In 1926 Longbeach passed to John Hutton Grigg who owned the property until 1973. The current Longbeach Homestead, the subject of this registration, was designed for him by the architectural firm of Helmore and Cotterill in 1937. It was built to replace an earlier homestead that had been destroyed by fire, and one of the requirements for the new homestead was that it would harmonise with the already established gardens.
Helmore and Cotterill provided three designs for Grigg. The first was symmetrical with a double hipped roof and pilasters. The second was more in the style of earlier colonial homesteads with gables and dormer windows. This second design apparently proved too expensive and the architects produced a third, completely different, proposal. In contrast to the earlier proposals their third design was asymmetrical. The gables of the final proposal are more steeply pitched with some being irregular in length and irregularly positioned. The re-use of the burnt bricks from the earlier homestead, in conjunction with red bricks from Ashburton, the timber of the window frames, and the dark brown of the roof shingles, along with the asymmetric plan, give the impression that the house grew organically out of the surrounding gardens. This impression of Longbeach, as an intrinsic part of the landscape, is said to be similar to that of Edwin Lutyens' 'Munstead Wood' (1893-1897), a house built for Gertrude Jekyll in Surrey, Britain. Helmore had been taught by Lutyens and it would seem likely that he was influenced here by Lutyens' early Arts and Crafts work. Of all the buildings Helmore and Cotterill designed, Longbeach is the only one with such a clear connection to the British Arts and Crafts style. However, Longbeach is not a direct copy of Lutyens' work. Robert Esau has argued, in his thesis on Helmore and Cotterill, that Longbeach 'in many respects...reflect[s] the growing influence of the Modern Movement' with its clean crisp lines, sharply defined angles and simple shapes.
The Longbeach homestead, in conjunction with the chapel, cookshop, stables, sod cottage, flourmill and waterwheel (all registered as historic places), is significant as part of the Longbeach estate, historically one of the largest and most impressive farms in New Zealand. The house itself is important as an unusual example of Helmore and Cotterill's domestic work, and has been praised as their most outstanding achievement.
List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
270
Date Entered
27th June 1985
Date of Effect
27th June 1985
City/District Council
Ashburton District
Region
Canterbury Region
Legal description
Lot 2 DP 39648 (RT CB18K/390), Canterbury Land District
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
270
Date Entered
27th June 1985
Date of Effect
27th June 1985
City/District Council
Ashburton District
Region
Canterbury Region
Legal description
Lot 2 DP 39648 (RT CB18K/390), Canterbury Land District
Construction Professional
Name
Helmore & Cotterill
Type
Architectural Partnership
Biography
The partnership between Heathcote Helmore (1894-1965) and Guy Cotterill (1897-1981) began in 1924. Based in Christchurch, both men had attended Christ's College, served articles under Cecil Wood, and then travelled to England in 1920. On their way to England they stopped at New York, and due to a delay were able to travel to Yorkstown, Virginia where they saw examples of American Colonial architecture. In England Helmore worked for Sir Edwin Lutyens, who at the time was concentrating on Neo-Georgian buildings. Both of these events influenced the later architectural direction of Helmore and Cotterill, who, when they returned to New Zealand, began to design houses that were neo-Georgian in style but built from timber, like the American Colonial Georgian houses, rather than the English brick. Their partnership ended with Helemore's death in 1965.
Construction Details
Start Year
1938
Type
Original Construction
Start Year
1937
Type
Designed
Construction Professional
Name
Helmore & Cotterill
Type
Architectural Partnership
Biography
The partnership between Heathcote Helmore (1894-1965) and Guy Cotterill (1897-1981) began in 1924. Based in Christchurch, both men had attended Christ's College, served articles under Cecil Wood, and then travelled to England in 1920. On their way to England they stopped at New York, and due to a delay were able to travel to Yorkstown, Virginia where they saw examples of American Colonial architecture. In England Helmore worked for Sir Edwin Lutyens, who at the time was concentrating on Neo-Georgian buildings. Both of these events influenced the later architectural direction of Helmore and Cotterill, who, when they returned to New Zealand, began to design houses that were neo-Georgian in style but built from timber, like the American Colonial Georgian houses, rather than the English brick. Their partnership ended with Helemore's death in 1965.
Construction Details
Start Year
1938
Type
Original Construction
Start Year
1937
Type
Designed
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Completion Date
28th November 2001
Report Written By
Melanie Lovell-Smith
Information Sources
Acland, 1975
L.G.D. Acland, The Early Canterbury Runs, 4th ed., Christchurch, 1975
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Esau,1988
Robert Esau, 'Helmore and Cotterill : the formative years', MA thesis, University of Canterbury, 1988
Shaw, 1997 (2003)
Peter Shaw, A History of New Zealand Architecture, Auckland, 1997
Life and Leisure NZ
Life and Leisure NZ
Other Information
This place was identified as significant under previous legislation with different information requirements. It remains significant under the current legislation. There is opportunity under our legislation and policies to add to this information. Further information about this place may be available from the Southern Regional Office of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Completion Date
28th November 2001
Report Written By
Melanie Lovell-Smith
Information Sources
Acland, 1975
L.G.D. Acland, The Early Canterbury Runs, 4th ed., Christchurch, 1975
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Esau,1988
Robert Esau, 'Helmore and Cotterill : the formative years', MA thesis, University of Canterbury, 1988
Shaw, 1997 (2003)
Peter Shaw, A History of New Zealand Architecture, Auckland, 1997
Life and Leisure NZ
Life and Leisure NZ
Other Information
This place was identified as significant under previous legislation with different information requirements. It remains significant under the current legislation. There is opportunity under our legislation and policies to add to this information. Further information about this place may be available from the Southern Regional Office of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Current Usages
Uses: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
Former Usages
General Usage: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
Current Usages
Uses: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
Former Usages
General Usage: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
Location
Related listings








Sign up to hear more
Get the latest heritage news, features and events delivered
straight to your inbox.

