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Former Shameen

Other Name Moonambell Location 1050 Malvern Road,, MALVERN VIC 3144 - Property No B6263 File Number B6263 Level Demolished/Removed

[1/1] B6263 Moonambel

Statement of Significance

Moonambel at 1050 Malvern Road, originally known as Shameen, is of State significance as an early and idiosyncratic example of the bungalow type in Victoria. Built 1916 as the house of Arthur Purnell of Beaver & Purnell, the house shows oriental and American influences resulting from Purnell's experience as an architect in China and Beaver's American origin. The form of the house, which consists of a ground floor and a cross ridged attic storey, has Craftsman Bungalow overtones. The double-return verandah, which continues the hip lines of the main roof, echoes the form of the traditional Australian homestead, a quality commented upon at the time. The verandah is supported by tapered brick pylons topped with timber extension pieces, a reference to oriental as well as Californian work, and the front pergola and simply detailed, many-paned windows and doors also seem to derive from oriental precedents.
As was general at the time of construction, red bricks, stained joinery and areas of shingled walling comprised the exterior; the roof was anachronistic, being of slate (mitred hips and ridges) rather than the more popular Marseilles tile. The over-slender chimneys with their moulded trims are a Purnell hallmark. Being located towards the outer edge of a corner block (in order to accommodate a tennis court), the house has two exposed and carefully composed elevations.
Until recently this important house was substantially intact; its extensive inbuilt furniture remaining unpainted and the sleep-out to the rear retaining its glass, flywire and canvas screens. The porte-cochere/pergola has been demolished and in 1989 a fire destroyed the dining room and adjacent areas and part of the roof but the house remains as a distinctive and early example of one of the nation's most admired styles of domestic architecture.
Classified: 16/10/1991