We’re indebted to the Archi­tec­tur­al Centre for point­ing out this fas­cin­at­ing archi­tec­tur­al time cap­sule at NZ On Screen. Dav­id Mitchell (the archi­tect, not the poet, nov­el­ist or comedi­an) talks us through the debat­able delights of Wel­ling­ton’s 1984 streets in this epis­ode of his series The Eleg­ant Shed.

Mar­vel at the spark­ling mir­ror-glass towers! Admire Ian Ath­field’s funk­tast­ic interi­ors and dash­ing scarf! Won­der at Roger Walker­’s round win­dows and even round­er bouffant! Delight in the crisp dar­ing lines of Mas­sey House and Futuna Chapel! Be astoun­ded by the “urban­ity and drive” of mid-Eighties Wel­ling­ton, when even the Oaks Arcade looked fresh and enti­cing!