Old sod cottage to be preserved
"The community feels a real sense of ownership for this cottage and we want to consider their views on how we might best preserve it." Christchurch City Council head of urban regeneration, urban design and heritage Carolyn Ingles
One of Christchurch’s most historic buildings could be partially encased in glass to preserve its heritage.
Captain James Penfold, a transTasman trader, built the house from sod – clumps of surface earth, which can be made into bricks – and bits of his wrecked ship, The Excelsior, near the Heathcote River mouth in 1862.
Fires and age have damaged it. Local man Ernest Parish rebuilt the hut in what is now known as Scott Park, next to the Ferrymead Bridge, in 1944.
Parish, helped by the Mt Pleasant Burgesses’ Association and boys from the Mt Pleasant Yacht Club, used cob instead of sod to rebuild the cottage. Cob is a mixture of clay and tussock or rushes.
Some of the original sod bricks remain, low in the category two heritage building’s walls.
Christchurch City Council head of urban regeneration, urban design and heritage Carolyn Ingles said the cottage was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquakes.
‘‘The walls facing Main Rd and Ferrymead Bridge are largely intact, and these can be repaired to keep the historic street view of the cottage.
‘‘However, some of the remaining walls are too badly damaged to repair.’’
The council proposed enclosing the badly-damaged walls in toughened glass, which would highlight the 19th century workmanship that made the cottage significant, Ingles said.
‘‘The community feels a real sense of ownership for this cottage and we want to consider their views on how we might best preserve it.’’
The council originally set aside $300,000 for the repair in 2020 and 2021, but in March this year councillors Sarah Templeton and Yani Johanson successfully lobbied for the work to be brought forward.
They secured an extra $30,000 for maintenance that would stop the cottage deteriorating until restoration began in 2018 and 2019.
The council sought community feedback on its plans by August 14.
Residents could make submissions online at www.ccc.govt.nz/HaveYourSay.
The council will hold information sessions at Mt Pleasant Yacht Club on July 20 between 7pm and 9pm, and July 22 between 12pm and 2pm.