Lewis Tilleard Natusch, but always known as Charles Natusch, (4 October 1859 – 16 July 1951) was a noted
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
architect and quantity surveyor, known particularly as a builder of fine houses for wealthy clients.
Early life
Born and raised in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England, he trained there as an architect, travelled to the United States and Canada in 1882–83, and returned to England. On 14 March 1883, he married Ada Spencer at
Kelvedon
Kelvedon is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex in England, between Chelmsford and Colchester. It had a population of 4,717 in 2001, reducing to 3,587 at the 2011 Census. It is now home to several businesses including ...
, Essex. He shared the liberal political views of
Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906), born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daughte ...
, and she was influential in him getting a town planning commission in Westcliff,
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
. The Westward Ho Hotel design came out of this commission, and it was his last major work in England. In 1886, he departed with his wife and their first two sons for New Zealand.
Career in New Zealand
For the next 30 years, Natusch established himself between
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
and
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...
particularly as a builder of fine houses in a variety of styles. These ranged from those that displayed an Italian influence, such as
Bushy Park
Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is the second largest of London's Royal Parks, at in area, after Richmond Park. The park, most of which is open to the public, is immediately north of Hampton Court Palace and Hampton ...
(1905) near
Wanganui
Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...
, through Tudor style like Maungaraupi (1906) in
Marton. Other examples of his work that reflect his use of local materials are Erewhon (1898) near
Taihape
Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town.
History and culture
Early ...
, Matapiro (1907) in Hawke's Bay, and Atawhai (1908) in
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
. He also introduced innovations into commercial and industrial buildings as well as churches.
Natusch later had his architectural practice in
Napier, and one of his pupils was
Louis Hay.
Family and death
Charles and Ada had ten children. He died on 16 July 1951 at
Paraparaumu
Paraparaumu () is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Kapiti Coast, north of the nation's capital city, Wellington.
Like other towns in the area, it has a partner settlement at the coast called Paraparaumu Bea ...
aged 91, survived by his wife and eight of their children. Three of their sons, Aleck, Rene and Stanley, became architects and quantity surveyors and carried on the family firm as Natusch & Sons. Rene's son,
Guy Natusch
Guy Kingdon Natusch (7 February 1921 – 30 September 2020) was a New Zealand architect. He grew up in Hawke's Bay, where he practised until his retirement in 1997.
Biography
Natusch was born in Hastings in 1921, the son of architect Rene Natus ...
, continued the family firm until his retirement around 1997.
Noted works
Some of Natusch's works are registered by
Heritage New Zealand
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...
as indicated in the following list. Later designs were by C. Tilleard Natusch and Sons, and it is unclear whether Charles Natusch was involved.
*1884 Westward Ho Hotel,
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
(demolished 1965)
*1890
Gwavas
Gwavas is a residential council estate on the southern outskirts of the town of Newlyn in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated immediately west of Gwavas Road and takes its name from nearby Gwavas Farm. Cornwall Council online ...
, Hawkes Bay (Category I)
*1892 Homebush,
Masterton
Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...
(Category II)
*1898 Erewhon,
Taihape
Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town.
History and culture
Early ...
*1900
Te Aute College
Te Aute College (Māori language, Māori: Te Kura o Te Aute) is a school in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. It opened in 1854 with twelve pupils under Samuel Williams (missionary), Samuel Williams, an Anglicanism, Anglican missionary, and n ...
Chapel
*1901 Westella,
Feilding
Feilding ( mi, Aorangi) is a town in the Manawatū District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatū District Council.
Feilding has w ...
*1903 Springvale,
Tikokino
Tikokino is a town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located northwest of Waipawa and southwest of Hastings. The township is located on State Highway 50.
The township was founded by ...
(Category II)
*1903 Silverford,
Napier
*1904
St John's Cathedral :''This list is for St. John the Evangelist Cathedrals. For St. John the Baptist Cathedrals, see St. John the Baptist Cathedral (disambiguation)''
St. John's Cathedral, St. John Cathedral, or Cathedral of St. John, or other variations on the name ...
, Napier (destroyed in
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
*1904 Rangiatea (Bulls)
*1905
Bushy Park
Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is the second largest of London's Royal Parks, at in area, after Richmond Park. The park, most of which is open to the public, is immediately north of Hampton Court Palace and Hampton ...
, Kai Iwi
*1906 Wellington Stock Exchange
*1906 St Andrews Presbyterian Church,
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
(destroyed in
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
)
*1906
Maungaraupi,
Marton (Category I)
*1906 Shalimar,
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
*1907
Matapiro, Hawkes Bay (Category I)
*1908 Atawhai, Palmerston North
*1932 McGruer's Building, Napier (Category II)
*1935 Kia Ora,
Pahiatua
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(Category II)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natusch, Charles
New Zealand architects
1859 births
1951 deaths
Quantity surveyors
New Zealand surveyors