Heritage

"Avonhead"

William Bayley Bray arrived in Canterbury on June 6, 1851 on the Duke of Bronte with his wife, four children and a governess. After a successful career in London he had been appointed consulting engineer to the Canterbury Provincial Council.

In Canterbury Bray was granted rights over Rural Section 177 (200 acres), Rural Section 178 (200 acres) and Rural Section 179 (100 acres). He decided to settle on this land, right out in the country, miles from the sod houses and whares of his fellow settlers in the centre of Christchurch. Combined, these rural sections were later known as Avonhead farm because it is in this area that the many springs which feed the Avon River are located. In early records however it was called Avonwood.

Avonhead, 189?

Avonhead, 189?

Bray set about building a home on a site which later became Archdall Place. His plan was to erect a house modelled on the lines of the bow of a boat. This house, built of pug clay, had 12 rooms arranged in a long strip facing the sun, with a corridor with a shingle floor behind, running the full length of the house. Four narrow staircases led to the attic rooms and the walls were 18 inches thick. With its roof thatched with rye straw, quaint leaded windows and low attic rooms it resembled an old English cottage more than any other Canterbury home. Fine oak panelling for the dining-room was lost in a shipwreck on the Sumner bar on its way from England so Bray settled for local totara instead.

Of particular interest was a secret staircase. From a little glassed-in porch, entry to the house was though a square panelled hall. There was no sign of a staircase until a section of panelling was pushed back revealing stairs to the attic rooms above. Another quaint staircase could be found behind the kitchen chimney leading to the servants quarters.

Another interesting story concerns the clear glass windows along the rear corridor of the house. It is said that they were added so that William Bray would have a clear view to the south and so be prepared for any attack by the local Māoris.

In Bray’s time "Avonhead" was a centre of hospitality although a bullock dray was the only means of communication.

Bray, as a civil engineer, is remembered for constantly prophesying that one day the Waimakariri River would break its banks and run through Christchurch.

Local politician and businessman Crosbie Ward (1832-1867) wrote:

At Avonhead lives Mr Bray,
Who every morning used to say,
"I should not be much surprised today
If Christchurch city were swept away
By the rushing, crushing, flushing, gushing Waimakariri River"

He told his tale and he showed his plan,
How the levels lay and the river ran;
The neighbours thought him a learned man,
But wished him further than Ispahan,
With his wearing, tearing, flaring, scaring Waimakariri River

Nothing happened until February 1868 on the very day when Bray returned from one of his trips to England, when the Waimakariri River sent a stream down the Avon and flooded Christchurch. In Fendall town (as it was then known) some buildings collapsed, many sheep were lost and fences and culverts destroyed, After this Bray sold "Avonhead" to his business partner Joseph Hill and moved into Christchurch. He died in 1885.

Later the house was only occupied sporadically as most owners of the land preferred more comfortable accommodation.

Another owner in the latter part of the 19th century was B. Edwards, a well-known trotting trainer. Over the years most of the 500 acres comprising the Avonhead estates was sold off. In 1912 the remaining portion, including the homestead, was bought by George Witty, MP for Riccarton for 23 years. The Witty family never lived in the old house but they recognised its value as a historic place. Until they sold it in 1944 - George Witty died in 1941 it was kept in a reasonable state of repair.

The reason given for "Avonheads" demolition in 1944 was an infestation of rats - a reason strongly disputed by George Witty’s only surviving daughter, Mrs Irene Ellis. Many Christchurch residents were unhappy with the decision to demolish but there was no Historic Places Trust until 1955. With this demolition Christchurch lost its second oldest surviving house.

Avonhead homestead 1913

Avonhead homestead 1913

In 1912 George Witty had built another homestead, designed by Roy Lovell-Smith, also known as "Avonhead" at 93 Avonhead Road on a site very close to the old house. After the demolition of the clay house horse stalls were built on the site, and later a swimming pool and a tennis court.

Maurice Carter later bought the land and further subdivided it. At the time he uncovered springs at the source of the Avonhead River which no-one had known existed. Now the springs cannot be seen as they were a nuisance to property owners and were piped.

Acknowledgment

Mrs Irene Ellis (nee Witty)

Sources