“SIGN OF THE TAKAHE”

Evening Star, Issue 22721, 7 August 1937, Page 13

“SIGN OF THE TAKAH E”

the story of a romantic TEAHOUSE FWritten by C. H. Fortune, for the ‘ Evening Star.’] At the terminus of the Cashmere Hills tram route, 634 ft above sea level, overlooking Christchurch and the Canterbury Plains, is the teahouse, “ Sign of the’ Takahe.” This house is one of a chain of similar teahouses situated at various points on the Port Hills Summit road. The others in the chain arc the “ Sign of the Kiwi,” 11 Sign of the Bellbird,” and “ Sign of the Packhorse.” But the “ Takahe ” bears no resemblance to its fellows, and is unique among teahouses in the Dominion. The story of the building of the “Sign of the Takahe” is a romantic one, and well worth the telling. The ' Summit road and the teahouses (of which originally there were to have been more than four) were conceived in the brain. of the late Mr H. G. Ell, who_ died three years ago. Mr Ell’s activities met with considerable opposition, and it says much for the determination of the man that his plans materialised to the extent they did. . From the first the “ Takahe was •intended to be something altogether different from anything else in New Zealand, and possibly in the Southern Hemisphere. To-day, nearing completion on lines that _ have suffered changes from the original, it is in a class by itself, and there is nothing South of the Lino to compare with it Begun 19 years ago, the building is still unfinished. Construction has now been taken over by the Public works Department, under the original condi - tions, and the work will be proceeded with until The job is expected to last another 18 months. All the work that has gone into the building of the “ Takahe ” has been performed by hand. The building is of stone, and this stone has been handquarried from deposits of rock adjacent. No explosives have ever been utilised. The principal tools that have been' used have been the hammer and the chisel. The magnificent carvings that adorn the interior and exterior have been worked by hand, and each piece is a triumph of finished artistry. In an age of machinery the work is all the more to be commended. The men responsible for the carvings are experts, and they were obtained from relief camps. It was Mr Ell’s ambition to build the teahouse with unemployed labour, - but he realised it might be more than difficult to obtain skilled stone and wood carvers. Undaunted, he instituted a- search which occupied months, and which took hint' to relief camps throughout the province looking for men bearing the necessary qualifications. And, surprisingly enough, ho found them. Eagerly these men commenced to work. Bates of pay in those 'days were pitifully small. Wages per week averaged from 13s 9d for single men to £1 12s 6d for men with four children. Under the regulations existing the men were supposed to work on an average of two days for these meagre wages, hut so interested did they become in their work, so inspired were they by the creation of things remarkably beautiful, that in many instances they continued to work, often putting in a full week for no extra money. They had only the satisfaction of creating lasting beauty, of doing work they liked and understood.

The nature of the w.ork necessitated a slow pace, but countless other and totally unexpected things contributed to make the pace slower. Parts of the building had to be : demolished after months had been devoted to their erection; once it was found that a portion had been erected on property belonging to the Tramway Board, who demanded its removal; parts were found to he unsatisfactory, and the plans had to he changed. An extensive stone wall was built around the site, but it incurred the disapproval of the Heathcote Countv Council,' who deemed it unsafe, and insisted that it ho pulled down and rebuilt. Monev was very tight, and often work was hold up for months at a time through lack of funds. Then a pound note would come in, and a pound’s worth of work was carried out. A further break, until another pound came in. And so the work struggled on. Considering these circumstances, the building of the “ Takahe ” assumes almost epic proportions. The teahouse as it stands to-day is. a tribute to the patience and painstaking efforts of those who have worked ungrudgingly and unprotestingly. ... Originally it was intended that the interior decorations be carried out on a Dickens theme, with character and scenes from his hooks prominent throughout; but this idea later gave wav to a more ambitious one. The exterior design remained unaltered, Tudor Gothic architecture being favoured. The new decision was to have the interior also finished on Tudor lines. The main tea room to-day—soft by 13ft—represents a Tudor baronial hall, and most creditably does it reflect the simple austerity and dignified beauty of the period. For a moment let us consider the view from one of the 18 arched plateglass windows. To the right lies the great curve of Pegasus Bay, with long rolling streamers of white breaking on grey sands, sweeping to the base of the Seacard Kaikouras. From the sea’s edge we follow the line of the hills, a hundred miles and more, the foothills of the soaring Southern Alps. (On the recent day this writer looked upon the scene the mountains were heavily cloaked,in snow to the plain’s level, and they presented a breathtaking spectacle. The mountains stood limned in bold relief against a cold blue-green sky, and great sun-splashed fields of snow contrasted vividly with blue shadowed valleys.) From the mountains roll hundreds of square miles of plain, broken by long, thin, silverribbon rivers and stocky groves of trees indicating small areas of bush, or standing as shelter for countless farms. Dominating the foreground the city of Christchurch stretches its tentacles far into the plains, a wilderness of lowtopped houses, high buildings, smoking chimney stacks, with long stretches of streets dissecting the panorama at all angles. The view alone is worth a visit to the “Takahe,” but closer inspection of the teahouse leads one to forget the view, temporarily at least. The teahouse is built of cream and blue stone quarried, as has been stated, from close at hand.' The timber used is kauri and totara. tho latter obtained from the Port Hills, as near at hand as possible. The heavilybeamed ceilings are verily tilings of beauty and joys forever; in the main room, completed, where the ceiling beams cross are exquisitely carved Tudor roses finished in red and gold. The ceiling of the second room, almost completed, is adorned with bosses. To see the originals of these would necessitate entering 1 , almost every cathedral and old home in England and Scotland. The Dickens decorative design was abandoned in favour of one which would

