Cultural Significance

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Registration considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Social The house forms part of a social landscape, illustrating something of the development of the New Brighton area from holiday accommodation to a permanent suburban area of Christchurch. Its significance as a response to the Depression of the early 1930s is interesting.

Physical Significance

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Registration considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Architectural This unusual house was constructed in 1931 entirely from whole larch logs. The house has a boxlike plan, with a simple gabled roof and shingled gable ends. Most of the windows are multi-light casements. These features give the house something of the feel of a bungalow. In architectural terms, the house is distinguished only by the novelty of its materials and construction.

Detail Of Assessed Criteria

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Registration considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. The following comments are made in relation to the criteria identified under S.23(2) of the Historic Places Act 1993. (g) The Technical accomplishment or value, or design of the place: Constructed entirely of larch logs, this house also has an attached log garage. The house was the first to be constructed entirely from timber from the State forestry Department's plantation in North Canterbury. Interior and exterior walls have retained their larch bark cladding, and the gable walls have been filled with single-cut shingles. The house is boxlike in plan, with a simple gabled roof, and has something of the feel of a bungalow to it. (j) The importance of identifying rare types of historic places: As a log building this is certainly a rare structure. The house is distinguished by its unusual material and method of construction. Conclusion: The House at North Beach is recommended for registration as a Category II as a place of historical and cultural heritage significance and value. Though undistinguished in design terms, this house has rarity value as a log house. It also illustrates, indirectly, something of the social development of New Brighton from a holiday settlement to a permanent suburb.

New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT)

New Zealand Historic Places Trust