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| Larnach Castle as it appeared circa early 1940's and showing the old wooden lath pergola in its new position [From my own collection] |
This continues my eight part Blog Series on the Purdie family and their ownership of Larnach Castle. To Read the First Instalment in this series please click HERE.
A Decision That Would Cost Him Very Dearly
As we have read, with no offers to purchase the Castle, and no doubt in desperation, Mr Purdie felt that he had no viable option left but to strip and demolish the Castle and sell off the valuable building materials. While he obviously relented the question we now ask is why? His "threat" could have been taken simply as a ploy to spur the Council - or in fact any interested party - into actually purchasing the Castle in order to save it but I wouldn't be convinced on this. The Council certainly didn't budge an inch and we have to remember that Mr Purdie was, by now sadly, a very unwell man. Mrs Barker notes being told by Mrs Purdie that he had now, "become stubborn" and this will not have helped. The Castle had been purchased with his own money with Mrs Purdie purchasing the expensive antiques and period furnishings so she will no doubt have felt obligated to defer to her husband's wishes. Mr Purdie would have been hard pressed to to see past the Castle as now being nothing more than an overwhelming financial and personal burden.
Unfortunately lacking any definitive answer, that Mr Purdie took a step back from such drastic action could perhaps have been due to a combination of public opinion, the influence of others at the risk of irrevocably losing such an historic building, the urgings of his wife, or simply that he did not wish to forever be known as the man who demolished Larnach Castle, possibly a good measure of all of these. But we can now only speculate. And while New Zealand was now at war I do not see that this had any obvious bearing on the situation. A member of the Barker family has advised me that they also do not know the specific reason for this last minute change of heart. Mrs Purdie would certainly have appreciated the financial considerations involved and that retaining the Castle, which had for some years been her beloved home as well as a magnificent venue to display her collection of antiques and chinaware, was no longer a viable option. But this eleventh hour change of heart to sell at any cost would still cost Mr Purdie very dearly indeed.
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| The Castle Auction Advertisement, January 1940 |
A Final & “Definite” Sale
In December 1939 the Castle and accompanying
35 acres of grounds would again be placed on the open market, to be sold at
auction (on site) with a “low upset price” [reserve] on the 14th February 1940.
Auction advertisements also announced the sale of the contents, being; “The
whole of the old period furniture and furnishings", which would also be offered
for sale by auction, and that; "although its owner will be a heavy loser he has made up
his mind to realize a bargain for someone”.
Similarly to the previous unsuccessful
sale, possible uses were given as a; “Gentleman’s residence, country club, or
convalescent home etc.” But the sale was now intended to be final and “definite”.
Still Open to Visitors
An advertisement dated the 3rd February 1940 states that; "Larnach Castle is still open to visitors until Monday 12th February". There may have been a limited summer opening but I can find no advertising for this and while the Castle will still have been furnished, Mr and Mrs Purdie were no longer in residence. This must just have been an effort to generate some revenue - and public interest - while waiting for the mid February sale and additionally, any prospective purchasers could view the Castle at their leisure.
Auctioneering
History
“Auctioneering History” would be made on the 14th February 1940 when the Castle and property were sold at auction for a mere £1,250 [a mere NZD$151,645.00 in today’s values]. The detailed description of the auction illustrates the unexpected and almost farcical turn of events that landed Mr Alfred Francis Armstrong with a 34 roomed four-story Castle complete with a 90 foot long Ballroom set on 35 acres.
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| Larnach Castle as it appeared circa 1939 [Credit : Thelma Kent / National Library of New Zealand] |
Never for a Moment Contemplating the Purchase of the Estate
The animated description
of the events that took place at the auction, taking place onsite at the Castle itself, make for fascinating reading and
is well worth the effort so I have included much of the report and highlighted the dialogue :
“No one was more surprised! than the purchaser himself, Mr A. F. Armstrong…, a retired caterer. Like many others, Mr Armstrong went out to the castle to-day, to see what he could pick up during the auctioning of the antiques - never for a moment contemplating the purchase of the estate and building itself. No one was more surprised than he when the property was knocked down to him for the absurdly low figure of £1,250. Mr H. L. Young, auctioneer..., told the assembled people, as they clustered round the great stone steps of - the castle, that it was to be sold without reserve. He explained in detail all its many attractions and assets and then asked for a bid. Mr Jackson Purdie, he fielded, was not in good health, and had decided to sell."
