Dame Ngaio Marsh, 1895-1982, one of New Zealands most remarkable and charismatic women, was world-renowned as a leading crime fiction writer and as an eminent Shakespearian producer. Her works to this day still command international acclaim. Her home, which has been enlarged over the years, was built when Ngaio was just ten, and was designed by leading Christchurch architect Samuel Hurst Seager.