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A Pictorial Survey of Housing in New Zealand: Part Three

By Gordon F. Wilson

9 This is an example in which design has ebbed to its lowest. The elevation gives little indication of the plan. The verandah of the early house is there but is now too narrow and the roof so high that it is of little practical use. The endeavour of the designer was, of course, to obtain the maximum display with the technique and wealth at his means. Note the excessive characterless decoration and the extreme ceiling height of 12 feet, a ceiling height suitable for the rooms of a large Georgian house, but totally un-suited for the small rooms of this house. No doubt when built this house had an appeal to the people of the time as the latest in fashion design, an appeal involving the certainty that their forefathers' houses were never like this. It was in reality the dregs of the classic revival.

10 The sketch is a synthesis of the 1900 suburban villa. The bay window, the verandah, the wood fret pattern pand cast iron decoration, the turned balustrade, the gable finials and the three-quarter drawn blinds, they are all there.

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11 In England William Morris and the school of architects working with him greatly influenced design. Years passed before the New Zealand house was to show the reflection of the work of this school with its return to simplicity of composition, emphasis upon craftmanship and avoidance of excessive decoration. This house, which is not a particularly good example, shows the strong influence of this school. The roof is of particular interest; compare it with the previous example; it is of burnt clay tile probably imported from France. Some years were to pass before a similar tile was manufactured in New Zealand. From this time until the last few years it was the desire of practically all architects to use tiles as a roofing material for their houses. William Morris's teaching against all machine-made material and return to the character of the simple rustic English cottage retarded the serious design development of corrugated roofing material, which was the roofing material for the great majority of houses because of its economic and practical advantages, replacing the wood shingle of the pioneer house.

12 The full development of the cottage or romantic school of design is characterised by sharply contrasting forms and materials with prominent roofs, big chimneys and heavy projections as this vigorous example shows. Note the small casement windows, the variety of materials, plaster, brick and mock half-timber work, the winding path and the ubiquitous ivy.

13 A secondary influence from California was to complete the change of appearance of the New Zealand house. This is a typical house of the California bungalow type. The origin of the design was not Europe but Asia, particularly Japan and China. The bungalow became popular with the speculative builder and was readily accepted by the public. This can be explained to a large degree by the similarity of climate, social and economic conditions and methods of building construction between California and New Zealand. The bungalow built of timber was characterised by an open plan, large windows and a Iow-pitched roof in contrast to the stone or brick cottage, tightly planned and with small windows and a high-pitched roof. During the first three decades of this century there was a sharp design conflict between the bungalow and the cottage. Most architects, and particularly those trained in Europe, were advocates of the cottage. This was unfortunate because the bungalow without skilled design direction degenerated into a type little better than the 1900 villa.