an avid writer. During his lifetime he published a number of books and pamphlets and regularly published articles in local newspapers (both in Dunedin and in Wellington) writing on subjects ranging from urban planning and new building materials to the recollections of his travels. Anscombe's next travel overseas was an extensive tour of Canada and the United States where he visited "over fifty Canadian and American cities" in 1922. On this trip he learnt about building methods and town planning and continued his "keen interest in the construction of museums and art galleries ... making a special study of these buildings." The year following his return, his wife Douglas died aged 49, on 11 September 1923. Final years Anscombe died on 9 October 1948, working up until his death. His funeral was held two days later at St John's Presbyterian church, Willis St on 11 October 1948. He was cremated at Karori and is buried in Andersons Bay Cemetery in Dunedin. His will was filed on 20 October, his estate valued at £20,757 17 shillings and 8 pence. In addition to relatives, St John's Presbyterian Church and the Crippled Children Society Wellington Branch were beneficiaries. An obituary in October 1948 in the Dominion, noted of the funeral that: "The New Zealand Institute of Architects was represented and nearly every member of the Wellington branch attended. Most of the leading building firms of the city were also generously represented." References Anscombe, Edmund The inside story of the New Zealand & South Seas International Exhibition Dunedin, 1925–1926 (London: E. Anscombe, Farmer & Sons, 1928) Croot, Charles Dunedin Churches: past and present ed Helen Watson White (Dunedin: Otago Settlers Association, 1999) Kernohan, David Wellington's old buildings (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1994) Knight, Hardwicke & Wales, Niel Buildings of Dunedin: an illustrated architectural guide to New Zealand's Victorian city (Dunedin, N.Z.: John McIndoe, 1988) McGill, David Landmarks: notable historic buildings of New Zealand (Auckland: Godwit, 1997) McCarthy, C. M. Anscombe's Plans for Highrise Living "Pleasing homogeneity," "Dull times," and "animated cocktails" New Zealand Architecture in the 1930s: a one day symposium ed. Christine McCarthy, Centre for Building Performance Research, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand (8 December 2006) pp. 45–55. McCarthy, C. M. At Home with the Anscombes Contested Terrains: XXIII Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand (Fremantle, Western Australia, 29 September-2 October 2006) pp. 351–355. McCarthy, C. M.