Context
Reuben Watts House (Former) is located in southern Takapuna, an early twentieth century seaside suburb on Auckland’s North Shore. The suburb contains a variety of residential development spanning the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, including infill housing as larger sections were subdivided. Reuben Watts House (Former) is a surviving example from the earliest boom of residential development at Takapuna. It is located less than 200 metres from the southern end of Takapuna Beach, which can be accessed via a nearby walkway. Houses in the immediate vicinity are mostly of late twentieth and early twenty-first century construction.
Takapuna contains a number of formally recognised heritage places, including early to mid-twentieth century residences in varied architectural styles, churches, and public buildings such as the former Takapuna Library and Post Office. Formally recognised historic places in the suburb that are associated with notable artists include the 1950s Frank Sargeson House (List No. 7540, Category 1 historic place).
The Site
The site occupies a large, corner plot of rectangular plan at the junction of Rewiti Avenue and William Street. It contains a main, two-storey residence centrally placed within the lot with an original attached garage and laundry of single-storey height extending to the southern boundary on Rewiti Avenue. Connected to the garage and extending a short distance along the Rewiti Avenue boundary is a low, plastered concrete wall of 1920s date. This is trowel-finished in the same manner as external plasterwork on the main residence and garage, and contains unusual finials of abstract, acorn design. The wall incorporates two timber gates, including one accessing a garden path leading to the front door of the residence. This path is enclosed for all of its length by an original timber pergola, supported by plastered columns.
Surrounding most of the main residence is a modern Arts and Crafts-inspired formal garden with brick paths and additional pergolas of similar design to the 1920s elements. At the street corner, the property bounded by a low hedge which maintains the visual prominence of the original residence. Two modern single-storey additions have been built along the northern and western boundaries of the site; a boatshed and a pavilion. Of dark colour and relatively low height, these have been designed to recede behind the original residence and have a relatively minor impact on visual appreciation of the 1923 structure, particularly from the street. The pavilion is connected to the main residence by an unobtrusively-created, glazed passage on the latter’s west elevation. A detached outdoor fireplace has been erected between the boatshed and pavilion extension in the north-west corner of the site.
Main residence (1923)
The main residence consists of a well-preserved house of Arts and Crafts design. It is considered to retain a high proportion of the elements that represent collaboration between Reuben Watts and James Chapman-Taylor in its creation. These features extensively survive both externally and internally. The following description is informed by a conservation plan prepared in 2011, resource consent documents and other published material in the public domain.
Exterior
Externally the building consists of an asymmetrically arranged two storey cottage of concrete construction with a steeply pitched clay tile roof. The roof incorporates an irregular combination of hipped and gable ends at different heights. It extends to a lower level over single-storey elements of the structure such as the porch and north end of the projecting laundry and garage. Over the latter, the roof is gabled.
The residence contains two distinctive chimneys, the northernmost of which is especially prominent, rising directly from the north elevation. All windows are of steel, multi-light casement type and are of varying sizes. Dormer windows lighting the upper storey break the lower parts of the roof and eaves. All windows other than the dormers have moulded plaster window hoods. Apertures on the north and lower west elevations retain their original 1923 Crittall’s frames. Due to metal corrosion and other reasons, others have been replaced by new Crittall’s frames.
The entire wall exterior is plastered with Chapman-Taylor’s signature trowel plaster finish. This includes each face of the building’s distinctive chimneystacks.
The main entrance to the residence is in its south elevation, fronting Rewiti Avenue. Accessed via the 1923 timber pergola from the front gate a hand adzed, oregon timber front door is enclosed by an open porch incorporating trellis screens and defined on its east and west sides by low, trowel plastered walls. To the west is an enclosed secondary porch providing shelter for indirect access between the kitchen and the attached garage and laundry. This porch incorporates an unusual triangular-headed doorway reminiscent of early medieval Saxon design on its east side, and a meat safe and ice box with louvered vents set into the southern side. The original garage extends south from the main residence to the front boundary of the property. Its south elevation includes a weatherboard gable above original garage doors.
