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Kā Kōrero o Waikirikiri Selwyn Stories

Homesteads and Lodges

Description

NameHomesteads and LodgesDescriptionThe early pioneers who settled in the Selwyn District have long gone, but you feel their presence the moment you pass through the doors of their remarkable homesteads and lodges. Among the finest are Otahuna Lodge in Tai Tapu, Gunyah Country Estate at Windwhistle, Terrace Station in Hororata, and on the outskirts of Darfield there are Homebush Stables, Racecourse Hill Homestead and Bangor Farm. Most are privately owned, and some provide event and accommodation facilities, all amongst spectacular heritage garden settings.

Homebush and Terrace Station have the distinction of still being occupied by descendants of the original owners. The Terrace Station is vested in a Charitable Trust and was splendidly crafted for the pioneering politician Sir John Hall. Gunyah Country Estate was built in 1912 for John Hall’s son, and is distinguished by the Arts and Crafts Movement architecture.

Racecourse Hill Homestead was built in 1912 for racehorse breeder and farmer Harry Knight. The homestead was modelled on Cecil Wood’s English Domestic Revival phase. It was rebuilt after the devastating 2010 Canterbury earthquake.
Bangor Farm is set on 50 acres of park with 160 year old Oak and Redwood trees. The deer shed, once a trophy museum and sales yard, has been converted into two function rooms.

The Deans brothers came to Homebush in the 1850s, and in 1904 James Deans II set about building the distinctive brick homestead in 1904, completing the second stage in 1909. The homestead was damaged beyond repair in the September 2010 earthquake, but the brick stables and woolshed remain. Replicating the fortitude of their pioneer ancestors, the family rebuilt a modern version of the homestead, which is now the family home of Crispin and Fleur Deans.

The extensive garden at Homebush was first planted out in the early 1850's and has been developed by the Deans family over the last 172 years. Trees were planted very early and provide a frame for the sweeping lawns. In the 1920's and 30's James Deans planted over a thousand different species of rhododendrons under the trees in the style of Bodnant in Northern Wales - they make a spectacular show in spring.

Otahuna Lodge is most reflective of the style and scale of noble English country estates. Enhanced by 30 acres of grounds, most notably the celebrated daffodil field. Built by Sir Heaton Rhodes in 1895 as a wedding present for his wife Jessie, the lodge is considered one of the best examples of unspoiled Queen Anne architecture in Australasia, by noted Christchurch architect Cecil Wood. Grand Designs fans will appreciate the irregular shape, romantic rooflines and extensive use of New Zealand timber.

However, John Hall’s Terrace Station claims the title for the most eclectic architecture - and the most alterations. The most notable alteration being the entrance hall which was designed by prominent Arts and Crafts architect, Samuel Hurst Seager and features panels of alternating diagonal boards of New Zealand native kauri and rimy.

As with all the homesteads, the trees shape the family story. More than 150 years ago, John Hall supervised the plantation of oaks, sycamores and elms. Otahuna’s great lawn is fringed by oaks, cedars, wattles and poplars. The driveway at Homebush is lined with Atlantic cedars planted in 1913. Many of the other majestic trees on the estate are registered in the local ordinances and are recorded in books of nationally and internationally significant trees. All still standing, even if their former owners are not.

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