OLD STONE HOUSE

The Old Stone House was built by Sir John Cracroft Wilson (1808-1881) in 1870, and it remained in the family’s ownership for the next 96 years.

No details survive of the building’s construction, but it was described as reminiscent of farm dwellings in England a few centuries earlier, and consisted of three floors.  The lower floor seems to have been intended for storage and stables, the main ground floor for cooking, eating and communal areas, with the top floor thought to have housed the sleeping quarters. The stone used in construction is reputed to have come from a quarry on nearby Marley’s Hill, with stone from this quarry used in similar buildings of the era.

On Saturday 10 July 1971 disaster struck with fire destroying the main roof and upper floor.  The fire appeared to have started in the middle of the top floor spreading from there to the roof and the wooden floor below.  It is understood that a student had left a bed lamp on his pillow then left, leaving light for another student who was expected.  The house was reduced to a shell, its future uncertain.

News of the fire made local and national news and a radio appeal for volunteers led to a good turnout of helpers.  The ground outside was littered with hundreds of broken slates that had fallen from the roof, inside were more remnants of slates mixed with charcoal from burnt beams, partitions and furniture.  The main roof and loft floor had burned or collapsed completely with the northern end of the central floor badly burned.  The basement, newly cemented, was undamaged, as were the internal and external stone walls.

News of the fire made local and national news and a radio appeal for volunteers led to a good turnout of helpers.  The ground outside was littered with hundreds of broken slates that had fallen from the roof, inside were more remnants of slates mixed with charcoal from burnt beams, partitions and furniture.  The main roof and loft floor had burned or collapsed completely with the northern end of the central floor badly burned.  The basement, newly cemented, was undamaged, as were the internal and external stone walls.

In 1971 meetings with both the Heathcote County and Christchurch City Council were held with the idea of renovating and turning the building into a community centre to meet the needs of the local community.  The Historic Places Trust was also approached regarding restoration of this significant piece of Canterbury history.

The Official Opening was held on 17 November 1979 with over 100 attending and many more attending the Open Day that followed. The Old Stone House then became an integral part of the Cracroft community and a well-recognised landmark. It was used to host a variety of groups and activities during the week, while at weekends it was been a popular choice for weddings and functions.

Disaster struck again in the form of the devastating earthquakes that damaged or brought down so many historic buildings in Christchurch in 2010 and 2011.

In 2016-17, the building underwent a 15-month restoration programme costing around $2m which has strengthened it to 67 per cent of the new building standard. A series of concrete beams is now hidden inside the walls and a complicated steel structure sits beneath the slate roof. The chimney has been rebuilt around a steel core and the stone lintels have been replaced. The strengthening work is barely noticeable and the building looks exactly as it did before the earthquakes. 

At the official re-opening, on 7 February 2018, John Cracroft Wilson’s great-great granddaughter, and former Patron of the Cracroft Community Centre, Caroline Murray said that the building had a stubborn heart, like its founder. “It has inspired so many people to get it back on its feet again. It really clearly has a heart and a will to survive.”

The building continues to be run by the Cracroft Community Centre Committee as it was before the earthquake and has now reverted back to its role as a meeting place for the community and a wedding and events venue.  It stands both as a piece of history and a tribute to those who worked so hard to see it rise from the ashes, their dream coming to fruition.

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