allow of an exclusive heraldic scheme being included. The “ Takahe ” might now be termed a museum of coats-of-anns. Heraldic shields adorn the completed rooms and parts of tho exterior walls, all perfectly hand-carved. When the decision was made anyone who cared to pay a small fee could have his armorial bearings displayed, and no enquiries were made when an application was received. Any coats-of-arms that were brought forward were accepted. Tho present .manager, Mr J. A. Thomson, is an expert on heraldry and knows his subject thoroughly. When he assumed control of the “ Takaho ” ho discovered that many of the shields in position, were spurious, and he summarily ejected them. Tho present collection, numbering about 70, is absolutely authentic, and belongs to families who date far back into the dim and distant past. Mr Thomson is very strict, and nil coats of arms accepted for display must be registered with either the Royal College of Arms, Loudon, or the Court of tho Lord Lyon of Scotland. Four distinct series of coats of arms are included. There arc those of past Governors of New Zealand, as Sir George Grey, Ranfurly, Onslow, Fergusson, Blanket; of wellknown soldiers and sailors, as Napier, Clive, Havelock, Drake, Nelson; of New Zealand families who are descended from Tudor times and before, as Acland, Clifford, Torlessc, Cholmondeley; and old English, families, as Duke of Bedford, Warwick*, Ross, Newburgh. Naturally, there is a very wide range of heraldic shields, many of startling and intricate design, carved in wood and stone, and all in true heraldic colours. Indeed, with the exception of the murals, all interior decorations are finished in heraldic colours. Applications are frequently being received for inclusion in the display, and, if genuine, these are included. A recent application was made by Lord Elibank. There is a small charge for the privilege of having one’s coat of arms displayed, and this is looked upon as a donation to the building fund. In the main hall there is a, huge fireplace which is a reproduction of that appearing in the famed Haddon Hall. The stone boars’ heads that surmount the fireplace are replicas of the original wooden ones in Haddon Hall. The main entrance, which is surmounted by two or three shields,’ commands instant attention. It is a careful reproduction of an entrance to Westminster Abbey, dating back earlier than the first half of the fifteenth century. This fino archway is, however, not yet in use. It will open on to a very big room which is at present in course of construction.

Close to this archway is a tablet built into the wall, another fine piece of work. In one corner of the tablet is a convincing carving of a hiker marching blithely on his way up the hills. There appears this inscription in Latin; “ Cantantes licet usque minus via taedet eamns,” with the English translation: “ Let us march on singing ever; tho road will tire us less.” Mr Thomson proudly announces that all important visitors to Christchurch make a point of going up to the Takahe. Lord Blibank gave it as his opinion that the . “ Takahe ” was unique, and the superb decorations of armorial bearings reminded him strongly of Abbotsford, . the home of Sir Walter Scott. The_ Right Hon. R. B. Bennett, Prime Minister of Canada, promised to spread tho fame of the tea house in his country, and members of the Japanese trade delegation were so impressed that after they returned to Japan they wrote asking for illustrations and particulars of the work. Others who have been impressed include Lord Nuffield. Lord Balfour of Burleigh, and Lord Bledisloe. Unquestiona'ly “Sign of the Takahe” is a national asset. The Government has realised the value of this tea house, and when completed it will come under the control of the Tourist and Publicity Department. It will form an important part of a vast area that is destined to become another of New Zealand’s popular national parks.