DISTRICT PLAN LISTED HERITAGE PLACE HERITAGE ASSESSMENT STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE HERITAGE ITEM NUMBER 487 DWELLING AND SETTING, IRONSIDE HOUSE 381 MONTREAL STREET/32 SALISBURY STREET, CHRISTCHURCH PHOTOGRAPH: M.VAIR-PIOVA, 2014 HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE Historical and social values that demonstrate or are associated with: a particular person, group, organisation, institution, event, phase or activity; the continuity and/or change of a phase or activity; social, historical, traditional, economic, political or other patterns. Ironside House has historical and social significance due to its varied history and association with leading members of Christchurch's medical fraternity. The house was built in 1899 on the site of the Junction Hotel for Archibald Scott, an Insurance Manager. During the early years of the first decade Walter Fox, MB, surgeon is listed in Wises as occupant of the building. Fox had a varied medical career having been a house surgeon, medical superintendent, military registrar and consultant surgeon. In 1907 Sir Hugh Thomas Dyke Acland of the Acland family of Mt Peel Station purchased the building as a townhouse. Born in 1874, Sir Hugh Acland was a distinguished surgeon who served in a medical capacity in the South African War, and World War I and II. From 1904 to 1929 he was Honorary Surgeon at the Christchurch Public Hospital. He was knighted in 1933. Sir Hugh ran a Page 1
surgery from the property now known as Ironside House for many years. From the mid- 1920s Dr Arthur Charles Thomson operated a surgery from the property although he did not purchase the building from Acland until 1944. Thomson had a large private practice which included obstetrics and anaesthetics, providing especially for Sir Hugh Acland, but devoted much of his time to those at the margins of medical practice, focusing on venereal disease, illegitimacy and crime. Thomson sold the house in 1966 to the Christchurch City Council who leased it to the Christchurch Teachers' College. The house was used for lectures and tutorials until the college moved to Ilam at which time it was converted to student accommodation. The house was named Ironside House by the college after Miss A F Ironside, a lecturer in science and women's warden of the college from 1927 until 1941. In 1982 Jan and Peter Clifford purchased the property and restored the house. They opened a cookery school on the ground floor. The present owners purchased the property in 1999. Until the 2010-2011 Christchurch Earthquakes a successful Thai restaurant operated from the building. Ironside House sustained significant damage during the earthquakes and underwent repair and reinstatement work. A new restaurant Harlequin Public House - now occupies the premises. New accessory buildings on the west side of the site include a refrigerated storage space and staff amenities. CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE Cultural and spiritual values that demonstrate or are associated with the distinctive characteristics of a way of life, philosophy, tradition, religion, or other belief, including: the symbolic or commemorative value of the place; significance to Tangata Whenua; and/or associations with an identifiable group and esteemed by this group for its cultural values. Ironside House has cultural significance due to its association with the way of life of leading members of the medical fraternity of Christchurch, in particular the now uncommon practice of operating practices from large dwellings in the central city. ARCHITECTURAL AND AESTHETIC SIGNIFICANCE Architectural and aesthetic values that demonstrate or are associated with: a particular style, period or designer, design values, form, scale, colour, texture and material of the place. Ironside House has architectural and aesthetic significance as an Edwardian Free-style building by the prominent Edwardian Christchurch architectural practise of Clarkson and Ballantyne. The two-storey weatherboard building has multiple gabled roof forms with a variety of jettied, half-timbered and shingled gable ends. Although the decorative treatment of the building is restrained, a first floor balcony with decorative bracketing enlivens the Salisbury Street facade. Oriel windows, board and batten detailing and a round arched window provide further articulation. The scale and style of the house reflects the status of the client for whom it was built. Clarkson and Ballantyne was formed by cousins William Clarkson and Robert Ballantyne in 1899. During the early years of the twentieth century, the pair were popular domestic designers in Canterbury. Many of their houses were designed in the eclectic Edwardian Free-style, which mixed the English Domestic Revival with other, particularly American, forms and features. Page 2
The building has been added to and altered over the years with several distinct changes of use marking its history. From early in its history it appears to have been adapted for use as a medical surgery, then teaching rooms for the Teachers College, student accommodation and a cooking training school. Today the house operates as a restaurant. Despite these changes some interior features have remain insitu including kauri doors, panelling and skirting boards, as well as timber detailing on the ceilings. Some of the original fire-surrounds also remain in place. The main changes that have been made to the building include dividing the first floor into two flats, removing a dividing wall from the dining room in order to enlarge the room and re-roofing with decramastic tiles. Ironside House was damaged in the 2010/2011 Christchurch Earthquakes and since then has been subject to a significant level of repair and reinstatement works. Two brick chimneys were removed with one being replaced by a lightweight replica. Because the foundation was damaged, Ironside House was