The house at 20 Avon Terrace is a timber two-storeyed late Victorian villa, overlooking Nelson’s Maitai River. It has architectural value because it is a characteristic late nineteenth century residence, conspicuous in its riverside location.
Nelson was the New Zealand Company’s second settlement. The site was chosen and early roads laid out by Captain Arthur Wakefield (1799–1843) in 1841. 20 Avon Terrace is located at what was Nelson’s fringe in the early period, towards the Maitai Valley. Understandably, Nelson’s centre featured greater density housing from an earlier period than this area, which remained semi-rural until the twentieth century.
This area of Nelson was the gateway to the picturesque Maitai Valley and had a number of attractions easily accessible for town recreation seekers, including ‘fine gardens’ and the Botanical Reserve and Hill. The house at 20 Avon Terrace fronts the Maitai River, traditionally popular for leisure activities such as water sports and walking. Indeed, Avon Terrace was formerly part of Nelson’s Shakespeare Walk – a riverfront public space established on the Maitai River’s east bank and named in 1842.
The house’s section, which originally fronted both Shakespeare Walk and Hardy Street, is associated with the Gascoigne family, who had been living in the Nelson region since 1853. Mrs Gascoigne owned part of section 354 in the late nineteenth century. A ‘Miss Gascoigne’, presumably either Charlotte Gascoigne Gascoigne (1848?–1929) or Caroline Marion Eliza Gascoigne (1851?–1939), is known to have had a boarding establishment on Hardy Street by 1903, which included the ‘old family residence’. The boarding facilities were located in several different buildings and the Gascoignes’ home may have been the one on the corner of Hardy and Avon Terrace, which is very similar to the house that is the subject of this report. The similarity between the two houses in the sub-divided section suggests they were constructed as a pair by the twentieth century. In 1909 the portion of the section now known as 20 Avon Terrace was transferred to the Gascoigne sisters.
The Gascoignes quickly sold the house to Charlotte Elizabeth Calder (1861?–1957). In 1937 Charlotte Calder sold the house to James William Smith (1874?–1957), a retired farmer. James’ eldest son, Colin McLean Smith (1905–1967), who was an engineer, then took over the property until his death.
The house appears to have retained much of its original or early exterior detailing, which includes modestly decorative bargeboards on the bay/gable section, corbels beneath the upper level eaves and verandah fretwork and geometric designs on the balcony balustrade wrapping around its north and west facades. A focus for detailing is the front bay window, which has a fretwork parapet and a band of dentils. Including its near neighbour on the corner of Hardy Street, the house is architecturally comparable to only a few other contemporary Nelson houses of this type on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero.
Nelson was the New Zealand Company’s second settlement. The site was chosen and early roads laid out by Captain Arthur Wakefield (1799–1843) in 1841. 20 Avon Terrace is located at what was Nelson’s fringe in the early period, towards the Maitai Valley. Understandably, Nelson’s centre featured greater density housing from an earlier period than this area, which remained semi-rural until the twentieth century.
This area of Nelson was the gateway to the picturesque Maitai Valley and had a number of attractions easily accessible for town recreation seekers, including ‘fine gardens’ and the Botanical Reserve and Hill. The house at 20 Avon Terrace fronts the Maitai River, traditionally popular for leisure activities such as water sports and walking. Indeed, Avon Terrace was formerly part of Nelson’s Shakespeare Walk – a riverfront public space established on the Maitai River’s east bank and named in 1842.
The house’s section, which originally fronted both Shakespeare Walk and Hardy Street, is associated with the Gascoigne family, who had been living in the Nelson region since 1853. Mrs Gascoigne owned part of section 354 in the late nineteenth century. A ‘Miss Gascoigne’, presumably either Charlotte Gascoigne Gascoigne (1848?–1929) or Caroline Marion Eliza Gascoigne (1851?–1939), is known to have had a boarding establishment on Hardy Street by 1903, which included the ‘old family residence’. The boarding facilities were located in several different buildings and the Gascoignes’ home may have been the one on the corner of Hardy and Avon Terrace, which is very similar to the house that is the subject of this report. The similarity between the two houses in the sub-divided section suggests they were constructed as a pair by the twentieth century. In 1909 the portion of the section now known as 20 Avon Terrace was transferred to the Gascoigne sisters.
The Gascoignes quickly sold the house to Charlotte Elizabeth Calder (1861?–1957). In 1937 Charlotte Calder sold the house to James William Smith (1874?–1957), a retired farmer. James’ eldest son, Colin McLean Smith (1905–1967), who was an engineer, then took over the property until his death.
The house appears to have retained much of its original or early exterior detailing, which includes modestly decorative bargeboards on the bay/gable section, corbels beneath the upper level eaves and verandah fretwork and geometric designs on the balcony balustrade wrapping around its north and west facades. A focus for detailing is the front bay window, which has a fretwork parapet and a band of dentils. Including its near neighbour on the corner of Hardy Street, the house is architecturally comparable to only a few other contemporary Nelson houses of this type on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero.