The east or William Street elevation is the most visually impressive aspect as viewed from the road. It incorporates a projecting bay with gable end at the southern end, combined with a multi-level hipped roof to the north with deep eaves and exposed rafter ends. A wide dormer window projects from the centre of the roof at eaves level. There are projecting faceted windows on the ground floor below the dormer and towards the northern end of the elevation. The gabled bay incorporates centrally positioned windows at both ground and first floor levels.
The northern elevation, also largely visible from the street, has a dominant end chimney and features four small windows, one on each side of the chimney on both ground first floor levels. West of this gable is a small dormer window. The hipped roof extends around much of the north and west elevations, extending to a lower level over the attached garage at the south end of the latter. The west, or rear, elevation also incorporates a projecting central bay with dormer window. The 2017 pavilion is linked to the original residence by an enclosed glass passageway connected to a doorway at the foot of this bay. The latter forms the only visual modification from the 1923 design.
Interior
The residence retains much of its distinctive 1920s interior with relatively few modifications. It retains significant aspects of its original detailing including hand adzed finishes, wrought ironwork, and Reuben Watts’ beaten metalwork, as well as his distinctive mural in the main bedroom.
The initial layout and access arrangements of the house are unaltered, with the exception of a recent doorway in the main west elevation providing access from the dining area to the 2018 pavilion. Arranged around the centrally placed staircase, the ground floor is composed of several main spaces: a relatively large entrance hall; a living room incorporating an inglenook, dining area and partitioned study; a small servery and adjoining kitchen; and a laundry and former garage reached from the latter. Accessed via a staircase from the hall, the upstairs contains a bathroom and three bedrooms arranged around a small landing.
Reflecting its English manorial influences, the interior contains exposed timber ceiling beams and timber floors throughout. Doors are generally hand-adzed oregon, and ledged and braced. Almost all the timberwork is dark stained. Walls are generally plastered concrete, many with applied timber framing or timber wainscoting.
The hall is situated in the southeast corner of the house, entered via the front door. Lit by two small-pane windows, this space contains a vertical panelled door on its north side providing access to the living room, with a leadlight window containing a handpainted heraldic motif above. Another door in the west wall provides access to the kitchen. A timber staircase extends upwards from the same side of the hall. Early panelling in the hall has evidently been removed.
The large living area contains large hand adzed ceiling beams as well as exposed joists. Walls retain similarly hand adzed, vertical board wainscoting to a considerable height. At the north end of the room is a large inglenook, framed by the wainscoting on one side and a vertical board partition on the other. This contains built-in timber seating with arm rests and curved end details, on either side of a fireplace of large, manorial type which incorporates a beaten copper hood and copper mouldings at the corners, made by Reuben Watts. Small windows either side of the chimney breast light the seated area. A large, copper ceiling panel survives above the fireplace.
Plans indicate that built-in furniture survives in a separate alcove in the living room, comprising a cupboard with a central opening containing a copper cover and hinges – presumed to have been similarly created by Reuben Watts.
To the west of the inglenook is a small study defined by tall, hand adzed partitions. The dining alcove, immediately south of the study room, has been modified through the addition in west wall of a doorway to the glass passage connecting the house to the extension.
A door in the south wall of the dining alcove connects to the servery, which contains a number of built-in shelves on its side walls and above the doorframe. Another door connects the servery with the kitchen, which occupies the southwest corner of the residence. Both the servery and kitchen have painted and plastered concrete walls. The kitchen also incorporates a tiled alcove on the north wall, which retains its original ’H.E. Shacklock Ltd Orion’ coal range. Along the west wall is the kitchen bench with hand adzed timber cupboards and concrete sink. A cupboard with a handmade latch is located in the passage at the east wall of the kitchen connecting to the entrance hall.
