Chancellor House

1 Gulls Way, Frankston

History
Built: c1953-41
Australian Home Beautiful publicised this house in December, 1954, as a `New slant on design', the south wall of the house and the `verandah' supports both sloped inwards, `...two young architects who have turned their backs on the city are successfully tackling the cost factor in building, by using the newest techniques in construction.' The two architects were David Chancellor and partner, W.R. Patrick. The theory was reduction of roof area (and cost) for the same usable floor area, particularly as the service rooms and storage in the house extended along the sloping side.

The house had other innovations. The dining table rested on two cantilevering lengths of pipe built into the rough Moorooduc stone chimney in the living room. The result was no table legs and even more usable space. The house was only 8 squares, but open planning gave an impression of space, particularly so given the wide terrace and full-height glazed doors which opened onto it. Then the view focused down the Kackeraboite Creek towards Davey's Bay, unobstructed by today's lush growth. It was on Lot 24 of the 1929 Yamala Beach Estate2 which William D. Chancellor (student) and Phylis Holder (teacher) had purchased in 1950.3

The roof was a skillion form and clad with corrugated asbestos sheet4: it was likened to a `tent fly' because of its reverse slope to 7'6" clearance at the front of the house. The walls were Conite or cement render on chicken wire fastened to sheeting made of compressed timber shavings and cement which was fixed to a timber frame. One precaution in this method was to separate the chicken wire from the sheeting by nailing through bottle tops, thus allowing the two materials to move independently of the other.

On the inside, 4 feet wide Masonite butt-jointed sheets were fixed to wall studs set at 2 feet centres, rather than the normal 1'6", to prevent waste. Full-height vertical jointing and beveling of the Masonite edges allowed the designers to dispense with architraves. On the ceiling and sloping wall were lacquered hardwood boards and white-painted beams. Other natural finishes such as bamboo and stone pervaded.

External colours were typically striking: timber joinery was bright red, iron pipe standards dark grey, the roofing and rear wall `a strong lime yellow' and the other walls, grey.5

There was apparently no provision for ceiling lighting in the house and the water supply pipes were embedded in the concrete floor slab6.

David and Phylis Chancellor lived there until Richard & Jean Langdon purchased the house by 1957; the Langdon's living there permanently from c1960, after being at Haverback Road, Malvern.7 After purchasing the house, the Langdons commissioned Chancellor & Patrick to add to the house in 1957: a laundry and upper-level `car shelter' were added, next to the formerly detached study on the north-east corner of the house, and a new bedroom placed at the north side of the former 'Bedroom 2' (sun battens reused) with a dressing room (shower and toilet) already added on its south side.8

A later stage of the property development was a major two-storey extension by Robin & Rohan Mason, made ten years after their purchase from Mrs. Langdon in 19769. This replaced the external studio and laundry.

In 1991 the original verandah was extended to the west and south around the bedrooms, which were themselves also extended, making the total house area around four times that of the first house on the site.10

Description
Today, given the substantial additions made to the house and site, the original house is remarkably unchanged externally, albeit in poor condition. The bright red of the joinery is now a maroone colour and the roofing returned to its natural grey, but the stone base, unusual form, sliding glass doors, steel, balustrade and pipe columns are as they were. Ironically, one of few discordant added elements to the original house is the 1957 weatherboarded bedroom extension which encroaches on the unusual wedge-shape at one end and introduces a foreign wall material overlapping the stone base.

The original vertical board cladding is visible on the addition undercroft. The addition is not readily visible from the street view. The carport or shelter is detached and its exposed roof members have the shaped ends of the firm's later work. Unlike the mainstream Chancellor & Patrick Wright-influenced designs, this house resembled closely a design by Americans Slater & Chait (sloping walls), published locally, also Peter McIntyre's Stargazer House, North Balwyn (1952- 3): both structure-influenced designs.

External Integrity
Generally original, except for the carport and bedroom additions (designed by Chancellor & Patrick).

Context
A contributing and early part of a valuable Modernist house precinct11.

Significance
Architecturally, the house is an unusual response to post-War materials, shortages and inflated costs, but designed in a way which paralleled the innovations of other architects such as McIntyre (Stargazer House, North Balwyn) where rationalist experimentation with new forms and materials was part of a new architectural era also, the first of a large number of successful house designs by a prominent early firm in post-War residential work and a contributor to the Gulls Way residential precinct: of regional importance.

Historically, valuable for its reflection of the lifestyle and design principles of one of the key figures in shaping a distinctive Frankston building character.