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"Edinburgh of the South", "Victorian City of New Zealand", "City of Spires and Towers", "Athens of the South" ...

However you refer to Dunedin, it usually describes our city's distinctive 19th and early 20th century architecture.

With the arrival of European settlers in 1848, mostly Scottish immigrants under the Lay Association of the Free Church of Scotland, Dunedin can boast several Gothic Presbyterian church buildings, not least of which is First Church in Moray Place. Like a true cathedral city, Dunedin also has a fine Anglican cathedral, St Pauls, with its soaring limestone vaulted nave, and a Catholic cathedral, St Josephs, richly carved and detailed by master craftsmen.

Olveston, the stately Theomin family home preserved as a turn of the century time capsule, houses an impressive collection of international treasures.

Architectural history preserved

Progress has been steady since the boom times of the gold discoveries, but without the need to destroy the architectural inheritance of that early growth period. Recycling existing buildings for bold new uses is more this city's nature and Dunedin reaps the benefits of having retained its Victorian image.

Those fine former office buildings, banks, and magnificent homes of company directors and managers are now the envy of other New Zealand cities which have long forsaken their heritage for high rise concrete and glass.

Building materials combined for effect

Building materials are almost as varied as the architectural styles, but predominantly stone or brick, reflecting the solid, 'built to last' image introduced by the Scottish founders. A number of buildings feature several types of stone, such as hardy andesites for the main part of the building, breccia for the base and limestone for the facings.

Dunedin's wonderful homes are noted for their intricate cast-iron lacework, across the verandahs and often bordering roof lines. While such decoration sometimes disappeared from city buildings and homes in the past, many owners are now hastily replacing - a sign of the reawakened awareness of our city's heritage.