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It’s rare that a piece of Melbourne’s architectural history comes up for sale, but whoever buys this Carlton house will become a custodian of a truly special residence.
Originally built in 1868 as the home of renowned stonemason John W. Brown, the property at 896-898 Swanston Street has been recognised by the National Trust as an example of the inner city’s early development.
The stonemason reportedly used offcuts from his work crafting headstones for the nearby cemetery throughout the house, including across the tessellated marble floors and fireplaces.
The combination of its heritage craftsmanship and its prestigious position in the heart of Carlton resonated with its most recent owner, Terence Lane — a historian and curator at the NGV for more than 40 years — who owned the home until his passing in 2024. Now, his family has listed the legacy home for sale.
‘He bought it in 2007 and had previously missed out on it at auction in 1968. He had been waiting since then for it to come on the market again,’ says Terence’s son Hugh Lane.
‘He used to drive us past as kids and tell us that one day he would like to live there.’
He managed to buy the house before it was even officially on the market, as Terence’s aunt lived two doors down and introduced him to the owner, who was about to move into aged care.
‘She wanted the home to go to someone who would love it as much as she did,’ Hugh adds.
In the years following, Terence undertook a full restoration of the interiors, meticulously updating everything from the door hardware to the wallpaper. A new dining room was also added in keeping with the Victorian’s original classical style, alongside renovating the home’s two bathrooms.
‘He was rather forensic with the restoration and kept paint chips, wallpaper samples and restored a mural in the front stairwell that makes the walls look like they are stone blocks,’ Hugh says.
The renovations have given the house an immersive colour palette, switching from stately reds and gold to moss green accents, which complement the beautiful gardens and mature mulberry and pomegranate trees that envelop the property. There’s even a library located upstairs, and enough space for three cars to park off the rear laneway.
‘It was our dad’s dream house, and he created his fantasy world within it. It’s time for the next chapter, and I am so interested to see what that turns out to be,’ Hugh says.
896-898 Swanston Street, Carlton, VIC 3053 is listed for sale with David Sanguinedo from Jellis Craig Fitzroy and will go to auction on Saturday September at 11am.
