The Auckland suburbs have many sites and buildings of historic
significance. A small selection of the places open to the public are presented
here. Please note that entry is not necessarily free, sometimes admission
is by donation or koha. Please pay a visit and help keep our heritage
places alive!
Remember to visit the properties in the care of the Historic Places Trust
- you can find out more about those in the Auckland region by clicking
the map at right.
Alberton
100 Mt Albert Road, Mt Albert
Allan Kerr Taylor bought this estate in 1849 at the age of
16, naming it Alberton after nearby Mount Albert. He built
a substantial farmhouse in 1863 and later enlarged it to 18
rooms to provide for his family and to entertain. The Pakuranga
hunt rode over the extensive grounds, balls were held in the
barn and parties in the garden. The estate once comprised
220 hectares of gardens orchard, pasture and scrub. The suburb
of Morningside is built on the northern portion of this; Mount
Albert Grammar School and the Crown Research Institute are
on others. Subdivision and sale of land were a profitable
source of funds to the Taylors over the years.Now 0.4 hectares
with fine old trees and one of the original fountains remains.
Allan Kerr Taylor was also a considerable landowner in Waimauku,
an investor in kauri timber and other companies and a provincial
and local body politician. He was regarded as the "squire"
of Mount Albert, and gave land for the nearby Anglican church
of St Luke, of which he was Treasurer, Trustee, Minister's
Warden, Sunday School teacher and member of Synod. He and
all his family are buried there.
After Allan's death in 1890 the estate was run by his wife,
Sophia Louisa Davis. Mother of ten children, two of whom died
young, she was an outspoken advocate of votes for women. She
was a keen gardener, growing and selling flowers, fruit and
vegetables, and like her daughters, had a fine voice, singing
in St Luke's choir and performing at local concerts. Her three
unmarried daughters, Winifred, Millicent and Muriel Kerr-Taylor
ran the estate after her death in 1930.
Muriel left the house to the New Zealand Historic Places
Trust on her death in 1972. It contains family furniture and
other possessions, and some nineteenth century wallpapers.
Open: Wednesday - Sunday 10.30am-12pm; 1pm-4.30pm
Admission: Adults $5, unaccompanied children $2
NZHPT members free (on production of valid membership card)
The competition for designing the Grammar School was won
by the architects Arnold and Abbott. It is one of the very
early examples of the Spanish Mission style to be
found outside California and was chosen for its associaitions
with progressive educational philosophy.
Completed in 1916 the main block with its shaped gables and
cupolas is a striking Auckland landmark. The school has played
a notable part in Auckland's educational and general history;
many prominent New Zealanders are among its past pupils.
Open: Private property not open to the public
Tel: 09 623 5400
Registered as a Category I historic place
War memorial registered as a Category I historic place
St. John's College is the residential theological college
for the Anglican and Methodist churches of New
Zealand. This Gothic Revival chapel was consecrated in 1847
by Bishop Selwyn.
Designed by Frederick Thatcher and supervised by Reader Wood
the cruciform chapel has two apsidal ends. The interior features
a hammerbeam roof. The exterior has curved bracing. This is
an ealiest surviving example of the style of Gothic Revival
architecture adopted
by Bishop Selwyn, known as a 'Selwyn church'.
The characteristics include steeply pitched roofs, overhanging
eaves, early english fenestration and carefully calculated
proportions. It is also the third oldest surviving church
in New Zealand and contains memorials to many of New Zealand
most illustrious clergymen. In 1959 the nave was extendedand
a vestry added.
In 1885 the ammunition plant was established by Whitney &
Sons. Three years later the Colonial Ammunition Company was
formed and the production facilities extended.
By 1910 the metal smelter and foundry had been built, and
in
1914 the tower was errected by the blacksmiths W. Wilson &
Co. It was used to manufacture lead shot for cartridges. The
tower consists of a polygonal room at the top of the steelframed
tower which contains a cauldron of molten lead. The lead falls
30.8m (101ft) in an encased tube to form a perfect sphere
as it drops into the water trough. It was in use until 1982
when production ceased. It is an important landmark in the
Mount Eden Borough and is the only one of its type in New
Zealand.
