Monkton, Brisbane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monkton |
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Monkton, 2014
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| Location | 7 Ardoyne Road, Corinda, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919-1930s Interwar period |
| Built | 1925 |
| Built for | William and Margaret Dunlop |
| Architect | Elina Mottram |
| Official name: Monkton | |
| Type | state heritage |
| Designated | 31 July 2008 |
| Reference no. | 601170 |
| Type | Residential: Detached house |
| Theme | Building settlements, towns, cities and dwellings: Dwellings |
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Monkton is a special old house in Corinda, Brisbane, Queensland. It was built in 1925 for William and Margaret Dunlop. A very important architect named Elina Mottram designed it. Elina was the first woman in Queensland to start her own architecture business! This house is important because it shows how women started to become architects in Queensland. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2008, meaning it's a protected historical site.
Monkton is known for its smart design. It has a front that looks the same on both sides, with a porch sticking out in the middle. There are cool bay windows on either side of the porch. These design features are still in great shape today.
People have said that Monkton was built to be useful and comfortable. This was a common idea in Elina Mottram's early work. Another famous architect, Florence Taylor, once said, "Men build houses but women build homes." This means women often thought about the little details that make a house truly livable.
You can see these details in Monkton. For example, there are many built-in cabinets throughout the house. A tall linen cupboard goes all the way to the ceiling in the hallway. The kitchen has cupboards and a pantry that also reach the ceiling. The main bedroom has a wardrobe with storage cupboards that go up to the ceiling. Even the parlor has a special cupboard! All the rooms have walls made of v-jointed boards and ceilings made of fiber-cement.
Monkton is one of only a few houses left that were designed by early women architects in Queensland. In fact, it's one of only three in Brisbane.
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Monkton's Story
Monkton is a timber house in Brisbane's green suburbs. It was designed in 1925 by Elina Mottram. She was Queensland's longest-working early female architect. Out of all the buildings designed by early women architects in Brisbane, Monkton is one of only three that are still standing. It has a balanced front and carefully designed inside spaces. It also looks out over the Brisbane River.
Women in Architecture
Women slowly started to join the architecture profession in the early 1900s. It was not easy for them to get training or be accepted. The first woman architect in Australia was Florence Taylor. She was not allowed to join the Institute of Architects in New South Wales until 1920, just because she was a woman. Women like Florence often came from wealthy families. They usually learned about architecture from male relatives who were architects or builders.
In Queensland, the Brisbane Central Technical College offered some architecture classes. But it wasn't until 1949 that University of Queensland offered a degree that accepted both men and women.
Before this, a few women made important contributions to architecture in Queensland. These included Lily Addison and Beatrice Hutton. Beatrice Hutton was the first woman to be accepted into an architectural institute in Australia in 1916.
Elina Mottram's Career
In April 1924, Elina Mottram became the first woman architect to open her own business in Brisbane. Her office was in the T&G Building on Queen and Albert Streets. A newspaper announced, "Brisbane has at last a lady architect...we trust that she will get her fair share of public support." Today, Elina Mottram is seen as the most successful of Queensland's early women architects.
Elina Emily Mottram (1903-1996) was born in England. She moved to Brisbane with her parents in 1906. She studied architecture at the Brisbane Central Technical College. She also worked for an architect named F Hall during Brisbane's building boom in the 1920s. She earned her Diploma in Architecture in 1925.
Elina taught building construction at the Brisbane Central Technical College from 1926 to 1928. She also worked as an architect in Longreach and Rockhampton. In Longreach, she designed public and business buildings. These included the Masonic Temple and the office of Winchcombe Carson Ltd. She also updated the AWU building and the School of Arts.
Elina became a registered architect in 1930. During the 1930s depression, when jobs were hard to find, she worked as a postmistress. Later, she worked with her father in Rockhampton and Longreach. During World War II, she worked as a draftswoman for the American Army. She later worked for Queensland Rail and designed Eagle Junction railway station.
Mottram's Other Designs
Elina Mottram designed other homes too. These included a two-story apartment building in Kangaroo Point (called Scott Street Flats) and a Tudor Revival house for Zina Cumbrae-Stewart.
Out of all the buildings designed by early women architects in Queensland, only three survive in Brisbane. These are Nellie McCredie's house in Wilston (called Uanda), the Scott Street Flats, and Monkton. Historian Judith McKay wrote about how these women designed their buildings. She quoted Florence Taylor saying, "Men build houses but women build homes." She also quoted Beatrice Hutton, who said: "Men don't know how to build houses for women. Think of the cupboards that are either left out or put in the wrong place! And there are many details that only a woman can understand."
McKay says that Mottram's early work, including Monkton, focused on comfort, simplicity, and usefulness. Her designs often had attractive bay windows and lots of storage space.
Monkton's First Owners
Monkton was built in 1925 for William and Margaret Dunlop. They had just gotten married. The house was named after Monkton Farm, which was William Dunlop's parents' farm.
Margaret Dunlop grew up across the road from where the house was built. Her parents gave the land to the young couple as a wedding gift. The Dunlops asked Elina Mottram to design their new home. Elina was one of only a few women architects at the time. Margaret Dunlop, who was 19, was described by Elina as a "great client, smart and interested." Mrs. Dunlop chose the fittings and hardware. She also made sure the kitchen was on the north-east side of the house. Elina Mottram's original plans for Monkton still exist. They show us many details about how houses were built back then.
