Nightly rates from $995 midweek; $1395 weekends.
(Two-night minimum)
MISTER THOMAS BROOKS (1832-1902)
Thomas Brooks was born on the Isle of White and grew up in the shipping industry. He completed his shipbuilding apprenticeship at Royal Navy Base Dockyard, Plymouth, England and went to sea as a shipwright. During the 1850’s he was the sole survivor of a shipwreck in the Indian Ocean, and after his rescue settled in Newcastle, NSW Australia.
Here, Mister Brooks forged a career as a successful shipbuilder, and then a shipowner trading to China and inter-colonial ports around the world. He was a director of the Newcastle Steamship Company and of the Newcastle County Building Society, a member of the Marine Board of Newcastle and a Lloyd’s Accredited Marine Surveyor. He also had local coal mining interests and financially backed the Newcastle School of Arts. In 1882, he was elected as Mayor of Newcastle.
Mister Brooks resided in his grand home at 23 Brown Street from its completion in the 1870’s, until 1901 when it was sold to Henry Raysmith. Thomas Brooks died the following year, aged 70.
THE HOME
Built for John Goodsir and Thomas Brooks in 1877, when 21 and 23 Brown Street were constructed as an identical pair of Victorian Gothic houses designed by architect James Henderson (1835 – 1902).
Henderson was noteworthy in Newcastle’s development in late 19th century, for hotels, such as The Grand, and its companion terrace housing in Church and Watt Streets, and the fashionable Victoria Theatre’s rebuild after fire in 1891. Henderson’s buildings were often distinguished by perimeter stone or brick walls, as at Woodlands in Church Street, and beautiful, patterned brick pavements as in Brown Street.
Originally designed with four attic rooms above 8 main rooms on ground and first floors, these two Brown Street Gothic villas were constructed of double sandstone brick, with stucco finishes to present as stone on the façade and with distinctive ornate barge boards. Additional verandahs and balconies offered protected, additional living spaces, front and rear, to enjoy the expansive position, nestled in the verdant and terraced hillside of inner-city Newcastle.
TODAY
Mister Brooks on Brown is an elevated, contemporary, and eclectic home with that has been magnificently reimagined for the 21st Century by Prue and Andrew Swain. As custodians of this grand home, protectors of its legacy and authors of its next chapter, the Swain’s have brought modern history to life at 23 Brown Street.
Enjoy an extravagant experience in the heart of Newcastle in this 1870s, three-storey Gothic Mansion, lovingly restored in 2023.
Explore the best of Newcastle, all within strolling distance including the working harbour, Newcastle beach and gentrified East End precinct. Beautiful outdoor spaces capture city and harbour glimpses and beyond.
Mister Brooks offers six generous king bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living spaces, alfresco terrace, harbour views and plunge pool - all a stone's throw from Newcastle's finest restaurants, cafes and beaches. We sleep up to 12 in luxurious linen and offer ducted heating and cooling for year-round comfort.
Leave the car (we offer off street parking for three cars) and stroll to the magnificent King Edward Park or bustling working harbour and out to the Breakwall. Enjoy a swim or surf at Newcastle Beach followed by an ice cream or fish and chips at Scotties. Lap swimmers will love the recently restored, heritage listed Newcastle Ocean Baths.
If art is your thing, browse Newcastle's growing outdoor gallery of vibrant street art or visit the newly expanded Newcastle Art Gallery (re-opening August, 2025).
Back home take a dip in the pool, enjoy a BBQ and soak up the sights and sounds of Newcastle's bustling working harbour.
Mister Brooks offers eclectic, gelato hued interiors that are both warm and inviting.
