Lyttelton's settler cottages: what the 1850s left us

Lyttelton has one of the best collections of early colonial houses in the country, and most people walk past them without noticing. They are small, mostly timber, packed tightly along streets that climb the old crater wall, and many have been added to, patched and repainted so many times that their age is hidden. Once you learn to spot them, though, the whole hillside starts to read like a history book.

Where they came from

The town was laid out in 1849 as the port for the Canterbury Association's planned Anglican settlement. In December 1850 the first four ships, the Charlotte Jane, Randolph, Sir George Seymour and Cressy, arrived in the harbour, and within days the little port had a population of around a thousand. Many of the settlers walked over the Bridle Path to the plains as soon as they could, but plenty stayed: storekeepers, boatmen, labourers, publicans and the families of men working the wharves.

They needed houses quickly, on land that was almost all slope. The surveyed grid ignored the terrain, so sections were narrow and steep, and houses were set into the hillside along the contours with retaining walls in front and behind. That pattern, of small houses strung along the hill in rows with stone walls between them, is still the defining look of the town. Heritage New Zealand recognised it in 2009 when it listed the Lyttelton Township Historic Area, which describes the township's plan, streetscapes and buildings in detail.

Reading a cottage

The earliest houses were small and simple. The list entry for the historic area describes several types that are still recognisable:

• The two-room cottage. A single storey, often just two rooms side by side under a steep gabled roof, sometimes called a "but and ben" after its Scottish forerunners. Many have been extended at the back with lean-tos.
• The saltbox. A two-storey front with a long roof sweeping down to a single-storey section at the back, a shape that suits a slope well.
• The larger cottage. Better-off settlers built bigger houses with dormer windows in the roof and a verandah across the front.
• Regency-style houses. A few have balconies and curved verandah roofs.

Almost all were built of timber. Kauri, mataī and tōtara were widely used, with corrugated iron roofs becoming common as the century went on. Stone and brick houses were rare, partly because of cost and partly because timber was quicker to put up.

What is very much stone is the walling. The red volcanic stone walls and steps that hold up the streets and sections, much of it laid by prisoners from the town's gaol, are as much a part of the heritage as the houses themselves.

The fire and the brick walls

On 24 October 1870 a fire that started in a hotel in the commercial centre spread rapidly through the closely packed timber buildings. Six hotels, many shops and more than seventy-five buildings were destroyed, though no one died. The town rebuilt its centre with more brick, stone and stucco, and brick firewalls began to appear between buildings. Look for brick party walls and tall brick chimneys rising between timber houses; many date from the decades after the fire.

What survived 2011

The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes were devastating for Lyttelton's masonry. The 22 February 2011 earthquake, centred under the Port Hills close to the town, killed 185 people across Christchurch, and in Lyttelton it destroyed or condemned many of the brick and stone commercial buildings on London Street and Norwich Quay, along with churches and the Timeball Station. We write about those losses in our story on Lyttelton after the earthquakes.

The small timber cottages generally fared much better. Light timber frames flex rather than crack, and a single-storey cottage carries relatively little weight. That is not to say they escaped. Brick chimneys toppled across the town, foundations and piles shifted, retaining walls bulged or failed, and houses on the steepest sections were affected by rockfall and ground movement. But a remarkable number of the 1850s to 1900s houses are still standing and lived in.

Buying or restoring an old harbour cottage

If you are thinking of buying one of these houses, or already own one, the age and the setting bring particular things to check. A pre-purchase inspection by someone familiar with old timber houses is worth every cent.

Piles and foundations. Many early cottages sat on timber or stone piles, and decades of settlement on a slope plus earthquake shaking mean many have been re-piled, some more than once. Look at the floor for slopes and bounce, check under the house for the type and condition of the piles, and ask what was done after the quakes and whether it was consented.

Framing. Original framing in native timber can be remarkably durable, but alterations over 150 years can leave odd junctions, removed walls and undersized beams. Look for sagging rooflines and doors that have been planed to fit.

Borer. Common furniture beetle loves older, untreated timber, especially in damp or poorly ventilated subfloors and roof spaces. Small round flight holes and fine powdery frass are the signs. Many old infestations are long dead, but active borer in structural timber needs attention. We will look at this in more detail in a later story.

Weatherboards and joinery. Original rusticated or bevel-back weatherboards and timber sash windows are part of a cottage's character. Rot tends to start at the bottom boards, around sills and behind downpipes. Patch repairs with matching profiles are usually better, and cheaper, than wholesale replacement.

Paint and salt air. Houses facing the harbour take wind and salt spray, which is hard on paint, nails and roofing iron. Regular washing and keeping paint in good order are the best defence.

Chimneys. Many unreinforced brick chimneys came down in 2011. If one survives, have it checked; many owners have replaced them with lightweight flues.

Heritage and character rules. Parts of Lyttelton have heritage or character protections in the Christchurch District Plan, and some individual buildings are scheduled. Before altering the exterior, removing a building or adding on, check the council's heritage information and talk to the council's heritage team. Many routine repairs need no consent, but it pays to confirm first.

Seeing them for yourself

The best way to appreciate the cottages is on foot. Pick any of the streets climbing above the shopping area and walk slowly, looking at rooflines, verandahs and the stone walls between the houses. Please remember that almost all of them are private homes: admire from the street, do not go onto properties and be considerate with cameras.

To read more about the colonisation scheme that brought the first settlers, the Wikipedia article on the Canterbury Association is a good starting point. Our history hub and harbour homes hub collect the rest of our stories on the town's past and its houses, and the Timeball story covers the landmark on the hill above them.