Eric Pratten House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eric Pratten House |
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Walter Burley Griffin home Coppins, or the Eric Pratten House.
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| Location | 29 Telegraph Road, Pymble, Ku-ring-gai Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1935–1936 |
| Architect | Walter Burley Griffin |
| Architectural style(s) | International / Modern |
| Official name: Eric Pratten House; Coppins; Crompton | |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 22 December 2000 |
| Reference no. | 1443 |
| Type | House |
| Category | Residential buildings (private) |
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The Eric Pratten House is a special old home located at 29 Telegraph Road in Pymble, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It was designed by the famous architect Walter Burley Griffin and built between 1935 and 1936. This house is also known as Coppins and Crompton. It's so important that it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on December 22, 2000. This means it's protected because of its history and unique design.
Contents
A Look Back at the Eric Pratten House
Early Days of Pymble
The land where the Eric Pratten House stands has a long history. In 1823, a settler named Robert Pymble received a large piece of land, about 600 acres (240 hectares), from the Crown. He was one of the first people to live permanently in this area.
Pymble kept most of his land for many years. But by 1882, the area started to grow. More wealthy people from the city wanted to build homes there. The new North Shore railway, which opened in 1890, made the area even more popular for development.
How the Land Changed Hands
In 1883, Robert Pymble sold two big blocks of land. One of these blocks, about 3 acres (1.2 hectares) on Telegraph Road, was sold to a doctor named Walter O'Reilly. Dr. O'Reilly and his family owned the land for many years. They even built a house on part of it.
In the 1920s, Dr. O'Reilly's family started selling off pieces of the land. In 1934, Eric Herbert Pratten bought a part of it. He later bought another nearby section in 1939.
The Pratten Family and Their Vision
Eric Pratten's father, Frederick, was a successful businessman and politician. He and his half-brother, Herbert, had started a printing company called Pratten Brothers Printing. They were very successful and also invested in mining and manufacturing. Herbert Pratten became a well-known politician. He built a large house for his family on Telegraph Road.
In the early 1930s, Eric and his brother David got married. Their father gave them land on Telegraph Road and money to build their own homes. The brothers were inspired by another house called Cameron House in Killara, which was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Because they loved Griffin's style, both Eric and David Pratten asked him to design their houses.
Walter Burley Griffin's Design
Walter Burley Griffin was a very famous architect. He was known for designing the city of Canberra. He designed many buildings in Australia, from small shelters to large university buildings. He was also known for connecting his designs closely with the Australian landscape.
In 1935, before the final plans for Eric's house were ready, Griffin left Australia for India. He passed away there in 1937. Eric's house, known as Coppins, was finished and overseen by Griffin's partner, Eric Nicholls. Nicholls was a big fan of Griffin's ideas. He had to make a few small changes to Griffin's original plans to suit the client. Many people think the finished house looks similar to Griffin's earlier work in Chicago, especially his "Prairie School" style.
David Pratten's house, also designed by Griffin, was built nearby. It had a unique circular lounge area that extended into the garden. Sadly, this house has been changed quite a bit over the years, losing some of Griffin's original details.
Some experts have different opinions about these last houses Griffin designed in Australia. Some felt they weren't his favorite projects. But others believe the Eric Pratten House was a clever way for Griffin to create a modern, unique house for a client who might have preferred a more traditional style.
Design and Features
The Eric Pratten House is located on a large corner property, about 9,647 square meters (2.4 acres). The house sits on the highest part of the land, near the western side. You reach it by a long gravel driveway that leads to a stone and tile garage, which matches the main house.
Architectural Style
The house is built from carefully shaped sandstone blocks. It has strong, angled walls and deep window openings. The roof is made up of several "sailing roofs" that seem to float, giving it a unique look. This style is a modern take on the "Prairie house" style, which was popular in America.
The design of the house also shows some of Walter Burley Griffin's ideas about spirituality, which were influenced by a philosophy called anthroposophy. For example, the window frames have a low triangular shape, which reminds some people of the special trapezoidal windows found in buildings designed by Rudolf Steiner, who developed anthroposophy. The Eric Pratten House was designed when Griffin was most interested in these ideas.
The house also shows how skilled the builders were, especially with stone construction, which was very advanced for Australia in the 1930s.
The Gardens and Landscape
The gardens around the Eric Pratten House are just as important as the house itself. They were planned to work perfectly with the house's design. The large garden areas, like the swimming pool terrace, the rose garden, and the sunken courtyard, are lined up with the house's main features.
The first garden designs were created with a designer from New Zealand named Campbell. It seems the garden layout was planned at the same time the house was being built. Later, larger parts of the garden, like the swimming pool, were added about 15 years after the house was finished. These later additions were designed by John Suttor. He likely used details from Griffin's house design, like the stone walls, to make sure the new garden parts blended in.
Griffin carefully chose where to place the house on the land. He wanted the house to be the main focus of the landscape and for its rooms to have great views of the whole property. The house faces away from the west, sitting on a small hill where two original land lots met. This spot allowed the house and its rooms to connect with all parts of the garden.
The property has many old, tall trees that are believed to be part of Griffin's original planting plan. A high stone wall covered in vines hides the house from Telegraph Road.
The property includes many interesting features:
- A formal entrance with iron gates and a curving gravel driveway that slowly reveals the house.
- Formal gardens with lawns, terraces, and different "garden rooms" around the house.
- A sunken courtyard garden with a lily pond.
- Fun areas like a swimming pool and terrace, a tennis court, and an entertainment area with a changing room and barbecue. These areas have impressive stone walls.
- A productive garden with a greenhouse, sheds, and vegetable beds.
- Other structures like a dog kennel (also designed by Griffin!), birdhouses, and more sheds.
- A service path from Telegraph Road to the kitchen.
- An old windmill and a water tank on a tall stand.
- A gardener's lodge and a large grassy area with tall trees.
- Parts of an old driveway made of sandstone.
- Many sandstone retaining walls and boundary walls with iron gates and fences.
Some experts believe that the complex design of the garden might have been created by Marion Mahony Griffin, Walter Burley Griffin's wife, who was also a talented designer.
Changes Over Time
The house was sold after Eric Pratten passed away in the mid-1960s. The Denning family lived there until 2000. During their time, they didn't make many big changes to the house, though some bathrooms and the kitchen were updated. The gardens were also changed a bit, but the main features stayed the same.
In December 2000, the property was divided into smaller sections and added to the State Heritage Register. It was sold again in 2001. Later, in 2013, one of the two blocks (the one with the house and pool) was sold. The other "garden" block, with the tennis court and other buildings, was still for sale in 2018.
Why is it Heritage Listed?
The Eric Pratten House is very important because it was Walter Burley Griffin's largest home design in Australia. It was one of his last projects before he left the country. It's also one of only three large houses Griffin designed in the Ku-ring-gai area.
This house is special because most of Griffin's other homes in Australia were smaller, usually just one story. The Eric Pratten House shows how skilled Griffin was as an architect. It also highlights the excellent stone construction techniques used in Australia during the 1930s.
The house is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register because it meets several important requirements:
- It shows the history of New South Wales: The Eric Pratten House is a key example of Griffin's work. It was one of his last designs in Australia and his biggest home project here. Griffin was a very important architect who greatly influenced Australian design. His later work was also shaped by his interest in Steiner's philosophies.
- It shows great design and skill: The house is a large and impressive example of Griffin's design, including its beautiful garden setting. Its unique sandstone structure, angled walls, and "sailing roofs" show his creative genius. The design also reflects Griffin's spiritual ideas. The high quality of the stone construction is also a sign of excellent technical skill from the 1930s.