You Can't Shock Me
"There was "no fancy reserve” on the property. “Give me a bid someone,” he asked. “You can't shock me.” No bids were forthcoming, and then someone suggested, more in fun than in earnest, £I,000. That did shock Mr Young. It did more than that. It nearly bowled him off the steps. Every sound and logical argument which could be advanced as to why the property should be purchased even as a speculation was advanced by Mr Young. “What a great advertisement this will be to my firm when it appears in the papers that Larnach Castle has been sold for £1,000.” he remarked. “People will say, ‘ls that the best you can do?' ”
What About it Mr Purdie?
"Turning to Mr Purdie, at his elbow, he remarked: “What about it, Mr Purdie ?” That gentleman said it had to go… Then from near the steps came a bid of £1,250 from Mr Armstrong. Chide the big gathering as he would for its lack of enterprise, Mr Young could get no further bid, and after a final warning that the place must go, knocked the estate down to Mr Armstrong at the figure quoted. No one was more surprised than he. Gasps of exclamation and wonderment were heard on all sides, as those who knew the lucky purchaser came forward and congratulated him on his bargain."
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| Larnach Castle as it appeared circa early 1940's Credit : Lemuel Lyes Collection (used with permission) |
“I Could Get the Purchase Price Nearly from the Chandeliers”
“I told you it had to go and that there was no reserve on it” said Mr Young, “and when I say a thing I mean it.” He turned and shook hands with Mr Purdie, remarking, "Well, it’s gone, Mr Purdie”….. After the sale Mrs Purdie told the ‘Star’ that Mr Young’s statement that it cost £1,500 to install electricity into the premises was correct. “I could get the purchase price nearly from the chandeliers,” she remarked. She was very sorry to part with, the property, which she and her husband purchased 15 years ago for £3,600. Since that date they had spent a tremendous amount of money in modernizing the interior.”
As to her thoughts on selling up, many years later Mr Purdie stated that she still regretted selling the Castle as; "Never again would [she] find such a perfect home for her collection [and] which was gradually dispersed". Witnessing the sale and dispersal of a good part of her precious collection would have been incredibly hard.
"Mr Armstrong, the new proprietor… is now retired… Asked what he intended to do with his new acquisition, Mr Armstrong said he hadn’t the faintest idea. It had all been so sudden. He might keep it open for a, while. “I got the shock of my life when it was knocked down to me,” he said. “It is only the price of a four-roomed villa in town.”
Were replacement costs to be considered, the property would, according to historian Mr A.H.Reed, have been valued at something approaching NZD$12,000,000 (12 million dollars) in today’s values.
25
Years of Collecting Sold Under the Hammer
The description of the sale of the Castle furnishings also makes for interesting reading, a collection that had taken 25 years to put together but would now be scattered to the four winds. And it was noted that;
"More interest was shown in the sale of Mrs Purdie’s collection of antiques than in the auction of the castle itself" and that while; "There was a number of antique collectors from as far away as the North Island interested in the articles offered,... it seemed that most of Mrs Purdie’s valuable collection was divided among Dunedin second-hand dealers....[and] "that many antiques, though extremely valuable in the eyes of a genuine collector, did not realise high prices on account of their lack of artistic appeal."
While not all of Mrs Purdie’s collection was offered for sale, there were still many valuable items; "that commanded attention and respect".
Notable items for sale included :
- a John Broadwood piano (from circa 1817)- An Italian bow front chest dated 1760
- A Crown Derby Imari tea set
- A Davenport fruit service
- Three Grandfather clocks dating from 1769 to 1790 (the 1769 clock by "George Summerset" had stood in the hall, a Welsh oak Grandfather clock by "J. Jones, Beaumaris", while the "circa 1790" clock was by "Smith, Huddersfield", Yorkshire).
- Six papier maché chairs dated 1810, a music stand, four-tier whatnot, and a two-tier stand (with image of Warwick Castle), all of which had once belonged to the Duke of Wellington (having been purchased at Christies in London)
- Pieces of rare Chelsea, Derby, Worcester, and Sevres porcelain
- Silverware including an 1811 solid silver coffee pot
- An oil painting attributed to Tintoretto (which hung over the mantle piece in the dining room)
- A Regency period bookcase
- Totara knot and mahogany bedroom suites
- And “Numerous treasures”
Notably, the Duke of Wellington’s set of six chairs which Mrs Purdie had placed in her "sitting room", being originally from the Duke's London residence of Apsley House were, after slow bidding, sold for only £3 7s 6d each, being a mere £20.5.0 ($2,327.00 in today’s values). The auction reference clearly identifies them as being "papier maché" but I note a visitor in 1937 incorrectly identifies them as; "being made of ebony, inlaid with a rare coloured mother of pearl. The mother of pearl is worked in a pattern of clusters of flowers". A quick Google search will indicate why the said visitor believed them to be of ebony as the finish on such work is quite convincing.