An external door in the kitchen’s south wall enters the secondary porch through which the laundry and former garage can be accessed. Both latter rooms have concrete walls and floors, and exposed ceiling rafters. The laundry retains its early concrete tubs and copper, and has a rear door that originally provided access into the back garden. The garage has been converted for alternative use with relined walls and ceiling. A weather proof double timber door has been added internally, while maintaining the functionality of the original doors.
The staircase of hand adzed jarrah risers and treads is lined by cedar panels with battens on its south wall, which have a beaten metal plate made by Reuben Watts at each junction. It has jarrah timber board on the north side, which extends upwards to form a balustrade in the landing.
The small first floor landing has a west facing window, and provides access to the three bedrooms and bathroom. The rooms all retain their original timber doors and some rooms contain built-in cupboards. The ceilings are open to immediately above collar height with painted plasterboard attached to the top of the collars.
The main bedroom occupies the northeast part of the floor and also incorporates a partitioned dressing room alcove at its northwest corner. This bedroom retains the ‘plein air’ mural painted by Reuben Watts with its original Arts and Crafts influenced imagery. The mural encircles the room including around the chimney breast, the sloping ceiling and occupying the plastered frieze above the timber panelling. Incorporating some recent restoration, it is understood to essentially remain as originally painted.
The smaller bedrooms are located in the northwest and southeast parts of the floor, and incorporate timber panelling.
The bathroom has one wall with applied timber panelling while the remaining walls are of painted concrete. The ceiling is plastered with a small amount of exposed timber. The modernised plumbing includes a large glass shower – replacing an earlier bath.
Comparisons
Reuben Watts House (Former) is one of nearly 100 buildings that have been identified as designed by James Chapman-Taylor. The following comparative section is primarily based on comparing Reuben Watts House (Former) to those others he designed. A summary of the houses designed by Chapman-Taylor which have been listed is included to indicate which categories have been ascribed to individual places.
Reuben Watts House (Former) is a well-preserved example of a residential design that was created as a collaboration by two leading Arts and Crafts practitioners. Considered at his death in 1958 to have been ‘a creative artist whose life was an inspiration to hundreds of New Zealanders in many walks of life’, James Chapman-Taylor differed from other notable Arts and Crafts architects - such as Samuel Hurst Seagar, Basil Hooper and R.K. Binney - by being directly involved in the construction and crafting of his work. Of the nearly 100 buildings he created most were erected for businesspeople, professionals and government officials. A small number were built for fellow artists, whose connections may have occasionally led to additional Arts and Crafts details being added. Other than later houses erected in collaboration with his son Rex Chapman Taylor, Reuben Watts House (Former) is the only one known to have been built with the major creative input of another major Arts and Crafts designer. Due to this collaboration, it is notable for incorporating an unusually wide range of materials and techniques reflecting Arts and Crafts philosophy – encompassing beaten metalwork and mural painting as well as hand adzed timber, wrought iron hardware and decorative, trowel-stroke plasterwork.
According to design historian Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, Reuben Watts House (Former) represents a high point or the ‘outermost extent’ of Chapman-Taylor’s reformist zeal in relation to Arts and Crafts design. It forms a very early and experimental example of his use of a trowel plastered exterior, occurring shortly after a similar technique was adopted on the external walls of the clay-block Spicer House (1923), which also survives on Auckland’s North Shore. Subsequently becoming an important part of Chapman-Taylor’s architectural signature, this innovation followed his pioneering promotion of concrete as a material that could be beautified and made acceptable to a wider public. Its use at Reuben Watts House (Former) represents its earliest employment on a concrete Chapman-Taylor building, and also reflects the earliest involvement of Rex Chapman-Taylor – who was to become a specialist in its application, as well as a noted craftsman in his own right. The house also contains the earliest known use by James Chapman-Taylor of Crittal windows, a very ‘English’ design type that he used extensively for subsequent buildings in the 1920s and 1930s.
