HAWKE'S BAY

HAWKE'S BAY Central Hawke’s Bay landmark wins architectural award

Mt Vernon Station homestead is the heritage category winner of the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay 2021 Awards.

WRITER: David Watt IMAGES: Michelle Hepburn & Ann Galloway

Mt Vernon Villa exterior. Credit: Michelle Hepburn Mt Vernon Villa ground floor and stairs. Credit: Michelle Hepburn Bedroom on completion of work. Credit: Ann Galloway Bedroom before work, disused since the 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake. Credit: Ann Galloway

We have conveyed our warmest congratulations to Napier architect, Ann Galloway, for her work with the new owner of the 139-yearold Waipukurau country house, Tim Coddington, in restoring the very special heritage property of Mt Vernon Station. Built in 1882, Mt Vernon is a Category 1 historic place. The property went on the market in 2017 for the first time since it was built, having been in the ownership of a well-known Hawke’s Bay family, the Hardings, for six generations until the property was sold. Mt Vernon Station was established by John Harding in 1854 and the present house is the third on the property. John Harding was a self-made man, a staunch Methodist and Temperance supporter, who founded the New Zealand Alliance in 1886, along with former Premier of New Zealand, Sir William Fox. Harding commissioned the architect of Mt Vernon, Ben Smith, to design the present homestead after a visit to the United States in the 1870s. Harding was an admirer of George Washington, the first President of the United States. It is understood that he instructed Ben Smith to design something resembling Washington’s famous residence, also called Mt Vernon, overlooking the Potomac.

Mt Vernon, in Waipukurau, is an elegant and imposing house incorporating refined classical detailing. The original architectural drawings are still in the house and include details of elaborate cornices, the gracious sweeping staircase and timber joinery. Other notable features include richly-detailed timber panelling in the entry lobby; a rooftop lantern window and flagpole; exterior doors which slide into the wall cavity; a faux marble fireplace in the study; a slate roof; and a full basement constructed in concrete. The house was originally clad in solid plaster, with lath-and-plaster interiors. The house was badly damaged during the Napier Earthquake on 3 February 1931, to the extent that the exterior plaster and most of the interior linings had to be removed, and the Harding family had to move out. The house was temporarily sheathed in corrugated iron, and was reclad in heart matai weatherboards in 1940. In 1957, most of the interior was relined with fibrous plaster and the family was able to move back in.

The new owner of the property, Tim Coddington, grew up in Central Hawke’s Bay, not far from Mt Vernon and remembers visiting the property as a child. Tim said it had been a delight to work with Ann Galloway. Speaking at the awards ceremony, convenor Evan Mayo, of Architecture Bureau, described the Mt Vernon restoration as “a labour of love”.

“Great care has been taken to ensure that the modernised service spaces don’t just complement the original building, but enhance the character of the property, and ensure that its story from construction in 1882, through the Napier earthquake in 1931 and its decline through the latter part of the last century, is told for another 140 years.” Ann Galloway, said she was very pleased to have received the heritage award for her work. project – not only for its history and architecture, but also a very supportive client in Tim, and a wonderful building team involving many trades. Everyone worked so well together and produced first-class workmanship, with the aim of giving the house another century of life,” said Ann.

In the process of the work, the timberwork, the beautiful leadlight windows and exterior cavity-sliding doors – all features designed by the original architect, Ben Smith – received some restoration. While the sprinkler pipework was being installed, other 19th century innovations were discovered beneath the floorboards, including acoustic insulation provided by a thick layer of pumice and sawdust, and pipes which supplied carbide gas to light fittings in the main ground floor rooms. Central Area Manager and architect, Alison Dangerfield, says that Mt Vernon is a wonderful house with a richness of detail and history and that she is pleased to have been involved in its protection and rejuvenation. The Local Architecture Awards 2021 were a peer-reviewed programme run by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects in association with Resene and APL.

The awards ceremony, held in Napier, was adjudicated by convenor Evan Mayo of Architecture Bureau, along with Aaron Sills of Sills van Bohemen, Richard Daniels of WSP Architecture and Andrew Caldwell of Ankh Photography. n