This private residence is of significance to Lyttelton as it was Dr. C.H. Upham's former residence and practice for almost 50 years.
Its legal history begins in 1855, February 2nd when the land is transferred from Mr Wingfield to the Lyttelton carrier Mr Dimond. On this corner town section 71 in 1869 was The Royal Oak public house. On July 14th 1887 Mr Dimond leases the property to Dr Guthrie, a surgeon. By 1890 Dr Guthrie is listed as having 3 years left of the lease. Dr Guthrie, who is recorded as living here in the rates records of 1888, was probably the Dr T.Guthrie who had the house built, Dr Upham bought Dr Guthrie's practice for £2000
This is a large T-plan two-storey timber house; its exterior shows the authentic original undecorated style enhanced with a south facing front veranda that has a curved iron roof and three original large three-section style sash windows plus a downstairs bay double hung window at the front. The house is very solid and well proportioned and its imposing quality reflects that someone of significant social standing would have lived here, befitting for a doctors practice.
In 1901 the certificate and title is issued for the first time. Dr Upham is now leasing this property from Dimond. By 1910 Dr Upham owns the freehold for this property.
Dr. Charles Hazlitt Upham (1863-1950) first came to Lyttelton as a young naval surgeon (the Royal Navy's youngest staff surgeon on HMS Torch); he took over Dr. Guthrie's medical practice in1898. His wife refused to immigrate to New Zealand so Dr Upham never saw his own son (who died at the Somme in 1916 and whose memorial cross at Holy Trinity Church Dr Upham provided); his nephew, and namesake, was like a son to him (he was the only New Zealander to win the VC and Bar in WW2).
Dr. Upham put all his energies into his work and became Lyttelton's much-loved general practitioner who served the community for half a century. In oral histories Lyttelton's senior residents still talk about his selfless generosity working with poor families during the flu epidemic of 1918 and the Depression in the 1930s, giving his own clothing to patients in need and often not charging patients.
'The Little Doctor' used to walk all around Lyttelton to visit his patients, always accompanied by his Jack Russell Terrier. He was offered a knighthood but in his modesty he declined saying he had only done his job. The Lyttelton Working Men's Club have a memorial with his photograph on their wall in his remembrance.
Dr. Upham was also a talented water colourist and a great number of portraits of his fellow townsmen are kept at Lyttelton Museum; here also is a display case dedicated to him with photographs of the Doctor, his dogs and artefacts connected with his life and work in Lyttelton.
From his house on Winchester Street Dr Upham would have had a good view of Holy Trinity Church (which is diagonally opposite it) he was Church Warden from 1909-1950 and in the church the sanctuary lamp and a brass plaque on the south wall of the chancel are memorials to him. The Upham Clock at the Oxford Street end of Winchester Street is the town peoples memorial to him; this can be seen from the house.
When he died Dr Upham left the house to his loyal housekeeper Ruby Easton.
