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| Mrs Purdie's Antiques Gallery in the Castle Ballroom, Photo taken pre-1935 [Credit : Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive] |
This Continues my eight part Blog Series on the Purdie family ownership of Larnach Castle. To Read the First Instalment in this series please click HERE.
In November 1930 Mrs Purdie advertises that;
“…she has just received from England two shipments of Antique Furniture and China, all guaranteed by the British Antique Dealers Association as being over 100 years bid. The shipment includes Quaint Old Chippendale Corner Cupboards, Georgian Sofa, Tables, Bow-fronted Chests and Enclosed Washstands; also beautiful and rare specimens of Derby, Worcester, Spode, and Swansea China, many of which are very suitable for Wedding Presents or Christmas Gifts.”
Not What it Seems
Their niece Lorna, who appears to have been extremely close to her Aunt and Uncle, would often assist her Aunt in arranging the antiques in the gallery. I wonder if any readers today know of or hold items sold by Mrs Purdie in her Gallery? Knowing that Mrs Purdie placed a "Larnach Castle" label on all the items she sold this is definite confirmation of such a provenance. But, as the Castle explained in a post a few years back, people would then mistakenly believe the item they held was once part of the Castle's furnishings and offer to sell it back!
The 1931
‘Event of the Season’
On the 28th February 1931, Mr
& Mrs Purdie would this year host the Dunedin Women’s Christian Temperance [anti-drink]
Union for another “Monster Garden Party” with the public being very welcome to
attend, being billed as “The Event of the Season”, and held on similar lines –
and at the same prices - as the previous year with afternoon tea being supplied
for an additional one shilling.
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| Larnach Castle with the Fountain and Pond on the Raised Front Lawn, as viewed pre-1934. [Photo credit : Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive] |
Even if the Day is Wet
Bus excursions from Dunedin City every Tuesday and Saturday
remained a set fixture, even through the Winter months. Indeed, advertisements
emphasize to readers that; “The ideal outing these Winter days is a trip to
Larnach Castle”. Heating such a large building will not have come cheaply but
the Castle grounds provided plenty of wood for fires and not forgetting that Mr
Purdie was a wood and coal merchant with his own transport so this will have reduced
costs. Visits were also promoted as worthwhile; “Even if the day is wet”.
A Very Damaging Gale
Being 800 feet high up on the hillside afforded the Castle and grounds very little protection from stormy weather. A terrific
gale on the 20th October 1931, and with widespread damage around
Dunedin, caused “fully 100 huge pinus insignis trees” on Mr Purdie’s property to
be uprooted. Had his mass tree-felling in 1927-1928 further exposed this
elevated property to the elements than what would otherwise have been the case?
But I do note a further storm in 1975 (the same storm that so visibly destroyed
the pine plantations in Canterbury) which caused very considerable damage to
the property with a great many trees on the property being toppled.
Vigorously
and Tirelessly Promoted
It was perhaps a sign of the economic times
that entrance charges to the Castle remained the same even up till 1934. It
would appear, however, that the Antiques gallery proved also to be a major
drawcard, being vigorously and tirelessly promoted. Alongside advertisements for
the Castle is one featuring Mr Purdie’s Furniture Removal business, another
complementary income earner and helpful adjunct when it came to moving around both
Mrs Purdie’s antique furniture gallery purchases - and sales.
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| The Castle Auction Advertisement dated April 1934. This is is the same Castle photo as shown above |
A Sudden and Quite Unexpected Sale
But quite unexpectedly, on the 28th
April 1934, the Castle and 35 acre estate were advertised for sale by auction to
take place on the 11th June. Suggested uses were a country club, a
high-class guest house, a private school or college, or a select tea garden and
cabaret. While the reserve was not advertised the terms appear quite generous,
being cash, or 10 percent deposit, a further payment of 50% within 30 days,
with the balance remaining on mortgage for five years at 3 per cent interest.
As to the reason for this sale, and while no actual reason is quoted, we need to remember that these were the years of the Great Depression and like anyone else, Mr and Mrs Purdie will not have been immune to its effects. But also, Mr Purdie would, in the succeeding years of this decade suffer ill health and this sale could also signal that he had received a medical diagnosis to this effect. But more of this in a later post. A member of the Barker family (who bought the Castle in 1967) has also been unable to confirm the reason for this sudden sale.
Just "Idle Curiosity"
On auction day upwards of 100 people were
in attendance. Expressing the hope that they were all buyers, the Auctioneer
opened the bidding but not one bid would be forthcoming. The attendees were only
present through “idle curiosity”. Having made the decision to sell one probably
cannot underestimate their disappointment.
