Church's House, former

600 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin

View from south.

Citation:

History
Joseph Church, a brickmaker, became the registered owner in 1887 of the site of this house in Crown Allotment 51A, Parish of Langwarrin. He also owned an adjacent 36 acre site from 1886. 1 Earlier, in 1884-85 Joseph was rated for a brick house and kiln on Allotment 51A, valued at £40. 2 Joseph's brick house on 57 acres was rated to him still in 1891. 3

However, by the turn of the century, Francis Church, brickmaker was recorded as the owner and occupier. 4 The valuation of the brick house had declined to £16 in 1910-11 when Francis Church, farmer, was rated. 5 By the 1930s, when Isabella and Annie Church occupied it, the house's valuation was only eleven pounds. 6

Description
This property has been described as a double-gabled brick house with an associated kiln site but since the bricks have been rendered over, the windows replaced in aluminium, the chimneys rebuilt with machine made coloured bricks, the window bays reshaped and reroofed and a new verandah added. These changes have been confirmed by the present owner.

The rear out-buildings have also been changed and there is now no indication of any kiln. Mature Monterey pines are at the frontage.

Condition
The exterior of the house has been almost completely changed with only the double-gabled form surviving (see above).

Context
The house is on the west of Cruden Farm and just north of the Langwarrin Flora & Fauna reserve and shares some of its rural character. The house is located close to a main road.

Significance
Church's house has local historical interest as the home last century of a family of local brickmakers but the changes to the fabric are so great as to make the house symbolic only of the Church family's occupancy and occupation.

Boundaries
This property should be removed from the planning scheme because of reduced integrity; the Monterey pines are mature but only typical of many in the City and are now without a built association.