The St Johns Wood and wider area (Ashgrove's native name is "Kallindarbin")[2] was originally inhabited by the indigenous Turrbal or "Duke of York" clan.

[3] The main thoroughfare, Waterworks Road, was built on a Turrbal pathway that led to Mount Coot-tha, a place of the "Honey-Bee Dreaming".

[6] Inevitably with the expansion of European influence the balance of land use changed and this led to the eventual displacement of the Turrbal from their traditional base.

[7] The first Europeans were presented with well watered alluvial flats along Enoggera Creek, partly covered with scrub and presumably seen to include land suitable for cultivation.

[8] The earliest known formal occupancy and use of the area by Europeans dates from 1849 when the first crown leases along Enoggera Creek were offered at public auction.

The area grossing 7020 acres which contained St Johns Wood was taken up by Darby McGrath in 1851 and was known as 'The Gap Station' on which he ran sheep.

[10] It is presumed that the lease of 'The Gap Station' was later extinguished by the crown as the granting of freehold land tenure spread along Enoggera Creek from 1856.

Somerset began to build "a magnificent home on his landed estate" in a U-shape plan, utilising the granite from the local hillside for the external walls and a shingle roof .

[16] He extended the Homestead, which became known as "The Granite House," by adding a ballroom by infilling the space between the two wings, constructed a separate adjacent building consisting mostly of bedrooms for his growing family which became known as the "Cedar House" due to the type of timber used in the construction, extended the Service Wing by two bedrooms for maids and men and added stables and yards.

The young Princes (aged 17 and 16 respectively) are reported as having spent most of their leisure at St Johns Wood and Ashgrove, riding through the country and fishing on Enoggera dam with the Harding children.

[22] They attended the Ministerial Picnic that was held at Enoggera Reservoir 19 August 1881, along with two hundred other guests, who enjoyed the boating and lunch in the large marquee.

Even without Royal patronage George Harding's professional status in the community would have made the many functions at his home well attended by Brisbane society.

[31] In 1934 Edward Albert Hawkins purchased the property and although he planned a major extension to the Granite House,[32] it did not proceed and he remained living at his Clayfield residence.

The small structure on the west side was converted into a grocery shop[42] which served the patrons on picture nights as well as the residents of St Johns Wood.

As part of this two small bathing boxes were erected as change rooms on the flat area close to the edge of the top of the bank.

He and his wife Lavinia and only son Noel lived down the bottom of St Johns Avenue, not far from the current pedestrian "banana" bridge.

[55] Roy Mac Arthur was a "billy boy" for Stephen Peake: At most residences the lady of the house put a china jug, with a beaded cloth mesh cover, on the front steps to receive the milk.

The St John's Wood ARP post was a new concept as community-based volunteers who provided both their expertise and some of the equipment required to run it.

[60] This military organisation was originally formed as part of the Royal Australian Engineers in mid-1942, under the leadership of infantry Captain Jim McAllester.

Approval was given to re-establish the laboratory at the St Johns Wood hall in Royal Parade in August 1943, and it was in operation at that site by October.

The memorial stands in a leafy children's playground on the banks of the Enoggera Creek, facing north, and the boulder is 1.6 m (5.2 ft) high.

[62] It bears a plaque with the inscription: To the Memory of Flt/Sgt Clifford Berger HopgoodKilled in action over Occupied Europe24 February 1944[63] This Tree Was Planted By His Friends of St. Johns WoodA local resident, Marjorie Summerville, recalls being present at the planting of the memorial tree to Clifford Hopgood and the placement of the seat with the plaque, sometime after World War II.

[note 2] Former St Johns Wood Councillor for The Gap ward, Brian Hallinan, believes the planting occurred sometime in the early 1950s.

The Scout section started in August 1945, with four boys from the Ashgrove Troop and six new recruits, meeting at the hall in Laird Street in the grounds of Granite House.

"[74] The first Rover Leader was Ian "Sailor" Webb who came to us through a fortuitous meeting with the then Group Scout Master "Kernel" Matthews.

The Group has been fortunate to have had, over the years, an energetic leadership team; men and women committed to the inculcation of social and moral values in the boys and girls in their charge.

The land on the western perimeter of St Johns Wood identified as Portion 382 being an area of 15 acres (6 ha), 1 rod and 16 perches was originally purchased 10 August 1864 by Joseph Berry.

When these attempts proved fruitless the land was put up for sale and was purchased in 1984 by local real estate agent Syd Appleby and his wife Merryl and Allan and Maree Rainbow.

The 1860s stone residence is significant for its aesthetic quality, craftsmanship and intactness, including the internal cedar joinery, skylight, plaster ceiling roses, stonework and original beech floors.

Some owners lived on-site in primitive single room dongas (ex-army huts) for the duration of the construction of the main house, sometimes a number of years.