A
Generous Offer to the City of Dunedin
In August 1934, the Finance Committee of
the Dunedin City Council considered an offer by Mr Purdie to sell the Castle
and grounds to the City Council “on particularly advantageous terms”. As to Mr
Jackson Purdie’s “terms”, the purchase price would be £10,000 ($1.5 million in
today’s values); “being considerably lower than the [auction sale] reserve”,
with £5,000 to be paid in cash and £5,000 to remain on mortgage at 2 percent
per annum interest, the principal amount forming a bequest to the city upon the
eventual death of his wife. So the Council would only ever need to find the
initial purchase price and while Mr Purdie did not expect the Council to use
the property to make a profit, he believed that, like public gardens, reserves,
parks, baths, the art gallery etc., it simply be considered “an amenity”.
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| "The Laird O'Larnach" - A Caricature by R.S. Clark of Mr Purdie which also alludes to his business interests. [Credit : Hocken Collections] |
I
Shall Gracefully Accept the Decision
As to the reasons for his offer, Mr Purdie writes;
“Probably what has prompted me most to make this offer has been the
ever increasing number of people visiting the castle on the two days it has
been made available to the public, and the pleasure which they derive from
their visit to this historic and glorious old building, and the almost
unanimous desire they express that it will pass into the hands of some public
body, which will still make it available to the public. In conclusion, I would
state that this letter is not intended in any way to embarrass the position. I
recognize the difficult days in which we live, and the care that requires to be
exercised in the expenditure of public money, taking into account the best
interests of all our citizens, and must simply state that the offer was made in
good faith, and, whether accepted or rejected, I shall gracefully accept the
decision.”
Divergent
Views
The Editors of the two main local papers
held quite divergent views on the matter. The Editor of the "Otago Daily Times" suggested that the Council could promote the Castle as a “show place” with the
grounds administered by the Superintendent of Reserves, with costs to be funded
by admission fees.
The Editor of the “Evening Star” took a rather more reasoned, if not blunt, approach stating;
“The castle is not needed
as a museum. The museum which we have has been recently enlarged. The
collection which delights visitors at Larnach Castle is neither
scientific nor historical. There is no reason why it should make a municipal
charge, and we are not aware that it is included in the offer. One of the first
rules of the housewife’s economics would be ‘never buy things unless you have a
use for them’…”.
A
Governor-General’s Residence?
A number of newspaper correspondents even (seriously) suggested that the Castle be purchased for the use of the Governor (Governor General) as a Vice-Regal residence. Reference was made to the fact that Lord Bledisloe, the then Governor General, had remarked on the lack of a suitable Vice-Regal residence during a visit to Christchurch upon which their Council had, within 24 hours, appointed a sub-committee; “...to frame a resolution urging the ultimate acquisition of such a residence”.
The Dunedin City Council however, rightly considered the matter of a Vice-Regal residence, including the cost of furnishing such a residence, to be;
“...a matter
for the state”, and that; “it is impossible to suppose that the expenditure
that would be necessary for the purchase and adequate furnishing
of Larnach's Castle so that it might be occupied by the
Governor-General on his occasional visits could be justified.”
‘Climatic
Conditions’ not Advantageous for Elderly Patients
Another suggestion put forward was to use the Castle as a “rest home”. One correspondent was, however, quick to point out that;
“When the Government used the castle in connection with Seacliff Mental
Hospital the resident medical officers used often to visit Broad Bay and the
surrounding residential areas, and their opinions on the difference in climatic
conditions [the castle being built at an elevation of 1,000 feet above sea
level] are generally accepted as being the deciding factor in inducing the responsible
authorities to remove their charges from the castle”.
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| An Enlarged view of the Fountain Framingthe CastleFront Entrance, Circa late 1930's / early 1940's [From my own collection] |
No Profitable Use
In late August 1934 the Council Finance
Committee regrettably advised that while;
"The terms as set out by Mr Purdie are exceedingly generous… that it
could not recommend the acceptance of the offer, as it did not know of any
profitable use to which the property might be put if acquired by the City
Council… The committee cannot do less than express its appreciation of the
vendor’s action in giving the council an opportunity of securing the property
on terms particularly advantageous to it… Mr Purdie’s offer, much as it is
appreciated, cannot be accepted”.
One has, however, to put all this in the
context of the Great Depression to which Council and ratepayers alike were
certainly not immune so a “risk averse” approach to expenditure is certainly
not surprising.
Still Open – with ‘Free’ Afternoon Tea
Meanwhile, while now obviously on borrowed
time, advertisements advise that the Castle and grounds including the Antiques Gallery
were “still open” on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the admission charge remaining at 2s 6d with afternoon tea remaining “free”. Advertisements enthusiastically
promoted visits to the Castle and what it had to offer; “A lovely outing”, “The
Castle must be seen to be appreciated”, the “Spring flowers are beautiful”, and “the surrounding view immense”.