The Duke's papier maché stand, also being inlaid with mother of pearl and showing the view of Warwick Castle, and the similarly inlaid music stand, sold for a mere £2 10s each.
The Davenport nine-piece fruit service, with each piece having a different hand-painted scene, fared rather better, fetching £13.0.0
An 1806 French Empire circular ebony table “inlaid with black and white ivory and silver with over 6,000 pieces of varied woods” also sold for £28/10/- ($3,270.00 in today’s values). This will be the round table the afore-mentioned visitor describes as also being in "the sitting room" and which he was told had, at one time, belonged to an Indian Rajah. This was; "constructed of a handsome wood inlaid with ebony, ivory and silver, and 3,000 [sic] separate pieces were used in its formation".
Although retaining some items, the auction advertisement merely notes Mrs Purdie's "reluctance" to dispose of her valuable collection but that she; "has definitely decided to realise and to clear the entire catalogue". She will no doubt have found this enforced sale of her treasures to have been an agonizing process. Even the newspaper reporter appears to have mourned the sale of these items;
"There was not a little sadness about yesterday’s sale, for one could not help deploring the scattering of such an interesting and valuable collection of antiques."
But what, may I ask, became of the; "antique cabinet in the billiard room [which] once belonged to Lord Kitchener" and the; "unique clock on the wall... interesting from the fact that the face moves round while the hands remain stationary" or indeed even; "A polar bear skin with head intact.... of interest on the floor of the hall."
Only one mention is made of items that had belonged to the Hon. William Larnach himself and which Mr Purdie had assiduously (and no doubt at some cost) set about re-purchasing;
"A most unusual piecrust ebony table [i.e. a small round table with a raised edge resembling that of a pie crust, one of the few pieces of furniture owned by the late Mr W. J. M. Larnach left in the castle, brought £4. It was certainly an antique, but it seemed a veritable “dustcollector” from the housekeeper’s point of view." I perceive this humble table would generate considerably more interest today.
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| Mrs Purdie's 1867 Display Cabinet now in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery [Credit Dunedin Public Art Gallery] |
A Generous Benefactress
Despite selling off a good part of her collection, I note that Mrs Purdie has been also a generous benefactress to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society, gifting a number of items from 1926 right up to 1977 including; "many pieces of early English porcelain" and in 1952, a magnificent ebony and ivory display cabinet, often being used to securely display items on public display. This cabinet originally formed a suite, having been made for Alfred Morrison's 'Fonthill House' in Wiltshire to hold his collection of Chinese porcelain including items taken during the 1860 sack of the Summer Palace in Beijing.
I am most definitely assuming this same cabinet graced the Castle during their occupancy and our 1937 visitor certainly describes that "in another room" and having a "white marble mantlepiece" stood an "ebony and ivory cabinet". Within this cabinet Mrs Purdie had placed; "a collection of ancient china" (most likely 18th and 19th century porcelain), including specifically, "a Masonic cup and plate dated 1844". So at least something of Mrs Purdie's passion for antiques lives on for us all to appreciate and enjoy, and indeed, this will have been her wish when gifting the cabinet to the Art Gallery.
And while it would appear that antiques with a confirmed Larnach Castle provenance (i.e; forming part of the Purdie's original Castle furnishings) occasionally appeared on the auction market over the 1940's, both in Dunedin and Christchurch, these do not appear to have included any of the more significant items sold. I wonder, in fact, if many of the more significant items still retain their provenance as being from Mrs Purdie's personal Larnach Castle collection?
And indeed, I wonder if Mrs Purdie, and with her long association with the Dunedin Public Art Gallery (where recording the provenance and history of collection items is all important), ever kept a personal register detailing her own purchases? It would make for fascinating reading for what was once a notable and substantial private collection. Dunedin is incredibly lucky to still have on public display one large private collection, being that of the Theomin family at Olveston Historic Home which is at least some consolation for the loss of Mrs Purdie's collection, once viewed by thousands of appreciative visitors.
All Rights Reserved
This Series Will Conclude Next Week
This eight part Blog series featuring the Purdie family and their ownership of Larnach Castle follows a more or less consecutive timeline through the highs and lows for this period. I will add a link here when the concluding 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)
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