Dr Boor’s Residence and Surgery (Former)

Dr Boor’s House, Former Christian Science Sunday School

22 The Terrace, Wellington Central, Wellington
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Image: Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015


Cityview GIS 2013
Cityview GIS 2013 
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  • Constructed

    1865

  • Architect(s)

  • Builder(s)

  • The house at 22 The Terrace is a good representative example of a Victorian villa that was designed as a substantial gentlemen’s residence and doctor’s surgery in 1865. 

    22 The Terrace was the home and surgery to a number of Wellington’s elite doctors and surgeons from 1865 – 1930, and was in use as a Sunday School for a local church until the 1980s. It was then set aside as a public amenity in exchange for development rights at the adjoining ten-storey office building at No.7 Bolton Street. It is the only surviving Victorian villa located at the north end of The Terrace, a street that has transformed from Wellington’s premier residential to premier commercial precinct. The house has an uneventful history that is representative of this transformation. 

    The house is held in high public esteem and this was demonstrated by the public outcry that saved the building from demolition in the 1980s. 


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  • close History

    • This fine example of a nineteenth century gentleman’s residence was built for Dr Leonard Boor (1825-1917) as a residence and surgery in 1865. Boor was born in Warminster, Wiltshire, and trained as a doctor at Westminster Hospital. He married Emily Mary Rivers Arnold (1828-1891) and the couple, along with their oldest daughter, arrived in New Zealand in 1859 onboard the Alfred the Great. The family settled in the Hutt Valley in 1859 but moved to Pipitea Street in Wellington when Dr Boor was appointed the Wellington District Coroner. They purchased a site on The Terrace in 1865 that had previously been owned by John Enoch (from 1841), and William Bowler, a Merchant (from 1853). Dr Boor immediately raised a mortgage of £800 on the property, and the mortgage contained a provision that ‘the dwelling house and buildings in course of erection on the land hereby mortgaged when the same shall be completed and finished…’ shall be insured for not less than £600. This effectively dates the construction of the property to 1865. The Boor family had certainly moved to The Terrace by August 1865 and lived in the house until 1870 when they moved to the Wairarapa.

      Dr Boor sold his house and practice at 22 The Terrace to Dr William George Kemp (1846 – 1919) in February 1870. Kemp was the former Medical Superintendant of Nelson Hospital & Lunatic Asylum and the two men effectively ‘swapped’ places as Boor moved to Nelson in September 1871 to take up Kemp’s former role. Leonard Boor retired as Resident Medical Officer at Nelson Hospital in 1897 , returned to England briefly in c.1900, and settled finally in Nelson in 1911.

      Dr William George Kemp (1846-1919) was born in Alnwick, Northumberland and studied medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. He was a young man of 22 or 23, in 1868, when his name was put forward to be the first Medical Superintendant of the new Nelson Hospital and Asylum. He married Charlotte Greenwood in Nelson in 1870 and the couple moved to Wellington to take up Dr Boor’s house and practice. They raised a family of four sons and five daughters at 22 The Terrace until 1892 when Charlotte, William and their daughters returned to England. A daughter, Sister Elise Kemp, was killed while on active service on the Western Front in WWI.

      The house then passed to Dr George Edward Anson (1850 – 1934), who had previously been a second-Master at Wanganui College (Wanganui Collegiate School). Anson was the son of the Rev. F. Anson, Canon of Windsor, and was the grandson of the 5th Lord Vernon of Sudbury Hall. He was born in Sudbury, in Derbyshire and educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with an M.A in 1873. He moved to New Zealand (via Melbourne) in c.1874, took up farming, and purchased a large property that he named ‘Sudbury’. He later became the second-Master at Wanganui College until 1883 when he returned to England. He took a medical degree in 1889, became House Surgeon at St Thomas’s Hospital, and worked as a ship’s doctor on several ‘colonial liners’, including the Rimutaka. He was working on the Rimutaka when he met, and later married, Miss Margaret Greenstreet (1864-1942), a cousin of the ship’s captain. The couple settled in Wellington in 1891 where Anson purchased Dr Kemp’s practice and house. They raised a family of three sons and a daughter and remained at the property on The Terrace until c.1906. They later retired to ‘Sudbury’, a house on the Main Street, Lower Hutt.

      The last doctor to purchase the property was Dr Claud Dawson Henry (1868 – 1950) who took over the house and surgery in 1906. He was the son of Dr Joseph Henry who also practiced in Wellington, and was a veteran of ‘First Waikato Regiment and the Waikato and Tauranga campaigns.’ Dr C. D. Henry was born in New Zealand in 1868, educated at St John’s College, Cambridge and trained as a doctor at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London. He is said to have ‘hurried back’ from England after the death of his father in 1894 and so as to take over his father’s practice. He was later Surgeon-in-Chief of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade.