Ewelme Cottage in was built in 1863-4 for the Rev Vicesimus
Lush and his wife Blanche Hawkins. They had arrived in New
Zealand in 1850 with four children, five more being born in
New Zealand. Vicesimus (which means "twentieth")
was the first vicar of Howick, and was later vicar at Thames
from 1868-81. The Parnell house was a family home, used on
visits to Auckland and as a residence for the sons who were
attending
school in Parnell. After the death of her husband in 1882,
Blanche enlarged the house, living in it until her death in
1912. It was inhabited by the family until 1968, remaining
virtually unaltered from the 1880s, and was bought by the
Auckland City Council and leased to the New Zealand Historic
Places Trust.
The house was named Ewelme Cottage after an Oxfordshire village
where Blanche Lush had once lived. It is believed to have
been designed by Vicesimus, and was built of kauri by local
carpenters. The window glass is hand drawn, and the drawing
room fireplace is supported on scoria blocks, possibly from
Rangitoto Island. The house is filled with family
furniture and possessions, including a collection of over
800 books. Authors include Blanche's ancestor Isaak Walton,
and John Milton, from whose sister both Blanche and Vicesimus
are descended.Vicesimus himself was a diarist and his Auckland
journals were published in 1971.
Ewelme has a delightful cottage garden, containing many original
plants.Some of these, including the huge English Oak planted
in 1866, were bought from the nursery of David Hay at the
bottom of the street.
Open: Friday-Sunday 10.30am-12pm and 1.00pm-4.30pm.
This was built in 1857 for Bishop Selwyn to occupy while
Bishopscourt was under construction. Initially there had been
problems with stone construction. However, a competent stonemason,
Benjamin Strange, built this house
and Kinder House. The choice of materials (a stone ground
floor and board and batten gable) reflects the influence of
the Gothic Revival style Bishop Selwyn selected as appropriate
for his ecclesiastical buildings.
Alfred Buckland and Eliza Wallen were married in England
and emigrated to New Zealand in 1850, initially farming in
the south Auckland area. In 1862 they purchased the five acre
estate, then in the country, which they named Highwic. They
built a villa in early English style, with vertical boarding,
latticed windows and decorated bargeboards, copied from a
design in the popular book The Architecture of Country
Houses by American, A.J. Downing. After Eliza's death
in
1866, Alfred married 20-year-old Matilda Frodsham and added
another eleven children to the ten from his first marriage.
The house was considerably enlarged in 1973 by
Auckland architect James Baber in a style which blended with
the early portion. The additions included a brick kitchen
and service wing, a large dormitory and kauri-panelled reception
rooms.
A successful auctioneer, stock and station agent, farmer
and landowner - he owned land at Buckland's Beach, Awhitu
and Waikato - Alfred Buckland died in 1903. His auction rooms,
known as The Haymarket were well known in Auckland and
his company, Alfred Buckland and Sons, continued until 1966.
He was a founder of the Pakuranga Hunt, owned race horses,
and held office in the Auckland Racing Club and the
Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Many of his
children married members of the Auckland business community,
some of them settling on family land at Buckland's Beach.
Highwic remained inhabited by the family until it was purchased
jointly by the Auckland City Council and the New Zealand Historic
Places Trust in 1978. The house is
furnished with period pieces and has nearly three acres of
garden.
Open: Wednesday-Sunday 10.30am-
12pm and 1pm- 4.30pm
Built in 1843 in the Georgian style for Sir Frederick Whitaker
this elegant cottage is the oldest documented house still
on its original site in Auckland.
Constructed of bluestone (which has since been plastered)
it has a hipped slate roof and was once surrounded by a finely
detailed trellis work verandah. Subsequent timber additions
have obscured a portion of this. Hulme Court was later home
to Bishop Selwyn and was temporarily used as Government
House.
This is one of the group of Parnell buildings commissioned
by Bishop Selwyn and designed by Frederick Thatcher. A two-storey
basalt house, it was built in 1857 as the residence for the
headmaster of the Church of
England Grammar School. The house takes its name from the
first occupant Reverend John Kinder, noted for his watercolours
and photographs of early Auckland. The house, now owned by
the Auckland City Council, is used as an art
gallery. The gallery displays watercolours by John Kinder
and
his sisters as well as his photographs of early Auckland.
