A Heritage Building at The Clifton
Grittleton Lodge
A living piece of Bunbury’s story
The Building
Brick, iron and lacework
Standing at the corner of Clifton and Molloy Streets, Grittleton Lodge is one of Bunbury’s most treasured heritage buildings — and now, as part of The Clifton, a place to sleep somewhere that history has truly touched.
Built around 1885 as a two-storey brick and iron residence with a symmetrical facade and twin verandahs, the Lodge is a fine example of Victorian Georgian architecture. Its rendered masonry walls, hipped corrugated iron roof, graceful dormer windows and decorative iron lacework make it one of the most striking streetscapes in the city.
The Forrest Family
A house built by pioneers
Robert and Esther Forrest bought two blocks of land on the corner of Clifton and Molloy Streets and, in 1885, built their two-storey colonial residence there — naming it Grittleton Lodge. A large garden was landscaped at the front, with a circular carriageway running around it.
Robert’s father, William Forrest, was an early pioneer of the Bunbury district who operated the first flour mill in the area. In 1879, Robert and his father established the Koombana Steam Roller Flour Mill — a large, two-storey steam-driven building near the Bunbury jetty that would become one of the most important mills in the South West. Robert also worked as an agent for the mail steamers and the local Inquirer newspaper, and the family were prominent figures in Bunbury’s colonial business community.
Robert was one of ten children — and his brothers were no ordinary siblings. John Forrest became Western Australia’s first Premier, and Alexander was a noted politician and explorer. John was also proclaimed by Queen Victoria as Lord Forrest, Baron of Bunbury.
The first person born in Australia to enter the British peerage.John Forrest — Robert’s brother
The Lodge was a natural gathering place for this remarkable family.
The Name
What’s in a name?
The origin of “Grittleton” is not definitively recorded. It may be a nod to the village of Grittleton in Wiltshire, England — a common colonial practice of naming a home after a British place — though no direct family connection has ever been established.
If you know more about the name’s history, we’d love to hear from you.
The Cons Sisters
The women behind the names
The four suites of Grittleton Lodge — Esther, Eliza, Elizabeth and Robert — honour the people who shaped this house and the community around it. Three of those names belong to the extraordinary Cons sisters, whose influence reached far beyond these walls.
I.
Esther
Founder of Bunbury’s first girls’ school — and mistress of the Lodge
Esther (née Cons) came from a remarkable Anglo-German family in London; her grandfather, Elias Konss, had emigrated from Germany and changed the family name to Cons. She first went to Melbourne before arriving in Western Australia in 1869, teaching music and languages at a school in Fremantle. In 1872 she arrived in Bunbury and established Torrington College, the first girls’ school in the town.
She married Robert Forrest in 1875 and made Grittleton Lodge her home, becoming a much-loved civic figure. A keen horsewoman, Esther was seriously injured in a riding accident, and from that point relied on the support of her sisters. She remained a tireless civic worker — called upon to unveil the foundation stone of St Patrick’s Anglican Church at Rathmines in 1908, and deeply involved in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the founding of the Sailors’ Rest.
II.
Eliza
The sailors’ friend — one of Bunbury’s most impactful women
Eliza came to Bunbury in 1888 to help care for her injured sister, and stayed for the rest of her life. She arrived bringing Violet and Ray Baylis — the children of her sister Elizabeth, whom Robert and Esther adopted. Eliza never married. She lived at Grittleton Lodge and cared for the family while throwing herself into the life of the town: organising concerts, advocating for the rights of women, providing activities for children, serving on the Wellington Education Board, and looking after the welfare of the sailors who came into port.
Her most enduring legacy was the Bunbury Sailors’ Rest. After years of campaigning and fundraising, the new building opened in May 1905. The Mayor praised Eliza directly — saying she had started in the smallest way and, after several years, succeeded in establishing an institution that was a credit to the town.
A credit to Bunbury.The Mayor of Bunbury, on Eliza’s Sailors’ Rest
She ran the Sailors’ Rest until 1920 when, aged 78, she handed it over debt-free to the Mission to the Seamen. Her work continues in Bunbury today through the Anglican Diocese’s Mission to Seafarers. In 1999, as part of the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage celebrations, Eliza Cons was honoured as one of twelve women who shaped the Bunbury region.
III.
Elizabeth
The opera singer whose family helped found The Royal Ballet
Elizabeth was the Cons sister who stayed in England and made her mark on the world stage. A well-known British opera singer known as Liebe Cons, she married another singer, Newton Baylis. Her daughter, Lilian Baylis, went on to manage the Old Vic Theatre in London and later acquired Sadler’s Wells. The ballet and opera companies formed under Lilian’s management became the foundation of what we now know as The Royal Ballet and The English National Opera.
