NEW BUILDINGS IN AKAROA.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 92, 5 June 1877, Page 2

NEW BUILDINGS IN AKAROA.

An occasional visitor to Akaroa, who had not been here for six months, could not but be struck by the number of new houses that have been built during thai; time. On all sides there are springing up with almost mushroom like rapidity, cottages, villas, shops, and public buildings. Viewing the town from the top of German Bay hill, a very fair idea can be got of the number of additional buildings that have been erected within a few months. Those parts of the town, that until very lately, were laid out as paddocks and orchards, are now cut up into building sites, and streets are now being quickly formed, where a little time ago, the shady lanes with hawthorn hedges and luxuriant native foliage, made delightful strolls for whispering lovers. Now the modest and shrinking fair one, with her blushing swain, must run the gauntlet of rows of houses, while the corner of a blind here!, and the face of some villager thirsting for knowledge there, shows the passers bye tbat the question of " who's who 1" is being discussed, and that probably before an hours' time, the names of the parties, their business, their intentions, will be telegraphed by expert operators throughout the borough, and will furnish a topic "of gossip at every tea table in the neighbourhood. But a description of the buildings will be more interesting to your readers, than a disertation on the morality of the tea table, so at present, - only noticing the private houses, and beginning at . the upper end of the town, we are first attracted by Mr. Dalglish's villa residence, which is a handsome and well proportioned two-storied building, and standing as it does upon a commanding site, is. one of the most prominent private houses in the town. The design is one that is general in the neighbourhood, the ground plan being in the form of a T, the front elevation in this case", contains in the gable, a handsome bay window, while the deep, . verandah, enriched with a well-designed; _\ architrave and cornice, shows thet>uild'-i •■■<: ing was designed by an artist. TJue■<-!>-interior work contains some most beautiful specimens of knotted ;totara, which has been worked up into mantel-pieces, mouldings for the staircase and brackets/ Opposite' Mr. Dalglish's, a .pomfQrtable sixroomed house has been''built by Mi , . Silver. Mr. Hemingway's two houses do not com# under our notice as.they were built more jjian six months ago, but oh the private , road through Aylrnerton there have been 'several additions to our buildings; the house lately occupied by Dr Pearde, and now in Dr. Guthrie's possession, has been built by Mr. Cullen, on his own property. Mr. Staples is busily engaged in erecting as far as can be judged, a comfortable home, while Bunny's nest in the background, though small, is a prominent feature in the landscape. Crossing.Aylmer's creek, the houses occupied by Mesdames Munne and

Hooman are the first that call for remark. They were both built by Mr. Cullen from plane supplied by himself, and are very good specimens of the cottage orne style. In Levaud street the improvements consist of a shop, built by Mr. Kissel, to carry on the hair-dressing department of his business, and which he is fitting up very completely, 'with all the necessary apparatus for shampooing, and hair-brushing by machinery. At the comer of Balguerie road ia Monsieur Citron's new chemist shop, of which it can only be isaid that it is a great pity a better building was not put on one of; the best and most central sites in the town. Turning up the road and passing the English Church Mr. Taylor is busily employed on four cottages that are to be built between the Church and Parsons ; the framework of one is already erected ; on the opposite side is the new cottage of Mr. Charles Armstrong. A little further up the road is Mr. Eodrigue's new house in the occupation of Mr. Strattou, postmaster. This is a more pretentious building, two stories, with gabled elevation. On the same side, a few hundred yards beyond, a cottage and garden, that used to be the admiration of everyone, has been so added to, that every trace of the picturesque has been obliterated. Mrs. Kearney lias sacrificed beauty to add to utility. Not so, Mr. Taylor, whose cottage orne is quite a little picture, peeping out as it does from a setting of rich native foliage. It forms a most attactive feature in the scenery of one of the prettiest roads in the neighbourhood. Mr. Taylor is showing great taste in clearing portions of the bush surrounding his cottage, and in his management of the creek, with a little time and trouble, the natural features of his property might be developed so as to make it one of the prettiest of the suburban residences in the vicinity. The Presbyterian manse is being pushed on by the contractor, Mr. Handcock. It is on the same plan as Mr. Dalglish's house, with come alteration of detail and internal arrangetnentof thehousesthe site shouldhave been chosen a little farther off from Mr. Taylor's cottage. We must now retrace our steps, and wending our way down Levaud-street, passing Messrs. O'Reilly and Co.'s new livery stables and infirmary, and just catching a glimpse of Mr. Higgin's blacksmiths forge, and Mr.JHolding's dwelling house and cooper's shop, all recently erected, we arrive at the lower end of the town, where on one side four comfortable cottages have been just built by Mr. Bailey, two of them being single and detached, facing Levaud-street, and the other two double cottages, facing Jolliestreet. To make Mr. Bailey's cottages easy of access, the Borough Council should proceed to the formation of Jollie street from the German Bay road. The last, though certainly not the least building that must be described, is Mr. SunekeU's new house, just finished. It is, in its front elevation, similar to ordinary T planned houses, but the great depth of the side and back parts of the building have enabled the architect to add a large number, of commodious bed-rooms, so making the house available as a board and lodging establishment. If Mr. Dalglish's house is the prominent object at the upper end -of the town, Mr. Sunckell?s certainly occupies that position at the lower end, and as an addition and ornament to our private dwellings, cannot fail to attract the attention of every visitor entering our town. We shall describe the the new public buildings o£ Akaroa in a future issue.. ~_. - - -