Antarctic relic in Papanui Road

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32775, 27 November 1971, Page 21

Antarctic relic in Papanui Road

A cottage closely linked with Captain Scott and his photographer, H. G. Ponting, will be demolished in three weeks unless the Canterbury 7 branch of the New Zealand Antarctic Society can find a place to resite it.

The cottage, at 66 Papanui Road, was used as a darkroom by Ponting and was frequently visited by Scott. The property was sold in June and will be replaced by a block of motels. Sir,Joseph Kinsey, who was! Scott’s representative in Christchurch, for his expeditions, lived on the property! and became a close friend ofj the explorer. He was! knighted for his services to; Antarctic exploration. i The cottage was at least 70] vears old and apart from; broken windows was in re-j markably good condition, the secretary of the branch (Mrs] E. F. Cross) said yesterday.! It had a chimney, which sug-> gested it might have been lived in at some time, and | a steeply-pitched roof characteristic of houses at thei turn of the century. i The building measured 27ft: 6in long, 14ft 6in wide, and| 19ft high. It was a solid, structure, showing no signs: of decay, and with the gutter-; ing still in good condition, j

Mrs Cross said the property had changed hands several times in a matter of years. The branch had been interested in the cottage since a previous owner, Mr J. Fisher, notified them of its (historical associations sevjeral years ago. Ponting accompanied Scott ion his last expedition, rei turning to England before! hearing of Scott’s death. It is believed he used the cottage] to develop and print photo-1 graphs taken on the voyage'

out from England. A house at Clifton, Sumner, also owned by Sir Joseph Kinsey, was used by Scott’s party as a resting place, and Ponting might have done some photographic work there. Mrs Cross said there was an urgent need to find a site for the cottage and for labour to dismantle it and reassemble it. The Canterbury Museum could find no room, but there might be a site on the land owned by the Ferrymead Trust.