Christ Church Picture Gallery

The Christ Church Picture Gallery is an art gallery built between 1965 and 1968, designed by Powell and Moya. It is constructed from stone rubble, Portland stone, and reinforced concrete. The building is one storey high and has an 'L' shape, enclosing a small grassy court on the left, which can be viewed through the large entrance passage that connects the galleries. This passage features a gently rising roof.

Access to the gallery is gained through the south range of Canterbury Quad, down a flight of steps. Inside, there is a small gallery and a larger gallery to the right, with two additional galleries at the far end. One of these is a darkened space designed for displaying old master drawings, while the other galleries are illuminated by concealed perimeter daylight and electric lighting.

Internally, the gallery features Portland stone dressings and walls finished with painted rough-textured plaster. The large gallery has a timber boarded roof supported by four unpainted, board-marked concrete pilotis. Simple heavy metal gates with vertical bars slide to close off the galleries. The corridor gallery has glazing that starts at waist height, consisting of a continuous band of narrow vertical lights separated by substantial bronze diamond-shaped mullions, with the glass having a slight grey tint and a broad stone cill.

Unpainted concrete pilotis support a gloss-finished ceiling. The glazing allows views of the stone and concrete ramp that encloses the grassy court; this ramp is grassed on top and provides access to the paved roof of the gallery. The Christ Church Picture Gallery is noted for its subtle and attractively detailed design, which, while modern, integrates sensitively into its historically significant surroundings.