Scaled Down

Built in 1912, the house at  23 Cashmere Road was, until late December, part of the 'White Zone' of Christchurch in which the land suffered sufficiently badly during the earthquakes to raise serious questions about its safety for repairs and further buidling.

A fine example of the 'Arts and Crafts' style, this house has many of the hallmarks of the designs of J W Chapman-Taylor, whose work echoed the Medieval cottages of England which combined their hand-crafted beauty with functionality. Noteworthy features are the simple forms of the white walls, the clay tiled roof, the use of stained timber, the decorative motifs on the chimneys and gables, and the elegant proportions of the building. Set on a hill section with various levels, the house is surrounded by a wonderfully colourful garden that has been nurtured by the owners during their almost 20 years of living there.

Very fortunately and after much negotiation with builders, insurers and engineers, the house has now been fully repaired and rebuilt to a standard better than when it was new.

'It is the business of the architect to harmonise the world of necessity with the world of romance'  James Walter Chapman-Taylor