Cuningham House

Cuningham House owes its existence to a bequest. Charles Adam Cleverly Cuningham, a Christchurch law clerk, world traveller and devoted admirer of the city's botanic gardens, died in 1915 leaving money specifically for the construction of a conservatory. The commission went to Collins and Harman, the leading architectural firm of the day in Christchurch.

The building, originally called the Winter Gardens, was built in 1923 and opened on 9 August 1924. Its first plantings were chosen by curator James Young, who sourced plants from Australia, and by 1928 it already held a substantial tropical and subtropical collection. In 1924 the nurseryman Robert Nairn donated banana plants whose line has been maintained without a break ever since.

Listed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, the conservatory saw huge crowds in 2020 when a titan arum flowered, producing long queues and extended opening hours. It has since closed for a heritage restoration expected to last eighteen months to two years, covering seismic strengthening, new glazing, automated climate control, more sustainable heating and cooling, refurbishment of heritage fabric and improved accessibility.

Collins and Harman gave the conservatory the bearing of a classical building rather than a simple glass shelter. The symmetrical façade is articulated by Tuscan columns, and the balcony balusters are Italianate in character, lending the building a monumental presence.

Inside, a generous staircase leads to a large peripheral gallery running around the central space. Much of the tropical collection is displayed on this upper level. The current restoration aims to retain these historic arrangements while bringing the structure up to seismic standards and modernising its building services.

Cuningham House is the tropical conservatory of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The upper gallery displays an extensive collection of tropical plants, including dieffenbachias, peperomias, hoyas, anthuriums and dracaenas, along with bananas.

The original plantings, selected by James Young, came from Australia; by 1928 the house held orchids, pawpaw, sago palms and new banana cultivars. The bananas descend in an unbroken line from those given by Robert Nairn in 1924. In 2020 the flowering of an Amorphophallus titanum drew large crowds. During the closure, some of the tropical plants are on show in the neighbouring Townend House.

Cuningham House stands at the heart of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, within the group of display conservatories. As of 2026 it is closed for restoration, and tropical plants are temporarily displayed in Townend House. The garden's other glasshouses can be seen on the same circuit: Garrick House, whose cacti and succulents are described as the largest publicly owned collection in New Zealand, Gilpin House with orchids, bromeliads and carnivorous plants, the Fern House with native ferns, and Foweraker House for alpine plants. A fire of unexplained origin damaged the building during its restoration on 26 April 2026, according to the police quoted by the local press; the city's website still announces a closure of 18 months to two years, with no reopening date.