McLean's Mansion

McLean's Mansion
McLean's Mansion in July 2013
Location within the Christchurch Central City
Former names	Holly Lea
General information
Type	Homestead
Location	Christchurch Central City
Address	387 Manchester Street
Town or city	Christchurch
Country	New Zealand
Coordinates	43°31′20.4″S 172°38′19.2″E / 43.522333°S 172.638667°E / -43.522333; 172.638667
Completed	September 1900
Client	Allan McLean
Design and construction
Architect	Robert William England
Main contractor	Rennie and Pearce
Heritage New Zealand – Category I
Designated	7 April 1983
Reference no.	300
References
"McLean's Mansion". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand.

McLean's Mansion (originally Holly Lea) is a homestead in Christchurch, New Zealand. The two hectares property is situated between Manchester and Colombo Streets. The mansion was initially known as 'Holly Lea', but later became known as McLean's Mansion after its initial owner. It was the largest wooden residence in New Zealand. The mansion, designed by Robert England, architect of Christchurch, is a fusion of styles of Jacobean architecture and Victorian features, akin to the Mentmore Towers (1852–54) of Sir Joseph Paxton in Buckinghamshire in England. It was built between April 1899 and September 1900. The house is registered as a Category I heritage building by Heritage New Zealand. After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the owners applied to demolish the earthquake-damaged buildings, but their request was denied by the heritage body and the courts. In December 2016, the building sold to a trust that will restore it for use as a gallery.

Designed by Robert England, it was built of kauri by Rennie and Pearce builders between April 1899 and September 1900. It was the largest wooden residential structure in New Zealand at that time. It was constructed for the Scottish philanthropist and immigrant, Allan McLean, when he was 78 years old and he lived in it for the remaining seven years of his life. The building was registered on 7 April 1983 as a Category 1 heritage building.

The mansion is built to a rectangular plan in Jacobean style, with three stories. The structure's concrete foundation is to a depth of 3 feet (0.91 m) over a pile foundation of 3 by 2 feet (0.91 m × 0.61 m). It has a floor area of 23,000 square feet (2,100 m²). The 53 rooms include 19 bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and six servant rooms. The wall frames are of kauri wood fixed with wall plates. The floor is made of wooden joists and sleepers. The dwangs are fixed in an angular direction to give a wavy appearance. The roof domes are made of iron sheets and the pinnacles are of cast-iron , a French design feature. Corrugated iron sheets are used for the roof. The water gutter heads and pipes for draining rain water from the roof are also made of cast iron, though the pipes probably were fitted later, in 1915. The chimneys are also provided but their heights were curtailed at some later stage.