Two of Elizabeth’s other children, Violet and Ray, came to live with the Forrests in Bunbury — Violet going on to work closely with Eliza at the Sailors’ Rest and in the women’s suffrage movement. Across the family, the Cons sisters and their children left a remarkable imprint — on London’s cultural life, and on the streets of Bunbury itself.
The Suites
Four suites, four names
Each suite at the Lodge carries a name from this story. To stay here is to stay among the people who built it, kept it, and gave so much to the town beyond it.
Esther
Mistress of the Lodge; founder of Bunbury’s first girls’ school.
Eliza
The sailors’ friend, behind the Bunbury Sailors’ Rest.
Elizabeth
The London opera singer with ties to The Royal Ballet.
Robert
Pioneer, miller and the man who built Grittleton Lodge.
Later Years
A house of many lives
The Forrests continued to live in the Lodge until around 1925. By 1931 it was owned and occupied by Louise Illingworth, and by 1941 it had been converted into four flats. The Cassady family acquired the property in 1962, and for more than two decades Jim and Janene Cassady and their three children called it home — living in and loving the old building that had been so central to Bunbury’s story.
When the children grew up and left, the Cassadys made a decision that would transform the Lodge once more. Rather than rattle around in the two-storey homestead, they resolved to bring it back to life and open it to guests.
We decided to restore it to its former grandeur and open it to guests.Jim Cassady — The West Australian, 1998
The restoration was meticulous. Walnut dressers, French clocks, leather chesterfields, silk drapes and gilt mirrors came together to create interiors that carried visitors back to the Victorian era. Each of the four suites gained a private marble bathroom with a spa bath, an open gas fireplace and monogrammed towelling robes, while the music room and lounge — filled with family heirlooms and an antique grand piano — completed the picture of a gracious colonial home brought back to life.
Alongside the Lodge, Louisa’s Restaurant — run by the Cassadys in partnership with acclaimed chef Neil Jackson — became one of Western Australia’s most celebrated dining destinations, winning the Gold Plate Award every year from 1990 to 1997 and taking the state award for Fine and Occasional Dining. Together, the property earned an extraordinary run of tourism honours.
- 1992 / 1993Australian Tourism Awards
- 1996Western Australian Tourism Awards — Hall of Fame
- 1997Australian Tourism Awards — national superior accommodation category
The Cassady family sold the property in 2005, and the Lodge has continued as a cherished part of The Clifton Motel ever since.
Heritage Listed
Recognised on the State Heritage Register
Grittleton Lodge is recognised for its cultural heritage significance — as a substantial example of Victorian Georgian architecture, for its landmark qualities, and for its contribution to Bunbury’s streetscape and the community’s sense of place.
Now Part of The Clifton
Stay in a piece of living history
Today, Grittleton Lodge sits within the grounds of The Clifton Motel — four private suites, spacious drawing rooms and a balcony, particularly well suited to group bookings and special occasions.
Whether you’re celebrating, escaping, or simply curious about the stories these walls hold, we’d love to welcome you.
Sources & Further Reading
With grateful acknowledgement
The history on this page has been drawn from the following sources, which we gratefully acknowledge.
State Heritage Office of Western Australia — inHerit Register, Grittleton Lodge, 2 Molloy Street, Bunbury. inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au
Streets of Bunbury — “Eliza Cons (1842–1924).” Research by Gaye Englund for the Streets of Bunbury project, a Museum of Perth initiative. streetsofbunbury.com/eliza-cons
Robert and Esther Forrest — Family History Document. Sourced from the Forrest family records; information and photographs courtesy of Verna Glossop, née Properjohn.
The Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express, 28 November 1924 — Obituary: Mr Robert Forrest. National Library of Australia / Trove
Bunbury Herald, 29 July 1909 — Obituary: Mrs Robert Forrest. National Library of Australia / Trove
The West Australian, 30 July 1998 — “In the Lodge of Luxury,” David Hummerston. Travel section.
Visit Bunbury Geographe — Heritage Building Trail. visitbunburygeographe.com.au
History Out There — “Haunting History of Grittleton Lodge in Bunbury,” Harold Peacock, June 2025. historyoutthere.com
State Library of Western Australia — Historical photographs of Robert Forrest, Esther Cons and related figures. slwa.wa.gov.au