Wharetiki House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wharetiki House |
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Wharetiki House in March 2011
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| General information | |
| Type | Residential, converted to a pre-school |
| Location | Christchurch Central City |
| Address | 854 Colombo Street |
| Town or city | Christchurch |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°31′26″S 172°38′13″E / 43.52402°S 172.63697°E |
| Completed | 1904 |
| Demolished | 21 July 2011 |
| Client | Matthew Barnett |
| Owner | David Hampton |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | two |
| Official name: Wharetiki | |
| Designated: | 25 June 2004 |
| Reference #: | 7551 |
Wharetiki was a beautiful old house in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was also known as Glenfell House for a while. This large wooden house was built in 1904 for a rich businessman named Matthew Barnett.
Sadly, the house was badly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The government group in charge of rebuilding, called the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), decided the house had to be pulled down. This decision led to a court case, as it was the first time CERA's power to demolish a historic building was challenged. In July 2011, the court agreed with CERA, and the house was demolished the very next day.
Contents
The Story of Wharetiki House
Who Built Wharetiki House?
Matthew Frank Barnett (1859–1935) was a very successful businessman in Christchurch. He made his money from a betting business with his friend, Peter Grant.
In 1901, Matthew Barnett bought two pieces of land on Colombo Street and Salisbury Street in central Christchurch. The house was built on one part of the land. The other part had a garage and a place for playing bowls.
Construction of the house started in 1902 and finished in 1904. The house got connected to the city's drains in 1904. However, it didn't get electricity until 1923! At first, its water came from a special well on the property.
Who Designed Wharetiki House?
We don't know for sure who the architect was. But many clues point to Robert England (1863–1908). He designed other houses that look similar. For example, he designed a house for Matthew Barnett's business partner, Peter Grant. That house was also on Colombo Street.
Wharetiki House was a very big and fancy home. It showed how wealthy Matthew Barnett was.
Life in the Barnett Family Home
Matthew Barnett was married to Mary (her maiden name was Whelan). They had six children, born between 1889 and 1903. The house was so big that they had several servants. Mary Barnett's unmarried younger sister, Maria (called Polly), was in charge of the servants.
The house had a total floor area of about 408 square metres (4,390 square feet). This gave the family plenty of space to live comfortably.
In 1908, Mary Barnett's mother, Margaret, and her youngest son, Bill, moved into Wharetiki House. Margaret Whelan lived there until she passed away in 1926.
In 1930, Mary Barnett became ill and needed a wheelchair. To help her move around, the back stairs of the house were replaced with a lift. Mary Barnett died in 1931 at Wharetiki. Matthew Barnett passed away in 1935, also at Wharetiki. He was buried next to his wife.
Who Owned Wharetiki House After the Barnetts?
After Matthew Barnett died, three family members inherited the house. They decided to sell it right away. In 1935, a widow named Margaret Isabella Marshall bought it. She didn't seem to live in the house herself. She sold it in 1942 to Ernest Archbold. He then sold it to Robert Heaton Livingstone in 1943.
Wharetiki as Glenfell House
It was probably when Ernest Archbold owned the house that it became a boarding house. The Glenfell sisters (Jean, Reynolda, and Ellen) ran it. They provided a place for students from Christchurch Girls' High School to live. The school was using a building nearby at that time. The house was known as Glenfell House during these four years.
The ownership of the house kept changing. In 1957, the Public Trustee took over. Then, in 1964, the Staffordshire Finance Company bought it. It's likely that the Glenfell sisters stopped using the house as a boarding house around this time.
The house changed owners again in 1973. Peter John Diver and David Stephen Diver bought it. They then sold it to Sunset Properties. For a short time in the 1980s, the house was a guesthouse called Grenville Guesthouse. But for most of its later life, it was a boarding house.
In 1995, Chesterfield Preschools Ltd bought the property. They turned the ground floor into a pre-school. David Hampton is the owner of that company and still owned the property when it was demolished.
The Earthquakes and Demolition
Wharetiki House was slightly damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. Then, it was severely damaged in the big 2011 Christchurch earthquake in February. The owner said it wasn't damaged further in the June 2011 earthquake.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) looked at the building many times. In early April, they decided it had to be demolished. The owner disagreed and took the case to the High Court. This was the first time anyone had challenged CERA's power to order a building's demolition.
On June 20, 2011, the judge decided that CERA was right. The house was demolished the very next day.
Heritage Status
Wharetiki House was recognized as an important historic building. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust registered it as a Category II heritage building on June 25, 2004. Its registration number was 7551.
Images for kids
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Wharetiki House in May 2011
See also
In Spanish: Wharetiki House para niños
