Ravenscar House Museum is the stylish new home for Jim and Susan Wakefield's cherished art collection — a house museum donated to Christchurch to showcase the Ravenscar Trust Collection of decorative art and New Zealand art. It is a reimagining of the Wakefields' stunning home in the coastal suburb of Scarborough, which was damaged beyond repair in the February 2011 earthquake, reborn as a gallery, museum and home all at once on Rolleston Avenue in the heart of the city.
The couple set up the Ravenscar Trust to manage their collection and create a place for its display, built an extraordinary new home for the artworks with leading New Zealand architects Patterson Associates, then gifted the building to the city. Today the museum is managed on behalf of the Trust by Canterbury Museum, and visitors can explore one of the most significant private art collections in Aotearoa — works by admired New Zealand artists, including a rare Leo Bensemann watercolour and landscapes of the Scarborough coastline where the original house once stood.
A visit works at any pace: wander the rooms with a digital guide, join a guided tour led by knowledgeable visitor hosts to hear the stories behind the home and the collection, or combine entry with Canterbury's earthquake experience at Quake City on a twin ticket deal. The shop offers the Ravenscar House book and tote bag, and the building is available for venue hire.
Open every day from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (except Christmas Day), it has been described by Stuff Travel as "one of Christchurch's most unexpected treasures" — an affectionate, art-filled house that turns a story of loss into a gift for the city.
When the February 2011 earthquake damaged Jim and Susan Wakefield's stunning home in the Christchurch coastal suburb of Scarborough beyond repair, the couple faced a question many Cantabrians will recognise: what do you do when a place you love can't be rebuilt?
Their answer was extraordinary. Rather than simply replace the house, the Wakefields created a new one — a purpose-designed house museum in the heart of Christchurch, built to showcase the Ravenscar Trust Collection, the decorative art and New Zealand art they had brought together into one of the most significant private art collections in Aotearoa. Jim and Susan set up the Ravenscar Trust to manage the collection and create a place for its display, worked with leading New Zealand architects Patterson Associates on what the museum calls a unique architectural challenge, and then gifted the building to the city.
Today Ravenscar House Museum is managed on behalf of the Trust by Canterbury Museum, and it presents itself in three overlapping ways: a gallery, a museum, and a home. That last word matters. This is not a white-cube institution — it is a house, arranged and furnished so that the art is lived with, much as it was in Scarborough.
The collection spans works by admired New Zealand artists, and the museum shares highlights from the Ravenscar Trust Collection on its website. In the Dining Room hangs a group of landscapes depicting the coastal areas surrounding Scarborough Hill — the site of the original Ravenscar House — a quiet, poignant nod to what was lost across town.
Among them is the current featured work: Leo Bensemann's *Untitled (Taylors Mistake)*, c1933, a view of Whitewash Head. It is a rare example of Bensemann's brief foray into watercolour between 1933 and 1936, and one of only 10 known examples. Look closely at the signature: Bensemann was heavily influenced by Japanese woodcut artists, so the signature sits vertically in the upper left corner — rendered, though, in Fraktur lettering that references his own German ancestry.
Elsewhere, highlights shared by the museum include a still life with jug by Younghusband, a work by Colin McCahon depicting Taylors Mistake, and a portrait of Ina Te Papatahi. A rotating Featured Work on the website offers a closer look at individual pieces, so there is often something new to study even for repeat visitors.
Ravenscar House Museum is open every day from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, closing only for Christmas Day, and admission charges apply — tickets can be purchased at the House Museum itself.
For many visitors, the guided tour is the highlight. Experienced and knowledgeable visitor hosts lead a bespoke art experience through the building, telling the story of how Susan and Jim Wakefield created their remarkable collection, built an extraordinary new home for it, and gave it to the city. A digital guide is also available for those who prefer to wander at their own pace.
There are smart ways to save. A twin ticket deal gives 20% off when you explore Canterbury's earthquake experience at Quake City and then visit Ravenscar House — a pairing that makes particular sense, given the museum exists because of the 2011 quake. The museum will also be free to enjoy on Saturday 5 September and Sunday 6 September 2026.
Before you leave, stop at the shop for the Ravenscar House book, which tells the story of the Wakefields and their museum, or a Ravenscar House tote bag; admission tickets can also be bought as gifts. Short-term and long-term parking information is on the museum's website, and the building can be hired as a venue.
Stuff Travel has described Ravenscar House Museum as "one of Christchurch's most unexpected treasures", and it is an apt phrase. Behind a city-centre frontage sits a deeply personal collection, an architectural response to loss, and a couple's decision to turn a private passion into a public gift. Whether you come for a single Bensemann watercolour, a guided tour, or simply to experience a beautiful house full of beautiful art, an hour or two here is one of the most distinctive things to do in Christchurch.