Ngaio Marsh House Explained

Ngaio Marsh House
Location:Cashmere
Address:37 Valley Road
Location Town:Christchurch
Location Country:New Zealand
Architect:Samuel Hurst Seager
Floor Count:two
Building Type:Residential home
Structural System:timber
Roof:Iron
Ren Architect:Helmore and Cotteril (1948)
Don Donnithore (1980)

Ngaio Marsh House, the home of Dame Ngaio Marsh for most her life, is a heritage property in Valley Road in the Christchurch suburb of Cashmere. It serves as a museum to Dame Ngaio, one of New Zealand's most famous cultural figures and one of the original Queens of Crime from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, and Margery Allingham. It is registered as a Category I heritage place by Heritage New Zealand for its outstanding historical significance in relation to Marsh.[1] Tours of the house, run by a volunteer guide, can be booked via the website.[2]

History

The house was built for Ngaio Marsh's parents. It was designed by their relation architect Samuel Hurst Seager. The house has been extended a number of times: firstly in 1948 by architectural firm Helmore and Cotterill; and later, in 1980, a studio, designed by Don Donnithorne, was added on the ground floor.

Heritage registration

The building was registered as a Category I heritage building by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) on 27 June 1985, with registration number 3673.[1]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ngaio Marsh House . Heritage New Zealand . 28 October 2021.
  2. News: Harding . Bruce . 25 March 2024 . Ngaio Marsh: A writer's haven . 1 July 2024 . .