Historical information

John and Phyllis Murphy designed this house and garden in Kew for Sir Frank and Lady Macfarlane Burnet in 1959, the year before Burnet and Peter Medaware received the Nobel Prize for discovering acquired immunological tolerance. For the most highly honoured scientist to have worked in Australia, Burnet's house is modest - single storey with two bedrooms. Typical of post-war suburban housing thought, the garden is a generous, and the planting a mix of existing shrubs and trees, old favourites such as camelias, hydrangeas, lilacs, and a unusually 'a thick copse of native trees'. John Murphy (1920-2004) and Phyllis Murphy (nee Slater) (1924-) are alumni of RMIT. John commenced his architectural studies at Swinburne Technical College prior to WW2, and subsequently studied at Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT University) from 1944 to 1946. Phyllis studied architecture at Melbourne Technical College from 1942, before transferring to Melbourne University's Architectural Atelier in 1944 They both completed their Bachelor of Architecture in 1949, with Phyllis topping the fourth year, and John coming in second. They established their architectural practice in 1950. One early project was their design with Kevin Borland and Peter McIntyre for the Olympic Swimming Pool (1956).

Ann Carew 2018