Heritage grant extension for McLean’s Mansion

A $1.934 million Christchurch City Council landmark heritage grant for repairs to McLean’s Mansion has been extended for 18 months.

The initial grant was approved by the Council in December 2016.

However, the work has not gone ahead because of delays in finalising the purchase of the building by the McLean’s Mansion Charitable Trust set up to carry out the repairs.

McLean's Mansion in central Christchurch.

Under the proposed plans for New Zealand’s largest wooden-framed residence, the original heritage haven for “women of refinement and education in reduced or straitened circumstances” will be reborn as a cultural home.

The $10 million restoration – including the heritage grant – aims to turn the 2200-square-metre earthquake-damaged building into a cultural and performance venue.

“McLean’s Mansion is an integral element of Christchurch’s heritage, showcasing architectural practices of the time,” Council Head of Urban Design, Regeneration and Heritage Carolyn Ingles says.

“We believe it is the largest timber-framed residential building in New Zealand, full of wonderful features complemented by intricate designs.

“It is important to value our past, especially as so much has been lost to the earthquakes.”

The 53-room mansion highlights the wealth of the early pastoralists, along with their commitment to philanthropy.

Built for one of the wealthiest men in Canterbury, Allan McLean (1822-1907), the central Christchurch home was designed by leading architect R .W. England in 1899 and completed in 1900.

McLean stipulated in his will that the house – known as Holly Lea – become a home for women who had fallen on hard times. It fulfilled that role until the mid-1950s before being sold to the Government. The building then became a dental nurses’ hostel, supporting the establishment of the New Zealand School Dental Service in the city.

From 1977, various tenants occupied the building. It is scheduled in the Christchurch District Plan as “Highly Significant” and by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga as a Category One Heritage building.

The building was taken over by the Christchurch Academy in the 1980s for use as a vocational training centre.

The Jacobean Revival-style kauri building features a richly decorated interior, with a large staircase in the entrance hall that connects with a classical gallery on the first floor.

Each baluster and newel post has been individually carved with thistles and flowers while the doorways to the main rooms feature a carved wooden tympanum.