temporary relocated while new piles and foundations were installed. The damaged sections of the house were rebuilt and remedial work was undertaken on the interior. TECHNOLOGICAL AND CRAFTSMANSHIP SIGNIFICANCE Technological and craftsmanship values that demonstrate or are associated with: the nature and use of materials, finishes and/or technological or constructional methods which were innovative, or of notable quality for the period. Ironside House has technological and craftsmanship significance due to its late 19th century timber construction and interior timber detailing. CONTEXTUAL SIGNIFICANCE Contextual values that demonstrate or are associated with: a relationship to the environment (constructed and natural), a landscape, setting, group, precinct or streetscape; a degree of consistency in terms of type, scale, form, materials, texture, colour, style and/or detail; recognised landmarks and landscape which are recognised and contribute to the unique identity of the environment. Ironside House and its setting have contextual significance due to its central city location on a prominent corner site. The building is a recognised landmark at the busy intersection of Salisbury, Montreal and Victoria Streets. The building contributes to the mixed residential/educational character of the Montreal/Cranmer Square area. Ironside House also has group significance in relation to the listed Peterborough Centre, on the south boundary of the property, as it was also formerly part of the Christchurch Teachers' College. Within the immediate environs of Ironside House are the listed Victoria Mansions and Victoria Clock Tower opposite. This architecturally varied residential/educational precinct has considerable heritage value within the city's history with all the historic places above being repaired after considerable damage in the 2010/2011 Christchurch Earthquakes. Ironside House is today one of the few timber buildings that have survived in this part of town. Its proximity to the street, materials, scale and design all contribute to its landmark significance. The setting consists of a rectangular section that extends along Montreal Street. The building sits at the northern end of the property addressing both Montreal Street and Salisbury Street in its corner position. The southern end of the property consists of an asphalted carpark which is accessed from Montreal Street. The perimeter of the property is planted with the northern street frontages developed in a residential garden style. Mature trees add to the streetscape qualities of this property. Page 3
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Archaeological or scientific values that demonstrate or are associated with: the potential to provide information through physical or scientific evidence an understanding about social historical, cultural, spiritual, technological or other values of past events, activities, structures or people. Ironside House and setting are of archaeological significance because they have the potential to provide archaeological evidence relating to past building construction methods and materials, and human activity on the site, possibly including that which occurred prior to 1900. Prior to the house being built in 1899 the Junction Hotel, dating from the 1860s, was on this site. The hotel was closed in 1894 as part of the general reduction of hotels. The hotel occupied the north-east corner of the site, with the building extending right to the footpath on both Montreal Street and Salisbury Street. ASSESSMENT STATEMENT Ironside House and its setting have overall significance to the Christchurch District including Banks Peninsula. Ironside House has historical and social significance because of its varied history particularly in the fields of medicine and education. Ironside House has cultural significance due to its association with leading members of the medical fraternity of Christchurch in particular the now uncommon practice of operating practices from large dwellings in the central city. Ironside House has architectural significance due to its English Domestic Revival design and technological and craftsmanship significance because of its late 19th century timber construction and interior timber detailing. Ironside House and its setting have contextual significance because of its prominent central city location and its relationship to other heritage buildings in the vicinity including the former Teachers College, Victoria Mansions and the Victoria Clock Tower. The grand domestic scale of the weatherboard building contributes to the historic mixed residential/educational character of the Montreal Street/Cranmer Square area. Ironside House and setting are of archaeological significance because they have the potential to provide archaeological evidence relating to past building construction methods and materials, and human activity on the site, possibly including that which occurred prior to 1900. REFERENCES: Christchurch City Council Heritage files 32 Salisbury Street, Ironside House Obituary. Miss A F Ironside (1955, September 13) The Press Bennett, Dr F O. Obituary. Arthur Charles Thomson (1976, May 12) New Zealand Medical Journal. Noted Surgeon Dead. Sir Hugh Acland of Christchurch. (1956, April 16) The Press. Killick, D. Ironside ready to take on new role. (1996, January 31) The Press Bennett, F O.(1962) Hospital on the Avon. North Canterbury Hospital Board, Christchurch. Page 4
REPORT DATED: 5 FEBRUARY, 2015 PLEASE NOTE THIS ASSESSMENT IS BASED ON INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF WRITING. DUE TO THE ONGOING NATURE OF HERITAGE RESEARCH, FUTURE REASSESSMENT OF THIS HERITAGE ITEM MAY BE NECESSARY TO REFLECT ANY CHANGES IN KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF ITS HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE. PLEASE USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CCC HERITAGE FILES. Page 5