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| A view of the Castle steps taken by Thelma Kent in the 1930's. The imposing carvings were originally painted black. [Credit : National Library of New Zealand] |
Not [ever] Open Sundays
From December 1934, and over the Summer months, the Castle and grounds, and for the first time, would now be open on every day of the week except Sunday, the same admission charge applying. Thereafter, admission reverted to the usual Tuesdays and Saturdays. The Peninsula Motor Service continued to run busses from Queens Gardens up to the Castle on opening days. The popularity of a private visit appears to have been such that regular advertisements were necessary stating almost tersely that; “Larnach Castle is not open to the public on Sundays, please take notice”. The Castle would, while the Purdie's were resident, never open on a Sunday. Even though this decision will undoubtedly have cost them custom, it will certainly relate to their strong Christian beliefs including not wishing to employ staff to work on a Sunday. While stating; “Afternoon tea provided”, the reference to “free” had been dropped by now, perhaps as a way to offer additional paid options. Specific mention of Mrs Purdie’s Ballroom Antiques Gallery as an enticement to visit appears to have ceased at the end of 1934.
A
Suitable Venue for Large Gatherings
The Purdie’s would, on the 12th October
1935, again host a Garden Party, being the occasion of the New Zealand Baptist
Church Missionary Jubilee Annual Assembly which was being held in Dunedin with;
“a most interesting and enjoyable time being spent by all.”
Between the 25th to 28th
January 1935 Mr Purdie generously made the Castle available as a venue for the Dunedin
Christian Youth Movement to hold a youth training conference.
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| "The Old Wishing Well" viewed from all Four Sides. Words on each side read "The" "Old" "Wishing" "Well". Taken 11 Aug 2024 [From my own collection] |
The Old Wishing Well
In June 1936, mention is made of 'The Wishing Well', a still extant Castle feature on the back lawn dating back to Larnach’s ownership of the Castle and which was sunk to a depth of twenty-six feet, and fed by a perennial spring;
“There is an old-fashioned wishing well at the castle where you can have a drink of beautiful fresh water, a wish, and please put a coin in the Children’s Rest Home box which is on the top of the well. We have received about £l5 from this source. We thank Mr and Mrs Jackson Purdie for their kindness in having the box there, and also for their many kind gifts of coal and cartage.”
It should be remembered that handily, Mr Purdie was both a Wood and Coal Merchant and a Carrier.
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| A 1930's Photo of the "Cannon" under the Cupola and today [Credit : Te Papa Tongarewa and from my own collection] |
The End of an Era
Worryingly, advertisements from January
1937 state that; “After the end of February Larnach Castle will definitely be
closed to the public”.
In early March, Mr and Mrs Purdie, would lease the Castle for “a definite period”, and with Mrs Purdie leaving for "an extended world tour". A Dunedin firm of Auctioneers were entrusted with the sale of the contents of the Antiques Gallery which must have continued trading through 1935 and 1936 although no specific mention is made of this. By this time it would have become very difficult, if not impossible, to arrange the requisite foreign exchange to pay for large shipments of antiques from England and people would not have been spending like they had in pre-depression years.
Everything To Be Sold - "Regardless of Price"
The sale, taking place at Auction Rooms in Moray Place on the 25th February 1937, would feature period furniture, rare crystal, art, china, old silverware and Sheffield plate and a number of Grandfather clocks with every article to be sold, “regardless of price”. The contents of their home would however remain under custodial care.
Since he was also vacating the property, Mr Purdie additionally had a number of farm related items auctioned by The Otago Farmers' Co-Operative Society Ltd at their Burnside Sale Yards on the 24th, including an International mower, plough, horse cultivator, sledge, spring dray, farm dray, harness, and various sundries, all stated to be in "as good as new condition".
With the Purdie's away and the property leased and "closed to the public" the Castle and grounds would now surely expect to enjoy a period of relative peace and serenity. What actually transpired makes for fascinating reading and would further add to the multi-layered history of the Castle.
To Be Continued Next Week
This eight part Blog series featuring the Purdie family ownership of the Castle follows a more or less consecutive timeline through the highs and lows for this period. I will add a link here when this instalment is posted.
Corrections : This history has been compiled from a comprehensive range of secondary sources. Correction of any unintended errors and any relevant additions in relation to the time period in question are always welcome. Please email me (quoting your source) using the "Email Me" button in the right-hand menu bar. Thank you.
Bibliography & Sources :
- “King of the Castle” by Fleur Snedden 1997 (from my own collection)-“Larnach and His Castle” by Alfred H. Reed, 1950 (from my own collection)
-“The Ordeal of William Larnach” by Hardwicke Knight, 1981 (from my own collection)
-"R.A. Lawson Victorian Architect of Dunedin" by Norman Ledgerwood (from my own collection)