Designed by Thomas Mahoney for James Williamson, a prominent
Auckland businessman, this grand
house was built between 1877 and 1879. Situated on the highest
point of what was Whataroa Pa, the house became known as 'The
Pah'.
Italianate in style it has a central tower with round-headed
windows. The entrance is through a porte
cochere which faces the large formal lawn. The interior has
fine woodwork, inlaid floors and Italian marble mantelpieces.
The building is now owned by the Sisters of Mercy and part
of
it is used for emergency housing.
Designed by the architect P F M Burrows of the Public Works
Department, the prison was constructed of bluestone by the
prisoners during the 1880s. In the early 1890s a brick house
for the Superintendent was built. This
became part of the women's prison in 1964. The administration
and east wings of the main prison were
completed in 1903, followed by the south wing in 1913 and
finally the southwest wing in 1917. The castellated towers
of the main building feature arrow-slit windows and the complex
is surrounded by forbidding walls. A distinctive Mount Eden
landmark, this important example of nineteenth century penal
building has remained the main Auckland prison since its
construction.
To protect Auckland from an attack by the Waikato tribes
Colonel R Mould planned a series of strong
outposts in 1860. This blockhouse is an example. Designed
to be cruciform in shape, with sturdy brick walls 11 inches
in thickness. The heavy panel doors were plated with heavy
gauge sheet iron to insure protection and sash windows
provided ample light. The roof is wooden and barrels of water
and sacking were stored in case of fire. From 1863 until 1865
the Blockhouse housed 12 militia. However, it was
abandoned as an inadequate defensive structure as the
population of the area grew.
In its subsequent history it has
been used as a manse for a presbyterian minister, a private
school and by the Onehunga council.
The building is now part of a historic reserve in Jellicoe
Park. The historic reserve has two historic buildings. The
first is a replica of a fencible cottage. The fencibles being
retired
British soldiers, brought from Britain to defend Auckland
and provided with a dwelling and land. The second is Laishley
House, build in 1856 as the manse for the Onehunga Congregational
Church. It was moved into the historic park in 1985.
Open: Both houses are open to the public on the first and
the third
Sunday each month from 1.30pm to 4.00pm.
Access for groups can be arranged at other times through the
Onehunga Historical Society.
Corner of St Mary's Road and College Hill, Ponsonby
Designed under the supervision of Government Architect John
Campbell, this Edwardian Baroque building was constructed
in 1912. The cupola and broken pediments
are characteristic of Campbell's post office buildings. The
original tower was heightened and the clock added in response
to demands of local residents, who contributed to the cost.
The Ponsonby Post Office, with its corner entrance beneath
the clock tower, stands on a prominent site known as 'Three
Lamps'.
From 1877 until 1902 this pumphouse, which houses the magnificent
steam driven beam engine, pumped the springs water to supply
Auckland. Designed by the
engineer William Errington, the neoclassical building features
round-headed windows and quoin blocks while the one-storey
portion has large arched dooways. The interior has impressive
cast-iron columns, a panelled ceiling, and a finely detailed
staircase. The design is an important reminder of
Victorian industrial architecture.
Designed by Gummer and Ford and built in 1928, this elegant
building was awarded the NZIA gold medal. The symmetrical
facade, constructed of brick, is neo-Georgian in style and
features a fine central portico. The library makes a significant
contribution to the streetscape of Remuera Road.
Royal New Zealand Institute for the Blind main building
545 Parnell Road, Parnell
The Jubilee Institute for the Blind was founded in 1890 and
was first housed in a wooden building. In 1896 a fund was
begun to enable a larger more permanent brick residential
school to be constructed. The plans were drawn up in 1904
and building commenced in 1909. Edward Bartley
architect, followed English designs which had become associated
with educational buildings. This was the first permanent building
constructed for the blind and the Institute hoped the design
would reflect the high standard of care and education for
the blind.
The main building is constructed of red brick with Oamaru
stone dressed arches, window surrounds and banding on the
gables. The main facade is symmetrical with three gabled pavilions
linked by a double height verandah.
The building was sold in the early 1990s. Now known as the
Jubilee Building, the large workshop spaces have been converted
for retail and restaurant use.
Selwyn Court was built by Bishop Selwyn as a residence for
himself and his sucessors but for many years
was the Deanery. It is now once again the bishop's home.