Due to Reuben Watts’ input, the overall design has been seen as ‘possibly the most English of all Chapman-Taylor houses’. Watts requested that timber elements of its interior be dark-stained, and painted the extensive upstairs mural depicting an English manorial scene. Although murals are not uncommon expressions of Arts and Crafts houses overseas, they are very rare in a New Zealand context. One other mural of comparable date and context survives at Chapman-Taylor’s earliest concrete house, at Whare Ra, Havelock North (1913-16; List No. 3877, Category 1 historic place) – which features a meditation room painted as a replica of the tomb of Christian Rosenkreutz, with mystical symbols. Another mural, painted by the Havelock North artist Emily Hamilton at Chapman-Taylor’s own home at Sunbourne in 1919, no longer remains. Few other examples of this period are currently known. Later residential mural painting linked with modernism has been identified, including at Haigh House (Former), Pahi (List No. 7541, Category 2 historic place) - a relocated Vernon Brown residence which contains ‘possibly the only surviving mural by May Smith’ and is associated with the ‘development of 1940s modernist artwork’.
Other than Whare Ra, a number of houses designed by Chapman-Taylor have been formally entered on the New Zealand Heritage List. These include two of his own residences at Silverstream, Upper Hutt (1908-11; List No. 4148, Category 2 historic place) and Coles Avenue, Mt Eden, Auckland (1925; List No. 509, Category 2 historic place). They also encompass relatively early commissions on Tinakori Road, Thorndon, Wellington (1908-9; List No. 1387, Category 2 historic place); Burnell Avenue, Thorndon, Wellington (1910; List No.1376; Category 2 historic place), which introduced an L-shaped plan and ‘porthole’ windows; and Plas Mawr, New Plymouth (1913; List No. 146, Category 1 historic place), which was the first of his houses to incorporate hand-adzed timber and a sun-trap layout.
Later commissioned residences – erected after Reuben Watts House (Former) – that have been formally recognised include Valhalla, also known as Carr House (Former), Auckland (1924-5; List No. 677, Category 2 historic place); Restormel, Silverstream, Upper Hutt (1929; List No.4149, Category 2 historic place), which formed Chapman-Taylor’s second sun-trap design; Tweed House, Trentham, Upper Hutt (1930-31; List No.4152, Category 1 historic place), which combined Moderne and Arts and Crafts styles; Woodhill, (1932-3; List No. 4143, Category 1 historic place), a butterfly-plan design forming the earliest of a group of Chapman-Taylor houses beside Chatsworth Road, Silverstream, Upper Hutt; a residence for Douglas Hare at Lower Hutt (1938; List No. 4142, Category 2 historic place) and the Barr House, Chatsworth Road, Silverstream, Upper Hutt (1939-40; List No.4146, Category 2 historic place).
In relation to other identified Chapman-Taylor residences, Reuben Watts House (Former) can be seen as especially significant for exemplifying an important Arts and Crafts collaboration, design innovations that were to become important elements in Chapman-Taylor’s later work, and a very varied and full expression of Arts and Crafts ideas – which in addition to reflecting the major contribution of Reuben Watts, also demonstrates a high point or the ‘outer parameters’ of Chapman-Taylor’s reforming zeal.
Reuben Watts House (Former) can be considered the main place in New Zealand to demonstrate the ideas and activities of Reuben Watts, acclaimed as a pioneering and innovative Arts and Crafts metalworker and wider practitioner, who collaboratively conceptualised and erected the house, contributed significantly to its interior details, and occupied it for a lengthy period while achieving the height of his productivity and renown.
The aesthetic and architectural importance of the place has been broadly recognised by design specialists and members of the broader community, for example through inclusion of information about the place and its significance in publications about New Zealand’s design history and the work of Chapman-Taylor, and popular magazine publication – as well as recognition by a Devonport and Takapuna Local Board architectural conservation award and during the preparation of a conservation plan.
