Jolimont, Jolimont Road 112, Grassmere

A double fronted single storey house with a verandah at the front and built of dark brown brick with cream brick trim.

Alexander Britton, married and with his first child on the way, made plans to build a house. On 23 December 1869 builders, Little & Boyne, lodged notice with the Melbourne City Council that they would build a house in Jolimont Road, next to Morton’s. The result was described in 1886 in an advertisement for its sale as ‘a substantial, elegant, and well finished , BRICK VILLA, containing drawing and dining rooms, two good bedrooms, kitchen, servants room, and laundry, handsome verandah in front, garden at front and rear’. The Brittons named their house Grassmere.
Alexander Britton was a journalist, the son of Alexander Britton who was proprietor of a newspaper in Castlemaine. On coming to Melbourne Alexander Jnr found a job with The Argus and was later appointed sub-editor, a job he held for thirteen years. In 1885 he was offered a job on the editorial staff of the Sydney Morning Herald and he and his family moved to Sydney. While there he was selected by the NSW government to write the official history of the colony but he died at the age of fifty before the work was finished.
In 1886 Grassmere was bought by Hannah Mayblle, widow of Joseph Mayblle, produce dealer of Richmond. She herself was a hotelier. Hannah rented the house out until she died in 1891. After her death it remained in the family with daughter, Sabina Annie, as the new owner. Sabina who married twice, firstly to Edwin William Patton and secondly to Lucas John Davies, also was a hotel proprietor living on the premises, but later, c.1914, made Grassmere her home where she died in 1926.
After her death the house became the home of her daughter-in-law, Annie May (Sabina’s son, Joseph Edward had died in 1918), Annie’s second husband, Norris William Parry Dike, warrant officer with the Permanent Forces, and Sabina’s grand-son, Edwin Joseph. Annie was still there in 1954.
By 1956 it was the offices of Bogle and Banfield, architects, known best for Total House in Russell Street, Melbourne. Banfield was Annie's maiden name and no doubt the family connection continued.