Gordon Crescent house

Denistone NSW

When Nelson Charles Halloran and his wife Florence ‘Lillian’ nee Clarke were preparing to marry in 1941, they had architect H B Muir design a house for them in the Sydney suburb of Denistone. A feature of the new house was the bathroom.

Lillian worked at the Sydney branch of the Australian Tesselated Tile Company (ATTC) as secretary to the manager from around 1932 to 1942 and so admired one of the ATTC’s display bathrooms that she had a copy of it installed into her new Denistone home in 1941. The bathroom incorporated superior fittings and detailing including Moravian floor tiles, glass towel rail, ceramic soap and towel holders and a fully tiled bath with concave and rounded edge tiles.

The Australian Tesselated Tile Company was one of Australia’s most successful potteries. Edgar E. Walker founded the company in 1886 in Mitcham Victoria but opened a sales branch in Sydney in the early 20th century.

Almost all the elements of the bathroom were still intact when photographed in July 2014, though the wallpaper, toilet seat and taps on the wash basin are later additions or replacements.

Photographer: Brenton McGeachie

Date Photographed: July 2014

Original image format: born digital

Copyright: Caroline Simpson Collection, photograph © Brenton McGeachie

Documenting NSW homes

Garden study, Harrington Park
Documenting NSW Homes

Recorded for the future: documenting NSW homes

The Caroline Simpson Library has photographically recorded homes since 1989

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