History
This beautiful Art Nouveau / Arts and Crafts villa was built on the large terrace that had originally been levelled by the Lyttelton Gaol's 'Heavy Lift Gang' for the 1864 building of the Lyttelton hospital, which soon became the Canterbury Orphanage and burnt down in 1904.
Architecture
Businessman J.T Norton bought the orphanage remains and land to build his own grand residence, with many impressive features, such as an underground sprinkler system throughout the grounds. Still standing are the original stables with cottage above, original gazebo, extensive glasshouses, cold store, maid’s kitchen and washhouse.
Gaol inmates carved the redstone ‘tuft’ heads surviving on the front gate-posts. These were originally at the Bowling Green on Oxford Street on land donated by J.T.Norton. Dr Chambers bought the Oxford Street land for his surgery when the bowling green moved to Heathcote, this is how the stone heads would have come to be at 16 Brittan Terrace. Another ‘tuft’ head, from Sumner Road, is in the Lyttelton Museum and another remains in the wall on Sumner Road.
The front steps and porch are decorated with the original intricate mosaic terrazzo tiles. The roof of the house and east-facing veranda is of European terracotta Marseillestiles imported by Mr. Norton.
Many authentic, outstanding, interior features are seen inside; the front door has beautiful Art Nouveau glass panels; the hallway has Arts and Crafts oak panels with an intricately patterned pressed tin ceiling. The drawing room has a unique highly detailed art Nouveau patterned ceiling; an ecclesiastical gothic style window is on the west wall and could well have been from the 1864 orphanage building that stood on the site; the large faceted arc bay window would have been a feature added when fashionable in the late 1920s, this too has attractive leadlight decorative panes. The original dining room has an ornate plaster ceiling with intricate details including fruit, vegetables and birds in flight adorning the central rose.
J.T. Norton and his family and servants lived here. The cottage above the stable was for the stableman; the lean-to original maid’s kitchen was still the only existing kitchen prior to 1950.
Owners and occupiers
J.T.Norton was a successful businessman (he established Norton’s Bakery in 1878, when he took over from Mr Lanyon’s bakery.) Mr Norton, originally a pastry cook, was the first baker in the South Island to use specially developed bread making machinery and drawplate ovens. (Refer Article: Nortons Buildings - 15 Oxford Street)
Mr J.T.Norton’s son lived at 24 Brittan Terrace and his grandson, Keith Norton, was born at number 24. All three generations of Nortons worked as bakers at the Oxford Street shop, where bread was baked until 1953.
Mrs Norton lived at 16 Brittan Terrace with the maid after her husband’s death in 1947. Then local G.P. Dr. Noel Chambers bought the house from Mrs Norton a couple of years after he had started his doctor’s practice in Lyttelton; he and Mrs Chambers, raised six children here and lived here until 1973. Their daughter Dr. Rose Chambers, who grew up here has vivid childhood memories of this special house. Rose continues the Lyttelton G.P’s practice that her father started sixty years ago.
