16 May 2012

International funding to Provincial Chambers’ artefacts welcomed

International funding to assist the preservation of two significant artefacts retrieved from the earthquake damaged Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings has been welcomed by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) and Christchurch City Council.

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) yesterday allocated $55,000 to go towards conservation of the Speaker’s Chair and double-faced clock which were among valuable historic items retrieved from the site. The earthquakes of September 2010 and particularly February last year extensively damaged the impressive Stone Chamber and other stone elements of the complex.

The announcement followed the Provincial Chambers being listed on the WMF’s at-risk historical sites list in October last year. The NZHPT nominated the iconic Christchurch landmark for inclusion, with supporting letters from the Council and Department of Conservation.

The NZHPT said the funding will further raise the profile of the Provincial Chambers’ plight and hopefully act as a spur for further fundraising initiatives. A careful programme of deconstruction to make safe and retrieve material is being undertaken by a team experienced in heritage work including archaeologists, historians, a conservation architect, engineers, stone masons and construction workers. This work serves as a heritage conservation model and helps to promote the regeneration of Christchurch’s cultural heritage.

“NZHPT also acknowledges the efforts of the Christchurch City Council in scoping a valuable conservation project to secure the funding,” said NZHPT Acting Southern Region General Manager Ann Neill.

“This award is great news and has been well received here in New Zealand.”

Christchurch City Councillor Helen Broughton, Chairperson of the Heritage and Arts Committee, said this news will be a tremendous boost to the people of Christchurch and Canterbury who have lost so much of their heritage since the earthquakes.

“The funds will be used to help restore the Speaker’s Chair and the Stone Chamber’s double-faced clock. These items are an important link to the story of Canterbury and Christchurch’s early settlement. To be able to restore them for future generations to enjoy is priceless.

“It is wonderful to have international recognition of Christchurch’s heritage. This will lift the profile of some of Christchurch’s heritage and help support restoration efforts,” she said.

The Category 1-registered Provincial Government Buildings were built from the late-1850s in a Gothic Revival style in timber and stone as the seat of the Provincial Government of Canterbury. Today they comprise one of the earliest Gothic Revival complexes of government buildings in the world.

ENDS

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