Katherine Mansfield House and Garden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Katherine Mansfield House and Garden |
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Katherine Mansfield House and Garden in Thorndon, Wellington
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Town or city | 25 Tinakori Road, Wellington (number 11 before 1908) |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°16′13″S 174°46′48″E / 41.270164°S 174.77992°E |
| Construction started | 1887 |
| Cost | £400 |
| Client | Harold Beauchamp |
| Designated: | 11-Jul-1986 |
| Reference #: | 4428 |
The Katherine Mansfield House and Garden was the childhood home of Katherine Mansfield. She was a very famous writer from New Zealand. This special house is in Thorndon, a part of Wellington. It's considered a "Category I" historic place by Heritage New Zealand, which means it's super important!
Contents
Building the House
The house was built in 1888 for Katherine's father, Harold Beauchamp. This was during a time when money was tight, called an economic depression. The house was probably built using a standard plan from a builder.
The land the house was built on was leased, which means it was rented. The rules for renting said that any house built there had to be at least 10 feet (about 3 meters) away from Tinakori Road. It also had to be worth more than £400. The land itself belonged to Sir Charles Clifford.
House Size and Rooms
This two-story house is about 9.1 meters (30 feet) wide and 12.1 meters (40 feet) long.
On the ground floor, there was a drawing room, a dining room, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small room for washing dishes called a scullery. There was also a lean-to, which is a small building attached to the main house.
Upstairs, on the first floor, there were four bedrooms. There was also a "night nursery," which was a special room for babies or young children to sleep in.
Inside the House
When the house was restored, old wallpaper and pieces of pottery were found. These items show that Katherine's mother was interested in the "aesthetic movement" from Europe. This was a style that focused on beauty and art.
A Look Back: The House's History
Katherine Mansfield's family moved into the house in 1888. Katherine herself was born there a few months later, on October 14.
Many people lived in the house at first. There were Katherine's parents, her two sisters (Vera and Charlotte), two aunts (Belle and Kitty), and her grandmother, Mrs Dyer. A servant also lived there, so the house was quite full!
Sadly, Katherine's baby sister, Gwendoline, died in 1891 when she was only 11 weeks old. This was during a time when many people in the city got sick and died from diseases like cholera and typhoid. This happened because the city's sewage (waste water) was collected in open drains, which led to the harbor. This poor sanitation caused many health problems.
Moving Homes
In 1893, the Beauchamp family moved to a bigger house in a more rural area called Karori. Katherine's father, Harold, said they moved for the health of the children and himself.
They moved back to Thorndon in 1898, to a different house on Tinakori Road. Later, around 1907, they moved again to Fitzherbert Terrace. Their last family home was "The Grange" in Wadestown, where they moved in 1916. Katherine's mother passed away in 1918, and her father remarried in 1920.
The House in Stories
Katherine Mansfield used her memories of this childhood home in many of her famous short stories. These include "Prelude" (and a longer version called The Aloe), "A Birthday," "The Doll’s House," and "The Wind Blows."
Even though she used it in her stories, Katherine sometimes described the house as a "dark little cubby hole" or a "horrid little piggy house."
Other People Who Lived There
Harold Beauchamp owned the house until 1929. Many different families lived in the house during this time. One very important resident was Dr. Frederick Truby King. He was the founder of the Plunket Society, which helps mothers and babies. Dr. King lived in the house from 1921 to 1924. During this time, he became the Director of Child Welfare for the New Zealand Department of Health.
The house was later sold to Edward Pearce. In the 1950s, plans for State Highway 1 meant that a large trench for the road would pass right under the back of the house. This caused problems for the house and the surrounding area.
In 1958, a writer named Pat Lawlor wrote that the house seemed run-down and had been divided into small apartments. The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society bought the house in 1987, after the last owner, Mrs. Edward Pearce, passed away.
The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society
The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society was started in 1986. It was founded by art historian Oroya Day, Peter Young, and architect James Beard. This society bought the house in 1987.
In the late 1980s, the society worked hard to restore the house. They wanted it to look just like it did when Katherine Mansfield lived there. They did a lot of research, using Katherine's own descriptions, old photos, and studies of the house's structure.
Today, the house and its garden are open to the public. Visitors can explore and learn about Katherine Mansfield's early life.
