The three-storeyed, semi-detached stone dwelling with a brick facade was built between 1854 and 1875. The structure is of note because of the early use of masonry in the construction of a private residence. The five-sided Scotch dormer is also an unusual feature of the home as is the two-storeyed bay window in the front of the home.

Although no one knows the original owner of the home, Robert Wakeham did own the land in 1843. In 1894 the house was registered to James and Mary Knight. The twentieth century saw the house change hands often. In 1928 Florence Canning bought the house and in turn sold it to William Chafe in 1942. Chafe sold the house to Robert George Fahey in 1957. Antonia McGrath bought the house in 1980 from Robert Fahey's widow, Mary Fahey, who worked for many years at City Welfare.

The building was one of the few to survive the Great Fire of 1892. It did not escape the blaze unscathed, and the interior of the structure had to be rebuilt.