Kate Sheppard House
The Kate Sheppard House is a historic home in Clyde Road in the Christchurch suburb of Ilam, bordering onto the University of Canterbury. For 14 years, it was the home of the leader of New Zealand's women's suffrage campaign, Kate Sheppard, during her active period. It was later the family home of the 30th Mayor of Christchurch, John Joseph Dougall. It is registered as a Category 1 heritage place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust for its outstanding historical significance in relation to Sheppard. It came into government ownership during 2019.
| Kate Sheppard House | |
|---|---|
 Kate Sheppard House in 2012 | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Residential home |
| Location | Ilam |
| Address | 83 Clyde Road |
| Town or city | Christchurch |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43.523637°S 172.588132°E |
| Owner | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga |
| Height | |
| Roof | slate |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | timber |
| Floor count | one |
| Website | |
| katesheppardhouse | |
| Designated | 10 December 2010 |
| Reference no. | 9325 |
| References | |
| "Kate Sheppard House". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. | |
History
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The land for the house was purchased for £400 in November 1887 by Walter Sheppard,[1] since 1871 the husband of Kate Sheppard.[2] The land, 2 acres (0.81 ha) in size, had previously been part of the Deans estate. It was neighbouring the house of her younger sister Isabella, whose husband had bought their land in 1884, and not far from her elder sister Marie's house, who lived on Riccarton Road. Some 3 miles (4.8 km) from the city centre, at the time the area was rural. The Sheppards moved into their villa in 1888.[1]
After Kate Sheppard became the leader of the women's suffrage campaign, many important and influential people were frequent visitors. Strong supporters of Sheppard were the MPs John Hall and Alfred Saunders. Rev Leonard Isitt and Tommy Taylor would later gain prominence.[1]
Walter Sheppard went into retirement in 1902 and decided to return to England. The house sold on 3 April 1902 to John Joseph Dougall, a prominent barrister and solicitor. Dougall's family consisted of a wife and four children. Upon his death on 5 September 1934, the house passed to his son Leslie, who also worked in the legal profession.[1][3]
Leslie Dougall sold the house in 1939 to Helen Nicoll, the wife of the merchant Henry Nicoll. In 1944, the land was subdivided and the property reduced to its current size. Subsequent owners were Reginald Warren (July 1947 – 1954), William George Weigel (1954 – January 1956), and Dr Anthony Allison (January 1956 – December 1985), who lived in the house and operated a medical surgery from it. Andrew Everist and his wife Julia became owners in December 1985.[1] Since separating, Julia Burbury lives there by herself.[4]
When Andrew and Julia Everist bought the property in 1985 the historical significance was not known to them. They only found out about it in 1993 when the centenary of women's suffrage caused increased interest in Sheppard.[5] Burbury put the house on the market just prior to the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage and on 18 September 2018, Jacinda Ardern announced that the Government is interested in buying the house to preserve its history.[6] On 19 September 2019, it was announced that the house has been purchased by the New Zealand Government, and will be managed by Heritage New Zealand.[7]
Heritage registration
The building was registered as a heritage building by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust on 10 December 2010 with registration number 3659 classified as Category I listing.[1] It was registered for its outstanding historical significance in relation to Sheppard, as much of the women's suffrage campaign was orchestrated from the house.[1]
References
- "Kate Sheppard House". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- Malcolm, Tessa K. "Sheppard, Katherine Wilson". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- "Obituary". Auckland Star. LXV (209). 4 September 1934. p. 3. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- Shiels, Rosa (27 October 2011). "Living history". Avenues magazine. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- Newton, Katie (13 September 2018). "Kate Sheppard's Christchurch house for sale for the first time in 33 years". The Press. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- Guildford, Jonathan (18 September 2018). "Government could buy Kate Sheppard's historic Christchurch home". The Press. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- "Government steps in to buy Kate Sheppard's house for $4.5m". Radio New Zealand. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
