Linwood House

Linwood House
Linwood House
	Linwood House in 2003
General information
Architectural style	late Georgian- / Regency-style house
Location	Linwood
Address	30 Linwood Avenue
Town or city	Christchurch
Country	New Zealand
Coordinates	43°31′35.82″S 172°39′41.25″E / 43.5266167°S 172.6614583°E
Completed	1857
Renovated	1889; 1920
Demolished	2011
Client	Joseph Brittan
Technical details
Structural system	unreinforced masonry
Floor count	two
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Charles Fooks
Renovating team
Architect(s)	John Whitelaw (1889); Luttrell Brothers (1920)
Website
	Official website
Heritage New Zealand – Category 2
Official name	Linwood House
Designated	17 August 1982
Reference no.	3119
References
	New Zealand Historic Places Trust (30 May 2005), Registration Report, Christchurch: New Zealand Historic Places Trust, retrieved 24 September 2012

Linwood House was built as the homestead for Joseph Brittan, who, as surgeon, newspaper editor and provincial councillor, was one of the dominant figures in early Christchurch, New Zealand. The suburb of Linwood was named after Brittan's farm and homestead. Brittan's daughter Mary married William Rolleston, and they lived at Linwood House following Joseph Brittan's death. During that time, Rolleston was the 4th (and last) Superintendent of the Canterbury Province, and Linwood House served for many important political and public functions.

The property went through many changes in ownership. Land was successively subdivided; at its peak, 110 acres (450,000 m²) of land belonged to Linwood House, of which only 2,013 m² (21,670 sq ft) remain. For some years, Linwood House was used as a private day and boarding school for girls. The house declined during the mid-20th century, was used for flats for several decades, and was in 1985 described by an historian as the "city's worst example of a house which should be preserved being left to decay". The house's fortunes improved when it was purchased in 1988 by people sympathetic to heritage. Gradually being restored, Linwood House suffered significant damage in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and partially collapsed in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Civil Defence ordered the building's demolition, which was carried out in the second half of 2011.

Architecturally, Linwood House was a rare example of a late Georgian- / Regency-style house in Canterbury. It had historical importance as one of the oldest surviving houses in Christchurch. The building's association with Joseph Brittan and especially William Rolleston made it socially important.