Early Christchurch Houses To Be Shown On Television

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29776, 20 March 1962, Page 5

Early Christchurch Houses To Be Shown On Television

Colonial houses of Christchurch will be shown on television next Tuesday when Channel 3 begins a series of seven programmes about bouses which are at least 100 years old. In the first programme the narrator, Mr J. A. Hendry, a Christchruch architect, will describe the house built by the Deans brothers in 1843. It is said to be the oldest house still standing on the Canterbury plains. Except for one bouse at Governor’s Bay, all the houses shown in these programmes will be in Christchurch. All slides and film

have now been taken, and several programmes have been completed. The main purpose of the series is to show how the colonists built, and what they built, with the materials and facilities available. Mr Hendry took part in a similar programme produced for radio some time ago. The pro. ducer of the series will be Mr W. R. Taylor. Even the background music will be in keeping with the theme. It is the “Canterbury Pilgrims’ Song,” specially written for the early settlers before they left Britain. Old copies were found, and the music has been adapted for this series by Mr J. Nesbitt, programme manager for Channel 3. The series will begin in a week when the channel will be showing seven programmes of local origin. As well as the programme about colonial houses, Channel 3 will show another of David Combridge’s gardening programmes, a children's programme, the local quiz show, a programme about the NewZealand Broadcasting Corporation, a Sunday “special" about a photogenic blackbird, and the Sunday news programme ‘‘What’s New?"