the story of
miss midgley's
by miss midgley’s – a quiet icon on james st
not famous, yet known
Few buildings in Brisbane have lived as many lives as this one.
Behind the stone walls of Miss Midgley’s lies nearly 160 years of history. What stands today as boutique heritage accommodation on James Street began life in the 1860s as a grand private residence, and over the decades has served as an orphanage, family home, private hospital and school before becoming the unique place it is today.
Its story is layered into every stone, archway and hidden detail uncovered during restoration.
A Colonial Beginning
Built in the 1860s as Cairncross House, the property was originally a private home and remains an exceptionally rare example of Brisbane colonial architecture, constructed from the city’s distinctive heritage tuff stone.
Even in its earliest years, the home stood apart. Solid, stately and enduring, it was built with a permanence uncommon for its time.
a home of service
By the late 1860s, the building had taken on a new purpose when the Sisters of Mercy converted it into an orphanage.
Its generous rooms and sturdy stone walls became home to children in need, marking the first of many reinventions in the building’s long history.
st clair
Two decades later, the property returned to private ownership when it was reclaimed by a former Premier of Queensland and renamed ‘St Clair’.
At the time, it was described as:
“One of the most substantially built private residences in Brisbane.”
A fitting description that still rings true today.
In the 1890s, St Clair became a private hospital, once again adapting to the needs of a growing Brisbane.
the midgley family
In 1903, the property was purchased by the Midgley family, whose name would shape its future forever.
Their daughter, Annie Midgley, saw an opportunity to help relieve overcrowding at the nearby New Farm State School and transformed her family home into a private school.
She named it:
‘Miss Midgley’s Educational Establishment’
And so the building found the identity it carries to this day.
Annie Midgley Herself
Annie Midgley was no ordinary schoolmistress.
An artist, teacher and noted eccentric, she was known for her remarkable ambidexterity, reportedly able to teach two pupils at once while writing with both hands simultaneously.
She painted in oils and watercolours, sculpted plaster busts and practised wood carving. Her students adored her.
Meticulously dressed, Annie was rarely seen without her collars buttoned neatly to the neck and lace-up boots reaching almost to the knee.
It was her creativity, discipline and individuality that inspired the next chapter of the building’s life.
a new chapter begins
More than 116 years after Miss Midgley’s Educational Establishment first opened, the building began its next transformation.
Carefully restored by Lisa and Isabella White, a mother and daughter team with backgrounds in architecture, the property was reimagined as a collection of boutique heritage apartments.
Throughout the restoration, original stone walls, hidden archways, plaster ceilings and forgotten architectural details were uncovered and preserved, allowing the building’s past to shape its future once more.
Miss Midgley’s now stands as a thoughtful revival of one of Brisbane’s most remarkable historic homes.
A Historic Stay in the Heart of New Farm
Miss Midgley’s sits proudly on James Street in New Farm, one of Brisbane’s most sought after neighbourhoods.
Surrounded by award winning restaurants, designer boutiques, galleries and leafy river walks, the location offers guests the rare combination of heritage tranquillity and urban convenience.
Within a short stroll you will find:
- James Street’s renowned dining and shopping precinct
- New Farm Park and the Brisbane Riverwalk
- Brisbane Powerhouse
- Howard Smith Wharves
- Fortitude Valley and Brisbane CBD
Few places in Brisbane offer such a rich connection to both past and present.