      The Terrace was once one of Wellington’s premier residential streets, lined with large timber villas. The 1920s and 30s saw the construction of larger buildings such as St Andrew’s Church ref 17/288-1 (1922), Kelvin House 17/453 (1927-8), Braemar Flats (1924), Franconia 17/452 (1938) and the NZMA building 17/289 (1939) and, had it not been for the Depression of the 1930s, the house at 22 The Terrace would have been replaced by a ten-storey private hotel in that era. The house was purchased by the Waldorf (or Wardorf) Hotel Company Ltd in 1930, and ‘saved’ when the company went into liquidation. The property reverted to Dr Henry, was sold to the Wellington Diocesan Board of Trustees Ltd in 1935, and then on-sold to the Wellington Trust Board of the First Church of Christ Scientist in 1941. The property adjoined the Christian Science Church on Bolton Street, and the church proposed to build a two-storey Sunday School and church offices at 22 The Terrace ‘in an architectural style to harmonise with the adjoining church building.’

      The house has been subject to some alterations over the past 140 years and these include the addition of a new wing to the west of the house at some time before 1953. This was demolished in 1983. The 1953 alterations include - the removal of internal partitions in the ground floor reception rooms and hallway; the removal of the northern verandah and sunroom; and the removal of the main entrance doors and entrance steps that led up from the Terrace. The entrance doors were replaced with a window from the demolished enclosed verandah.

      The Terrace began its transformation from a residential to a commercial streetscape in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the construction of Massey House 17/291 (1958) and Shell House ref 17/291 (1961). The house at 22 The Terrace was saved from demolition in the 1970s-80s by a petition of 3,600 signatures that persuaded the church group to reconsider its future. The church consolidated its two sites – at 7 Bolton Street and 22 The Terrace – in 1983 when a new high rise office building was built immediately to the west of the 1865 house. The modern west-wing of the house was demolished, and the remaining two-storey villa is now dwarfed by a massive concrete and glass office building that abuts and overhangs the old house.

      The 1983 Planning Consent for the office building was deficient in parking and exceeded its plot ratio allowed under the district plan. Although the parking issue was later resolved the consent was issued with conditions that the 1865 house be ‘retained and utilised as an approved public amenity’ and that the house site would be required to remain as open space should the 1865 house ever be destroyed. A later planning application was submitted to allow some commercial use of the first floor, so as to enable the continued public amenity use of the building. The house was occupied by the New Zealand Crafts Council in the 1990s it is currently home to ‘Twentytwo’, a practice of independent property advisors (2013).

    • Modifications close
      • unknown
      • west addition – this was removed in 1983.
      • 1952
      • verandah removed, main entrance reconfigured, door replaced with existing window, removal of internal walls.(00056:458:B34777)
      • 1983
      • (00058:1390:C63053); 22 The Terrace, building stage one, structural concrete sub ground level, including piling and drainage
      • 1983
      • (00058:1393:C63927); 22 The Terrace, business premises, stage two
      • 1983
      • (00058:0:C62635); 22 The Terrace, demolish rear section of dwelling
      • 1984
      • ( 00058:0:C66264;) 22) The Terrace, piling, linings etc to existing historic cottage
    • Occupation History close
      • unknown
      • Not assessed
  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      22 The Terrace is a fine example of a large Victorian villa built as a doctor’s surgery and residence. The house is two stories high and clad in rusticated weatherboards. It once had a verandah/sunroom at the ground floor to the north – but this was removed in 1953. Other alterations at this time include - road widening that removed part of the garden to the east, including the main entrance steps; the removal of internal partitions; and the replacement of the main entrance doors with a window from the demolished enclosed verandah.

      The interior was inspected in 1997 as part of the WCC Heritage Building Interiors Project. The inspection found that the interior, like the exterior of the building, was simple in its design. The interior was more in a colonial style, rather than classical, and featured timber tongue and groove floors and ceilings. Decoration was limited to a simple picture rail around the upper edge of the rooms. The ground floor retained little of its original plan, as many of the internal walls had been removed to create an open plan gallery. The remaining portions of the ground floor included the stair and a small room to the south of the building. The first floor rooms remained largely intact and were symmetrically placed around a central hallway.

    • Materials close

      Rusticated weatherboards

      Timber framing

      Corrugated mild steel roofing

      Timber sash windows

    • Setting close

      The 1865 house at 22 The Terrace is surrounded by high-rise commercial buildings, particularly the adjoining ten-storey office building at 7 Bolton Street that abuts and overhangs the house. Although the north end of The Terrace has been substantially redeveloped over the past 50 years, a number of notable heritage buildings remain, and these include –

      Woodward Chambers 17/292 (1908)

      St Andrew’s Church ref 17/288-1 (1922)

      The NZMA building 17/289 (1939)

      Kelvin House 17/453 (1927-8)

      Braemar Flats (1924)

      Franconia 17/452 (1938)

      Massey House 17/291 (1958)

      Shell House ref 17/291 (1961





  • close Cultural Value

    The house at 22 The Terrace is a good representative example of a Victorian villa that was designed as a substantial gentlemen’s residence and doctor’s surgery in 1865.

