioned near the entrance stairs.
The grounds included a sunken rose garden and an orchard extending towards the river, adding to the scale of the Toowong property.
One of the most distinctive surviving features is the stained-glass window now held by the Queensland Art Gallery. The gallery records that the window was created in Dublin around 1882 and imported from Ireland for Sidney House, where it was prominently positioned in the stairwell above the entrance.
The window features two main panels, with the upper section depicting a kangaroo hunt and the lower section showing a farming scene with a bullock-drawn plough. Queensland Art Gallery records describe the kangaroo-hunt image as unique in Australian pictorial glass.
The elaborate window was installed during the period when Finney was establishing himself as a successful Brisbane retailer. His business with James Isles had expanded considerably, with branches outside Brisbane and a growing range of retail lines including tailoring, furniture, furnishing and hardware.
From riverside mansion to museum collection
Sidney House remained connected to the Finney family for decades. After Thomas Finney died in 1903, his widow Janet was left a life interest in the property. The residence eventually entered a very different chapter of Toowong’s history. Sidney House was acquired by ABC in the 1960s, after which the property was ultimately demolished.
The house disappeared from the riverfront, but its stained-glass window survived. Queensland Art Gallery records show that the window entered its collection as a gift from ABC in 1988.
Another surviving record is the 1890 watercolour by John Campbell, which depicts Sidney House before its disappearance from Toowong. The artwork is now held by the Queensland Art Gallery, although it is not currently on public display.
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Together, the painting and stained glass provide a tangible link to a residence that once occupied an important place in Toowong’s riverside history. Sidney House may no longer stand beside the Brisbane River, but these surviving pieces offer a glimpse of an earlier Toowong and the grand private homes that once formed part of its landscape.
Published 29-September-2026