William and Margaret Dunlop lived in Monkton their whole lives. They raised four boys there. After they passed away, the house went to their son Robert. In 2008, the house was still owned by the family.
Over time, some changes have been made to Monkton. A new bedroom was added to the back of the house between the late 1930s and mid-1940s. Parts of the land were sold off, making the property smaller. New kitchen cabinets were added, and a room was turned into a bathroom in the mid-1990s. A built-in bookcase was put in after 2005. A new timber staircase was added to the side porch. A new shade structure was also put over the front driveway.
Monkton's Design
Monkton is a timber house located at the end of Ardoyne Road in Corinda. It has a balanced front with two gables facing the street. A porch sticks out in the middle. There are bay windows on each side of the porch. The main roof is hipped and the outside walls are covered with weatherboards.
The front of the house is at ground level. You can get to the front porch by a single concrete step. The porch has double posts that support thick verandah plates. Lattice panels are placed between the posts below arched decorations.
The main roof is covered with Marseilles pattern terracotta tiles. The fascias (the boards under the roof edge) are narrow and made of shaped timber. The chimney has a flat top and two openings for smoke. It is covered with painted rough plaster. The soffits (the underside of the roof overhang) are supported by long shaped brackets and lined with pine battens.
The low roofs of the bay windows and porches are covered with galvanised iron. All the gutters are quad shaped. The soffits for the porches and bay windows are lined with fibre cement sheeting. Each of the gables facing the street is made with fibre cement sheeting and vertical batten strips. In the middle of each gable is a lattice-covered vent for air.
The side porch looks similar to the front porch but has timber slatted balustrades. A new landing and timber stairs have been added to the side porch.
The bay windows facing the street and to the south have casement windows. They have a fixed middle section with curved glass bars. Other windows in the house are multi-paned timber casement windows. Small round windows, called porthole windows, are on the front porch and the sides of the house. The outside doors are timber doors with glass at the top. French doors open onto the front porch.
The back of the house is higher because the land slopes down to a flat yard. It is supported by brick pillars at the back, and the space underneath is open.
The house has two bedrooms, a sleep-out (added around the 1930s-1940s), a kitchen, two bathrooms, a hall, a sitting room, and a parlor. A side porch off the kitchen leads to the garden through new stairs.
The front porch leads into the parlor. This room has built-in cabinets with leadlight glass doors and recessed bookcases around a brick fireplace. The fireplace also sticks into the kitchen.
The sitting room has a bay window looking out over the river. It has a built-in timber window seat. The walls are lined with clear-finished timber boards up to the picture rail height. Clear-finished timber doors with special glass lead from the sitting room to the hall. Folding doors open to the new room.
Many early built-in cabinets are found throughout the house. These include a linen press in the hallway, cupboards in the kitchen, a wardrobe in the main bedroom, and a cupboard in the parlor. All these cabinets go all the way to the ceiling.
All rooms have walls lined with v-jointed boards and ceilings of fibre-cement with cover strips. The main bedroom, parlor, and sitting room have special rails for hanging pictures. The cornices (decorative moldings where the wall meets the ceiling) are similar in design. Other rooms have simpler picture rails. The skirtings (boards along the bottom of the walls) are clear-finished timber in some rooms and simpler in others.
The floors throughout the house are hardwood, except for the hall and second bedroom, which are pine. The kitchen floor has new ceramic tiles. The bathroom floor is green terrazzo with a black border. Many original light fittings and bakelite power points and light switches are still in the house.
Some newer additions include a security grille on the front porch, some new kitchen cabinets, a bookcase in the hall, and new bathroom fixtures. New leadlight windows are in the inside bathroom.
Other structures on the property include a new carport, a shed, a new pool fence, and a new rainwater tank. A new shade structure is over the driveway in front of the house. These newer structures are not considered historically important.
An old concrete fish pond is inside the pool fence at the back of the house.
From the back of the property, you can see views along the Brisbane River and across to Fig Tree Pocket. Mature trees line Ardoyne Road, and a large jacaranda tree shades the garden. There are also several garden beds and other plants.
Why Monkton is Special
Monkton was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on July 31, 2008, because it meets certain important standards.
Monkton shows how Queensland's history has changed. Monkton, built in 1925, is important because it shows how women started to work in professions in Queensland, especially in architecture. Women began careers in architecture in Queensland in the early 1900s. In 1924, Elina Mottram, who designed Monkton, became the first woman in Queensland to open her own architecture business.
Monkton shows rare or uncommon parts of Queensland's history. Monkton is still mostly in its original form and has many original details. It is rare because it is one of only a few surviving examples of work by early women architects in Queensland. It is one of only three such buildings left in Brisbane.
Monkton is beautiful and well-designed. Monkton is important for its beauty and design. It is a very well-preserved and elegant example of a timber house. Its balanced front and unique outside and inside details make it special. Monkton's high position overlooking the Brisbane River, surrounded by mature trees, creates a beautiful setting. The large garden also adds to its charming look.
Monkton is connected to an important person in Queensland's history. Monkton has a special connection to the work of Elina Mottram. She was the first woman to open her own architecture business in Brisbane and Queensland's most successful early female architect. The original plans for Monkton from 1925 still exist. This, along with the house being so well-preserved, helps us understand Ms. Mottram's work. The detailed built-in joinery inside the house is very typical of her home designs.