    22 The Terrace was the home and surgery to a number of Wellington’s elite doctors and surgeons from 1865 – 1930, and was in use as a Sunday School for a local church until the 1980s. It was then set aside as a public amenity in exchange for development rights at the adjoining ten-storey office building at No.7 Bolton Street. It is the only surviving Victorian villa located at the north end of The Terrace, a street that has transformed from Wellington’s premier residential to premier commercial precinct. The house has an uneventful history that is representative of this transformation.

    The house is held in high public esteem and this was demonstrated by the public outcry that saved the building from demolition in the 1980s.

    • Aesthetic Value close

      • Architectural

        Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

        The house at 22 The Terrace is a good representative example of a Victorian villa that was designed as a substantial gentlemen’s residence and doctor’s surgery in 1865. It is the oldest surviving building on the northern (commercial) end of The Terrace, and is an example of the many grand houses that once lined one of Wellington’s premier residential streets.

      • Group

        Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

        The house is one of a group of fine heritage buildings located at the northern end of The Terrace and these include Woodward Chambers (1908), St Andrew’s Church (1922), The NZMA building (1939), Kelvin House (1927-8), Braemar Flats (1924), Franconia (1938), Massey House (1958), Shell House (1961).

      • Townscape

        Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

        The building is a local landmark as the only timber house to survive at the northern end of The Terrace, even though it is somewhat dwarfed by the large commercial buildings that abut and overhang the site.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important historic event, theme, pattern, phase, or activity?

        No. 22 The Terrace was the home and surgery to a number of Wellington’s elite doctors and surgeons from 1865 – 1930, and was in use as a Sunday School for a local church until the 1980s. It was then set aside as a public amenity in exchange for development rights at the adjoining ten-storey office building at No.7 Bolton Street. It is the only surviving Victorian villa located at the north end of The Terrace, a street that has transformed from Wellington’s premier residential to premier commercial precinct. The house has an uneventful history that is representative of this transformation.

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

        Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

        Pre 1900 house Central City NZAA R27/270

      • Technological

        Does the item have technological value for its innovative or important construction methods or use of materials?

        The house is likely to have scientific value for any surviving early building materials including window glass and timber weatherboards.

    • Social Value close

      • Identity Sense Of Place Continuity

        Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

        The house has had few intrusive modern alterations or additions over the past 140+years and contributes to the sense of place and continuity of The Terrace.

      • Public Esteem

        Is the item held in high public esteem?

        The house is held in high public esteem and this was demonstrated by the public outcry that saved the building from demolition in the 1980s.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Authentic

        Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

        The building retains much of its early or original built fabric

      • Rare

        Is the item rare, unique, unusual, seminal, influential, or outstanding?

        The house is a rare surviving example of an early Victorian villa situated at the north (commercial) end of The Terrace.

      • Representative

        Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

        The house is a good representative example of a Victorian villa from the mid 1860s

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      17/ 287

    • Legal Description

      All DP 8873 & all plan A 1076

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      1/ 220

    • Archaeological Site

      Pre 1900 house Central City NZAA R27/270

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      Outside Earthquake Prone Policy

  • close Additional Information
    • Sources close
      • A HISTORIC SITE Evening Post, 12 November 1941
      • BIRTHS. Wellington Independent, 12 August 1865
      • Capital and Coast District Health Board website accessed September 2013
      • CCDHB website accessed September 2013
      • Cochran, Chris. excerpt from ‘Styles of Sham and Genuine Simplicity: Timber Buildings in Wellington to 1880’ in David Hamer and Roberta Nicholls (eds), The making of Wellington 1800 – 1914, (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1990)
      • DOCTOR'S WIFE DEAD. Auckland Star, 13 October 1890
      • DP A1076
      • DR. BOOR. Colonist, 13 January 1897
      • DR. W.G. KEMP. Evening Post, 22 January 1919
      • INQUEST AT THE HUTT. Wellington Independent, 26 July 1859
      • Letter from Wellington City Council to Shell New Zealand Pensions Ltd, ‘Resource Consent Application: The Cottage 22 The Terrace, Wellington, 23 June 1993.
      • Nelson Evening Mail, 7 September 1871
      • NZHPT website accessed September 2013
      • OBITUARY. Colonist, 21 February 1917
      • OBITUARY. Colonist, 24 January 1919
      • OBITUARY Evening Post, 16 July 1934
      • Shipping Intelligence. Wellington Independent, 19 April 1859
      • Smillie, Sandra. ‘Heritage Building Interiors Project: Interior Survey’ WCC 1997
      • SUSPECTED CASE OF INFANTICIDE. Wellington Independent, 16 February 1865
      • WCC archives ref 00056_458_B34777
      • Wellington Independent 11 March 1865
      • Wellington Independent, 16 February 1865
    • Technical Documentation close

      Not available

    • Footnotes close

      Not available

Last updated: 11/27/2017 10:43:59 PM