Description

Northbrook is a Victorian Italianate villa built in 1888–1889 to the design of architect Charles D’Ebro. The house was originally set on 2.5 acres of gardens facing High Street and included a 160 square metre ballroom, timber outbuildings and brick stables.

Northbrook features a small portico with pressed-metal ceiling, elaborate mouldings and a balustrade parapet. The black-and-white marble floor of the entrance foyer leads to the main vaulted vestibule, featuring heavily panelled timber walls, a large over mantle with inlet mirrors and detailed encaustic tiles in the fire surround.

The two smaller vestibules leading into the Morning and Dining Rooms feature elaborate, stencilled-and gilded vaulted ceilings with cherubs, while the rooms themselves boast elaborate cornices, ceilings, centre roses and over mantles. In the Dining Room is timber panelling, as well as three built-in sideboards and a large over mantle.

The building has been owned by the council since the mid–1940s, and the Stonnington History Centre has occupied the building since 2008. A branch of the Library and Information Services, the centre maintains the council's extensive archives.

What's On

Visit Northbrook and learn about its history in this self-guided tour of the building and archive rooms. View a selection of items in Stonnington's local history collection, which includes photographs, maps, plans, newspapers and general history information.