ENGLISH TRADITIONS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 125, 17 August 1927, Page 7

ENGLISH TRADITIONS

IN NEW ZEALAND HOMES A PLEA FOR THEIR REINSTATEMENT. THERE are still to be seen in tbe northern districts of New Zealand a few of the delightful churches, buildings and homes designed and erected under the supervision of Bishop Selwyn, the first Bishop o New Zealand, with Gothic gables, steep roofs covered with shingles, low walls of local stone, and in many cases of vertical boarding, diamond-paned casement windows, and heavy doors; interiors with quaint open «ilings, large fireplaces, and walls of vertical boarding. Many of them arc cosered with ivy and in a setting of oaks, elms, planes and other trees.

When one comes to these old houses and churches with their delightful gardens filled with English flowers, it is hard to realise that New Zealand is so many thousands of miles away from England. Then there are the houses built by the English settlers in the fifties. Simple, symmetrical and pleasant to look upon, with low angle roofs, double-hung windows, with panes divided by wooden bars in well-propor-tioned squares, shutters and verandas. Interiors, though the plans may be out of date, have a fine feeling of scale and proportion, many with delicately designed mantelpieces of marble, and mahogany doors brought out to New Zealand by the owners. The early settlers laid down traditions and adapted them to the conditions of this country. It is disappointing that the present generation has ignored or perhaps overlooked the possibilities of these pleasant-looking homes of the early settlers, which are fast being demolished, states the “Architectural Review.” To the average New Zealander they may appear dull and out of date, and' they fail to see the finer feeling of scale and proportion and prefer the prettiness and eccentricities of the American modern architecture. So today we find in New Zealand a collection of pretty Californian bungalows, Spanish mission houses, and American Gothic buildings huddled together, all looking foreign, self-conscious and uncomfortable in a setting that is English as any country out of England could be. There is a great deal that can be taken from the American homes with their many labour-saving devices, sun porches, etc, which are suitable for I he climate and conditions of New Zealand, hut New Zealand, being a British

colony, the people should endeavour to hold on to the English traditions lett bv the pioneers, and not be led away by the dazzling prettiness of some American modern architectural craze. The Spanish and Dutch, during their early travels abroad, left behind them in the countries where they settled traditions in their buildings, which, after manv centuries, still remain. People in these countries, realising the beauty of the architecture, left by the early colonists and the associations, have developed a style of architecture that has all the traditions of the country whence the colonists came, adapted to the climatic and other conditions. So to-day we find in South America the Spanish, in Western America the Spanish mission, and in South Africa the Dutch colonial architecture. The New Zealand architects are handicapped by the lack of good building materials. There is no good building stone, and bricks are of a medium quality and texture. The limestone, very like the English Portland stone and quarried at Oamaru, does not stand and quicklv decays in the cities. There are few, if any, skilled craftsmen, and none of the specialist firms that render the architect in England so much valuable assistance. The high cost of labour and materials are also a handicap. Altogether the New Zealand architects labour under very great disadvantages, but with these difficulties to contend with they should not lose sight of the English traditions. Architecture in the Dominion is at a critical period —that of transitional —and the time has come when those in power should bring pressure to bear to stop the erection of ■ architectural monstrosities which todav in New Zealand are ruining the natural beauties of the country.