IN AND AROUND EARLY CHRISTCHURCH—VI Lombard House, Worcester Street

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32667, 24 July 1971, Page 13

IN AND AROUND EARLY CHRISTCHURCH—VI Lombard House, Worcester Street

(By

J. A. HENDRY. F.N.Z.I.A.

The first owner of the land on which stands Lombard House, 89-91 Worcester Street, was William Draper, to whom the Canterbury Association granted some six town sections. These included 712 and 714, of which this land forms part.

A little over a year later, in October 1852, a Russian merchant from St Petersburg, Simar Meniaieff bought 714, selling in 1854 to John Draper, of 81 London Wall, London. In 1861 Dr A. C. Barker, whose property extended from 714 towards the river, exchanged one of his town sections, 723, for 714 and in a similar manner he acquired 712.

At a later date, probably after his death in 1873, these town sections of quarter

acre were resurveyed to provide more sections of considerably less area.

After the turn of the century E. W. Roper owned this property which was sold in 1921 to J. J. Dougall, L. A. Dougall and J. H. Upham, solicitors.

H. W. Alston bought it in 1953, selling to the Phoenix Insurance Company two years later, and in 1966 it became the property of the Devon Finance Corporation, Ltd. Earlier this year it was taken over by the A.M.P. Society.

This compact stone facade of some 22ft frontage was carefully designed and leaves one with a feeling of well-being, induced in no small degree by the excellence of its masonry.

The dominant feature is the curved first-floor bay window, which in itself carefully balances void, solid, curves, straight lines and triangles. Tying it together are two broad bands of flowing carving which are very happily worked into the base of the window, terminating on a curved pad, resting in turn on the keystone of the large semicircular ground floor window. The whole design is based on the “dominant third”

principle, minor climaxes being, on the ground floor, the flanking entrance doors, and on the first floor, the slit windows and squat pilasters surmounted by curious corbels which finish in broken entablatures, cornices and parapets. A pleasant conceit is the way in which the main fabric is apparently applied to a plain wall surface as seen to the left of the sketch—all moulds returning and stopping on this plain piece of walling. Although the ceiling heights are similar the placing of the elements of the design gives the ground floor a pleasing dominance, and weight is given to the base by the treatment under the central ground floor window. Chunky, flat bands alternate with a deep sloping sill and a subtly curved panel under them. Strongly accented fielded panels are applied to the doors, which in turn give to glazed swing doors of slightly Gothic flavour.

A broad flight of stairs to the first floor has moulded polished handrails carried on freed cast iron brackets and terminating at first floor level in a richly carved newel post.

[The pen-and-wash drawing is by A. J. Mair.]