Englefield Lodge

230 Fitzgerald Avenue, Avonside, CHRISTCHURCH

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The house called Englefield was built by William Guise Brittan in 1855/6. One of the Canterbury "pilgrims" who arrived here in December 1850, he was a major figure in founding the Canterbury settlement, holding the position of Commissioner of Crown Lands. In 1851 he purchased three 50 acre rural blocks, one of which, RS 26, was farm land just outside the four avenues which defined the central city of Christchurch. Brittan first lived in the central city area on Oxford Terrace but had moved with his family to his "rural" property which he called Englefield by 1855/6, when this house was completed. The house's environs which were developed into a beautiful garden stretching down to the Avon River, made it a showplace of early Christchurch. In 1864 Brittan sold the block of land (3 acres, 2 roods) on which Englefield Lodge stood for £2,000. A number of transactions followed until 1869 when Legislative Councillor E.C.J. Stevens acquired the property, formally purchasing it in 1872. His widow retained it after his death in 1915 and it was sold in 1922 to J.J. Collins who subdivided the property further, retaining Englefield on its present 1 rood , 24 perches. There has been conjecture that the house may have been designed by Benjamin Mountfort, but this is rejected Dr. Ian Lochhead, the authority on Mountfort, and it now seems more likely that Brittan's nephew, Charles Fooks, was the designer. It is a 12 roomed, one and a half storeyed residence with a slate roof. The present owners have maintained and restored the house after exhaustive research into its history. Up until recently the house was threatened by a proposal to make nearby Avonside Drive an expressway.

Englefield Lodge | Pam Wilson | NZ Historic Places Trust

Location

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List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 1

Access

Private/No Public Access

List Number

1867

Date Entered

6th June 1983

Date of Effect

6th June 1983

City/District Council

Christchurch City

Region

Canterbury Region

Extent of List Entry

Registration includes house on its site.

Legal description

Lot 8 DP 6117 Pt RS 26 (RT CB397/49), Canterbury Land District

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