Reid heritage homes open their doors

Two Reid homes and a privately built house for a church will be opened for the first time in a celebration of Canberra's roots.

Sue Byrne is the current owner of a Federal Capital Commission Type 4 home with 80 rich years of history.

Arguably its most famous inhabitant was public servant Ewart Smith, who lived in the home in 1952.

In 1987, in his retirement, Mr Smith played a significant role in the defeat of the controversial Australia Card after identifying a technicality in the legislation that helped the Coalition-heavy senate shelve the Labor proposal.

National Trust ACT council member John Tucker described the 11th Annual Open Houses and Gardens as a unique event.

"The purpose of it is really to show people what residential housing is like – that is, heritage housing that is privately owned," he said.

"The event is unique in that you get to meet the owner, you get to talk to them and you get to look at the property.

"There's a lot of misconceptions about Reid, that it's full of wealthy people who couldn't care less about others, and this is a chance for people to have a look at their houses."

Ms Byrne's home has been "sympathetically renovated" with adjustments bringing the property in line with modern expectations.

Her house is one of 200 heritage homes in Reid.

Mr Tucker said the suburb was an exemplar of the English garden suburb movement, a shift away from high-density living.

"You walk up and down the street and visually it's very attractive because of the uniformity of design," Mr Tucker said.

"It's a capsule in time, in a way, to show how people should live."

The 11th National Trust open homes event will take place on November 13 from 1.30 to 4.30pm.

Participants will receive a guided tour of the three houses and gardens, a copy of The Heritage of Reid by Shibu Dutta and an afternoon tea.

Places are limited and bookings are essential through the National Trust office.