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Ravenscar House Museum: A remarkable gift to Ōtautahi

When Ōtautahi Christchurch’s striking purpose-built Ravenscar House Museum opened to the public late last year, it was the realisation of a long-held dream.

Photo: Stephen Goodenough

The story of this remarkable project, the personalities behind it and the context of a post-earthquake city are beautifully explored and illustrated in Ravenscar House: A Biography, written by Christchurch journalist and writer Sally Blundell and published by Canterbury University Press.

“This was an intriguing project to work on,” Blundell says. “It is the story of Jim and Susan’s shared love of art and antiquities, the story of the Christchurch earthquakes and the story of New Zealand’s limited tradition of house museums, all wrapped up in an extraordinary work of architecture.”

The story of resilience, architectural ingenuity and generosity begins in a sense with the demolition of the original Ravenscar House on Scarborough Hill, the Wakefield’s home, following the Canterbury earthquakes. Blundell, however, takes us much further back – to Susan’s childhood in Lincolnshire, England, and Plimmerton, north of Wellington, to Jim’s upbringing in Timaru, and through their outstanding careers and lives together.

Both studied at the University of Canterbury (UC). Susan gained a PhD in Russian literature but made her career in accounting. She was recognised with a Queen’s Service Order for Public Service and an honorary doctorate from UC for her service, including as chair of the Commerce Commission. Jim’s successful career in accountancy and commercial leadership, which saw a string of companies prosper under his direction, was launched with a Bachelor of Commerce at UC.

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