4 minute read
Lifting the curtains on Mornington’s mystery house
The Chimney House, The Haunted House, Bruce Wayne's Mansion –Combe Martin, the stately red brick residence overlooking Mills Beach on Mornington's Esplanade, has been known by many pseudonyms, fuelling imaginations and eliciting speculation for generations.
A landmark at the gateway to the Peninsula's coastal drive, the building features six chimneys and is said to be home to a piano-playing ghost, but no caped crusader. It's fair to say, however, that, minus the cape, the current owner could be considered a man on a crusade. Anthony Hansen is on a quest to uncover the previous identity of Combe Martin, and he's signalling for the community to come forward and help. Anthony and his wife, Kate Walker, of KWD, are renovating the historical house. Speaking of the task ahead of them, Kate said: “It needs love, care and consideration. It needs research and planning.” The couple are working closely with Heritage Victoria to ensure the redesign of interiors into comfortable uplifting spaces for the modern family remains sympathetic to the building’s historical overlay. When Anthony moved into Combe Martin he was struck by its many structural quirks. Two of the six chimneys are fake; a closet underneath the stairs reveals a board for 138 keys to all the doors and cupboards in the house; and specially designed walkways exist that allow access to a network of copper plumbing within the steeply pitched roof. While visible characteristics and original blueprints provide testimony to what went before, Anthony and Kate are keen to learn of any features no longer seen that could be reproduced.
Over the past year, Anthony has appealed to members of a Mornington social media group to share any images or information regarding the property. His requests have prompted a buzz of nostalgia, with group members' responses cataloguing a list of past owners: Charles Ruwoldt, the wealthy Melbourne engineer who built Combe Martin as a holiday home in 1939, naming it after the English birthplace of his wife. With Ruwoldt turning his business to the manufacture of arms during World War II, it's rumoured the house became a base for spies during the war; the Hattam family, who resided there during the ‘50s and ‘60s; Ian McKenzie, a businessman who bought and subdivided the property in the early ‘70s, sharing ownership with Mrs Iris Gray, an elderly lady remembered affectionately as a wonderful hostess and entertainer, recognisable around town by her signature SL Mercedes.
Demonstrating the power of community connection, the resurfacing of photos documenting Mrs Gray's era has brought some of these memories to life. Sifting through the treasures of her Seaford store, One 39 Vintage Warehouse proprietor Heidi recently found two albums filled with more than 50 photos depicting what she initially assumed was a place in England. Curiosity and research led her to identify Combe Martin as a property in nearby Mornington. Pledging to deliver the photos to a rightful custodian, Heidi invited Anthony to collect the albums last month, agreeing that if a descendant of Mrs Gray came forward, the albums would be released to them.
The discovery was extremely timely for Anthony and Kate, the images offering them a glimpse into the structural aspects of the house during this period. They also revealed Mrs Gray's strong penchant for pink as well as providing the opportunity for restoration of earlier features where desirable.
Any readers who have old photographs of the property are invited to email Anthony at anthony@diamondcoco.com.au
DANIELLE DAVEY
