Ellice Nosworthy

Ellice Maud Nosworthy
Born	25 February 1897 Neutral Bay, Sydney
Died	7 January 1972 Killara, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	The University of Sydney, Women's College
Occupation	Architect

Ellice Maud Nosworthy (25 February 1897, Sydney – 1972) was an Australian practising architect for approximately 50 years and graduated as one of Australia's first female architects in 1922.

Early life and education

Nosworthy, was a second of four daughters of Robert Nosworthy, who originated from England. Ellice attended Redlands Girls' School in Cremorne under Gertrude Roseby. At the University of Sydney she enrolled in arts in 1917, Where Professor Leslie Wilkinson arrived at the university the following year to establish the nation's first architecture course, Nosworthy transferred into the new facility with the first group of students. Then transferred to architecture in 1919 and studied under Professor Leslie Wilkinson. She lived at Women's College, where she won in both 1919 and 1921, the Dickinson Cup for tennis.^[1]

Career

Ellice was employed (1922–23) by Waterhouse & Lake, and she became the first woman registered as an architect on 26 June 1923 in New South Wales. After travelling and working in Europe in 1924, she practised from her parents' home at Treatts Road in Lindfield and focused on domestic architecture, with the clientele consisting largely of north shore friends and acquaintances. From 1956 she conducted her practice from her own home, built to her specifications. She generally employed women architects, including Barbara Munro, Louise Hutchinson, Libby Hall and Brigid Wilkinson. Nosworthy made several extensive study and working trips to North America and Britain between 1929–38; and was employed by the Department of the Interior during World War II. During World War II, Nosworthy also worked for the Allied Works Council.^[2]

It was between the 1920s and the 1970s that she became a member of the Royal Australian Institute of architects and a fellow associate. During this time she also became a member of the British Institute of architects and the Australian Federation of University women. Her significance as a member of these institutes saw that she attend the international Federations conference in Mexico and visit other parts of South America.

Various homes designed by her were documented and published during the 1940s. These photographs show extensive single-storeyed houses with minimal aesthetic detail, leaning around courtyards and with an importance on interconnections between interior and exterior spaces.

Throughout WWII Nosworthy also worked for the Allied Works Council. From 1941 to 1972 she was the Honorary Architect for the Women's College at the University of the Sydney, providing advice for the maintenance of its buildings and designing several substantial additions. Furthermore, apart from her domestic practice, she designed childcare centres for the Sydney Day Nursery and Nursery Schools Association at Erskineville, NSW(1945) and Newtown, NSW(1955), and for the Ku-ring-gai Council at Gordon, NSW(1950) as well as the constructions for Karitane (the Australian Mothercraft Society, derived from the New Zealand organisation).

• 1897–1972: Commenced an Arts degree at the University of Sydney in 1917 before transferring into the newly established architecture course under Professor Leslie Wilkinson in 1918.
• 1923: Nosworthy became one of the first women registered architects in New South Wales.
• 1941–1972: She was the Honorary Architect for the Women's College at the University of the Sydney.
• 1948: The member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
• 1958–1959: The Young Women's Christian Association.
• 1957–1958: The Reid wing of The Women's College.
• 1964: A member of the Australian Federation of University Women, she attended the international federation's conference in Mexico City and visited South America.
• 1970: A fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and an associate.

Notable projects

^[3] Nosworthy worked for the Architectural Association along with other young Australia architects in the 1930s, such as Robert Cummings, Winsome Hall Andrew, Roy Prentice and Robert Atkinson. The peninsula was the setting for other iconic works of the 20th-century residential architecture by Australian architects, including Nosworthy herself.

The Women's College Reid win was designed by Nosworthy along with, common and music rooms in a two storied face brickwork and terracotta-tiled addition. Due to the financial constraints of post-war conditions aluminium-framed windows were a necessary addition instead of traditional timber-hung sashes which was followed by her additions to the Williams Wing and Staff accommodation on the Campus. In 1960 Leslie Wilkinson and herself added a new dining call to St Andrew's College which included a spacious Junior common room below, situated between St Andrew's North Wing and Missenden road.

The interwar generation of women architects, Norsworthy along with other significant Australians, made a significant contribution to Australian architecture, from domestic projects through to large institutional and industrial complexes, demonstrating what A.G. Stephenson had stated^[4]'there's nothing in architecture a man can do that a woman can't do.

• 1922 and 1923: Worked for Waterhouse&Lake.
• 1942: Four blocks of community housing for the Kuringgai Older Peoples's Welfare Association.
• 1945: Childcare centres for the Sydney Day Nursery & Nursery Schools Association at Erskineville.
• 1950: The Kuringgai Municipal Council at Gordon and alterations to St Andrew's College at the University.
• 1955: Childcare centres for the Sydney Day Nursery & Nursery Schools Association at Newtown.
• 1956: She conducted her practice from her own home, built to her specifications in her parents' orchard.
• 1959–1960: Nosworthy made additions to Williams Wing of The Women's College.
• 1960: St Andrew's College, Nosworthy and Professor Leslie Wilkinson cleverly inserted a new dining hall seating over 300, with a spacious Junior Common Room below.
• 1960: Community housing for the Kuringgai Old People's Welfare Association.
• 1960s: A late but major project in the 1960s was the design of 'Arrunga', four blocks of the flats for single elderly people for the Kuringgai Old People's Welfare Association (KOPWA) at Lindfield, New South Wales, a rare and still successful community-based housing initiative.

Achievements

^[5] Ellice Maud Nosworthy was one of the first eight graduates of the Faculty of Architecture and one of its first three women graduates, graduating Bachelor of Architecture in 1922. While a student at the University, she was Treasurer of the Sydney University Women's Undergraduates Association Committee in 1918, and lived at the Women's College where she won the Dickinson Cup for tennis in 1919 and in 1921. She was one of two architects to be the first registered in New South Wales when registration began in June 1923 and one of the first women to set up their own architectural practices. Ellice was a fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and a fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. A member of the Australian Federation of University Women, she attended the international federation's conference in Mexico City (1964) and visited South America.

References

Other references

Notable projects references

• Watermark Architectural Guides University of Sydney Architecture, Trevor Howells, Watermark press 2007
• Trove.nla.gov.au
• Adb.anu.edu.au

Working career references

• The Encyclopedia of Australia Architecture, edited by Philip Goad and Julie Willis, Cambridge University press 2012
• Adb.anu.edu.au

External links

• Womenshistory.net.au
• Environment.nsw.gov.au