Constructed in the Gothic Revival style the complex included
the library built in 1861, the steepled octagonal belfry (1862)
and the house and chapel (1863, since removed to Diocesan
Girls High School). Frederick Thatcher designed the complex
and it has the characteristic vertical board and batten walls
and shingle roofing.
The library was the first part of the Bishopscourt complex
to be built. Frederick Thatcher was the architect and the
design features the characteristics of the Gothic Revival
style selected by Bishop Selwyn as appropriate for ecclesiastical
buildings.
St Barnabas Anglican Church in Mt Eden is one of Auckland's
oldest and most attractive churches. Known as
a 'Selwyn Church' after the classic designs of churches constructed
during the time George Selwyn was Bishop of Auckland, it was
built in 1849.
St Barnabas was originally sited at the end of Augustus Tce,
Parnell and served the predominantly Maori traders who came
to town to sell their produce. But later to cater for the
town's growing population in areas such as Mt Eden, the decision
was taken to taken to relocate the church in 1878. The church
was loaded in sections onto bullock-drawn wagons and relocated
in Mt Eden, travelling via Parnell Road
and Kyber Pass to its present site, in the shadow of the mountain
on the corner of Mt Eden and Bellevue Roads.
More change came in 1886 when the church was extended and
in 1908 the small sanctuary was replaced by a brisk structure
which gives the church spaciousness and frames fine stained
glass windows.
Last year St Barnabas celebrated its 150th aniversary. Also
of note are the heraldic shields which adorn the church walls
and the trees in its grounds. Some of the trees are considered
the oldest and most beautiful in the city, including a magnificant
holm oak growing out of rock.
Acknowledgement: City Scene - Auckland City Council
With the chapel these are the remaining original buildings
constructed between 1845 and 1850 as part of the ecclesiastical
college founded by Bishop Selwyn. The kitchen (now known as
the Waitoa Room) was begun by Sampson
Kempthorne and completed by Frederick Thatcher in the Gothic
Revival Style.
The exterior is constructed of local scoria, and the interior
has an exposed timber roof. The Dining Hall, designed in 1848-9
by Frederick Thatcher, contrasts with the chapel as all the
exterior cladding is vertical board and batten. The Dining
Hall is linked to the Waitoa Room on the northern side.
This is the second cathedral constructed on this site, the
first having proved too small. In 1885 Benjamin Mountfort,
a Christchurch architect, was appointed to design
the new cathedral. The Gothic Revival exterior is constructed
of vertical board and battens with a slate roof. The lofty
interior with the exposed truss work is an extremely fine
example of timber construction. In 1982, amid considerable
controversy, the church was moved to a site across the road.
Architects Massey and Tole were awarded the NZIA gold medal
for this church, which was completed in
1932. The design is predominatly Italian Romanesque; however,
stylised decorative motifs have been selected from Spanish,
French and German Romanesque designs. The
brick church has a gabled roof. The bell tower is reminiscent
of Italian campanile. The west front has an arch containing
the rose window, the unusual arcade of lancets and the
double-doored portico with a central column. The interior
has a barrel vault and side aisles.
One of the first Gothic Revival churches commissioned by
Bishop Selwyn, this chapel was designed
by Frederick Thatcher and features the characteristic board
and batten exterior walls, shingle roof and exposed internal
truss work. Constructed in 1857 St Stephen's has a Greek Cross
plan and was built as the venue for the signing of the
Constitution of the United Church of England and Ireland in
New Zealand. The site overlooks Judges Bay.
Originally known as the Lunatic Asylum or the 'Whau' the
hospital was built under the supervision of James Wrigley
in 1865 using plans drawn in England. The neoclassical facade
incorporates bricks produced on the site and at Dr Pollen's
brickyards in Avondale and has
polychormatic detailing. One of the largest public buildings
in the colony at the time of construction, it was gutted by
fire in 1877.
Philip Herapath, working from the original drawings, supervised
the reconstruction. It has had numerous additions since then
and all have been largely in keeping with the
design of the original main block.
In July 1992 the Ackland Area Health Board closed Carrington
Hospital and it was offered for sale. It was bought by Carrington
Polytechnic and after considerable refurbishment opened in
October 1994 as the UNITEC school of
architecture and design.
Learn
more about the historic sites in the care of the Historic Places
Trust located in and around the