HOMES OF THE PIONEERS The Hollies, Opawa

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30769, 5 June 1965, Page 5

HOMES OF THE PIONEERS The Hollies, Opawa

(Specially written for “The Press’’ by

JOHN A. HENDRY, F.N.Z.I.A.)

ORIGINALLY this property was part of Opawha Farm, a 50-acre block granted, in 1851, for £l5O, by the Canterbury Association to Charles Joseph Bridge, of Peachfield. Great Malvern, Worcester, England. In 1862 the whole property, settled on Mrs Bridges at her marriage was sold by the trustees of the settlement to Joshua Strange Williams, who, in turn, sold it to Edward Richardson, (later the Hon. E. Richardson P.C.) and George Holmes.

To these two men ’ Canterbury owes a [ i great debt, for they ■ ! were the contractors ’ responsible for the i final building of the , Lyttelton rail tunnel. i In 1871, Holmes sold his in- ' terest in the plot of land, one 1 acre more or less on which 1 Richardson built “The Hol- 1 lies" with stone from the tunnelling. Grounds were laid out, trees [ planted to screen the railway [ and a drive made in what is , ! now Vincent place. A home of considerable distinction had ( {been born. However, in 1889. the j Bank of New Zealand , took over the property ■ (selling it two years later j to J. R. Campbell. Since then, ; there have been nine owners ; one of whom was A. W. Min- . son who had it from 1922-1940. ! j His father, incidentally owned it for a short time. ■ Since then various sections ! have been sold off. the : grounds ruined until one feels ’ the house can hardly breathe. ; As can be seen from the!: isketch it is a large rambling* ; building, mainly single-storey i

with wide shady verandas,; complex roofs of slate and corrugated iron and wide bay! windows. It is also complete: with a service court at the I rear. Built on the Heathcote river embankment, with fine views to the east, and with a long sweep of lawn, shrubberies and a copse of fir and other exotic trees to the north, as late as 1940 it looked charming and secluded. Not so now. Nevertheless, the house repays careful study. The entrance or north front has three open gables breaking the sweep of the encircling verandas and these are carried on rather busy turned coupled posts, set on panelled bases and surmounted by fretted and moulded entablatures. As the remaining veranda supports are simple in design, it is suggested that these gables were added at a later date, probably to allow sunnier rooms. A whimsy which has come off. The large bay windows with their low glass lines, doublehung sashes glazed with plateglass. add an important note to this and to the river frontages. accenting here for instance the wide panelled entrance door. i “But I can't see any stone”

,il hear you say—true, for unfortunately the stone has all 'been plastered over with the ■ result that you are left idly speculating on its probable effect. Internally, there is much of ; interest from the long, wide ; hall and to the elegant stair- ; case up to the servants’ ■ quarters all showing an atten- ; tion to good proportion and ■ design. This can be seen . throughout the house, in the . main rooms and in unexpect- ■ ed corners. ; On the right of the entrance ; is the former morning room, ; smallish, but very pleasant, . while on the left is the large I drawing room, with another I bay window which opened ■ into a conservatory, part of . which can be seen in the ;! sketch. A lovely room of good ■ proportion and detail. At the far end of the house i is another large room, formerly the billiards room com- * plete with bay and a view over the river. i The service courtyard is . quite delightful with its . formal window treatment, ■ sleepy pitched roofs with no - eaves projection and several very attractive dormer windows topped with slender ’ horned finials.