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| Mrs Laura M. Purdie as she appeared in a newspaper article dated 1st Sept 1950 [Credit : Otago Daily Times & National Library of New Zealand] |
This concludes my eight part Blog Series on Mr John Jackson Purdie and Mrs Laura Mortimer Purdie and their ownership of Larnach Castle. In this final instalment we take a closer look at the Purdie's themselves, including their quite interesting personal lives and also something of their legacy. To Read the First Instalment in this series please click HERE.
And What of Mr & Mrs Purdie?
After having sold Larnach Castle on the 14th February 1940, Mr John Jackson Purdie (known within the family as Jack), and after 34 years of marriage, died on the 25th May 1944 at his residence, 5 Albert street, [City] (now 305 Stuart street) in Dunedin, aged 60 years. He had of course been suffering for some years from the serious and debilitating effects of Parkinson's Disease.
Besides his association with Larnach Castle, Mr Purdie had also been a well known identity in Dunedin, leading a busy and active life. Having been born at and receiving his early education at Port Chalmers (where he would tantalizingly see the sun glinting on the Castle windows across the harbour), and in 1908, at only around 24 years of age, he commenced in business on his own account as a wood and coal merchant and would go on to have a "very successful commercial career", also setting up a cartage business including having a number of commercial property interests. Early on seeing its advantages, he was "the first person in Dunedin to use a petrol-driven vehicle for commercial purposes", back then horse drawn delivery vehicles being the norm. While his obituary states that he purchased Larnach Castle; "on a return from a trip to England", I believe this statement to be apocryphal and all newspaper reports only refer to Mrs Purdie as having travelled over, being her six month solo trip in 1925.
Apart from his afore-mentioned association with many clubs and societies, he took an interest in the Otago Motor Club and was active in the Otago Employers' Association. As with his wife, he took a great interest in sport, being, "associated with various football and athletic clubs and regatta committees." I also previously noted his association with croquet and regularly played in tournaments. Unsurprisingly, I also noted croquet hoops set up on the front lawn of the Castle. Both Mr and Mrs Purdie held a lifelong active interest in and commitment to the Baptist Church, being married at the Hanover Street Baptist Church on the 17th March 1910. While they had no children of their own, Mr Purdie was; "very fond of children, and those who attended his Sunday School will remember the many treats and outings into the country he gave them". Overall he was very much someone who, in many useful ways, "gave something back" to the community at large and his Church association and beliefs will have been central to this outlook on life.
Despite Mr Purdie's financial loss on the Castle, his probated estate was still of a considerable value which indicates that this financial reversal was thankfully not of a crippling nature. Having no family of their own, Mr Purdie left generous bequests to family members and to their beloved Church. But Mr Purdie's last minute change of heart means that instead of being forever known as the man who demolished Larnach Castle he should now, as we have read in this Blog, forever be remembered as the man who rehabilitated, and quite literally, saved Larnach Castle. And of course, we should not forget the equal dedication of Mrs Purdie to the Castle's rehabilitation.
Mrs Laura Purdie (neé Duncan) died in Dunedin as late as July 1980, aged 93 years. Her great passion for antiques and her association with the Dunedin Public Art Gallery's Decorative Arts Collection endured until the end, selflessly acting as their (previously noted) Honorary Curator of Ceramics and Silver until retiring in 1980. I found it both amusing and insightful to read this recollection of Mrs Purdie from Peter Entwisle's publication "Treasures of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery;
"...she was a notable presence in the gallery, treating staff from the Director down with the same mixture of scant respect, humour and not a little self wisdom."
After many years making use of her considerable knowledge of and appreciaton of the decorative arts in order to build the collection, her untiring efforts would, in the end, have appeared to have counted for nothing. Her retirement in 1980 co-incided with a change of Gallery Director and his push to not only rationalize their quite wide ranging collection policy but also to actually disperse the Gallery's Decorative Arts collection as a whole. In the latter he thankfully did not succeed but I do not know to what extent Mrs Purdie was aware of developments as her death occurred in July 1980 and Art Historian and former Gallery Curator Peter Entwisle does not specifically mention this.
And it is not surprising that with her great experience, knowledge, and keen eye, Mrs Purdie's name is mentioned in connection with the organization of any Antique Exhibition, notably in 1932 and also a great display of antiques in the Pioneer Women's Hall to celebrate the Centennial of the Province of Otago in 1948 and which included items of Chelsea and Derby porcelain from her own collection. She admitted herself to having a selective buyer's "weakness for porcelain".
A popular speaker for various groups and organisations, I note that Mrs Purdie, and with her great knowledge and descriptive abilities, regularly gave popular and well received "illustrated" talks, especially of her various travels, and specifically from the mid to late 1940's on a diverse range of subjects such as antiques and porcelain (using examples from her own collection), on collecting "bric a brack" and "odds and ends", old silverware, "the Channel Islands" (Jersey, Guernsey and Sark), and on "old Churches". During the war, and as one of her many community activities, she spun and knitted fleece wool for the Navy League.
While having "a connoisseur's delight in acquiring rare pieces, she also had the delight of matching her wits and sense of values in the keen competition of the antique dealer's world". And as a knowledgeable antiques dealer, I would perceive that she would never have sold an item for less than its true value (termed "a sleeper") which is why seeing so many items sold from the Castle collection at far less than their real value or indeed cost would have been for her a decidedly sad and demoralizing experience.
Selling the previously mentioned Stuart street home in June 1945, Mrs Purdie purchased a no longer extant home (assuming the street numbers have not been changed) at 485 George street, her elderly mother still residing with her. After the death of her mother (Mrs Mary Jane Duncan) at this address in 1949, Mrs Purdie travelled back to England in 1950, spending time visiting varous towns and historical sites of specific interest including some time around Devon and Cornwall, an area that appears to have been a personal favourite. She would usually spend a week in one place, taking busses and taxis to places of local interest. In Exeter she notes her "distress" at seeing the wartime bomb damage and while at Penzance in Cornwall, took "a passage by plane" to the Scilly Isles, noting landing on a small - and short - runway as "a great thrill". I admire her adventurous spirit.
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| "The Turk", One of Mrs Purdie's Favourite Pieces [Source : Dunedin Public Art Gallery] |
While retaining a number of "exquisite" antiques for her home, what she termed the "residue", she would, as previously noted, mourn the sale of the Castle, knowing that she would; "never again find such a perfect home for her collection". But in later years she still surrounded herself with a good many treasures, most having formerly been part of her much larger collection at Larnach Castle. These included one of her favourite pieces, a circa 1830 "Bloor Derby" bone china turbaned figure of "The Turk" sitting on a tasselled cushion with a hookah pipe. In 1977 she would gift this treasure to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. English porcelain had always been her favourite, stating that if she were to begin all over again, she would collect; "English porcelain in preference to Continental or Oriental". Derby china appears to have been a personal favourite.
Mrs Purdie also retained a magnificent Derby vase decorated with landscape paintings by the British watercolour Artist Percy(?) Robertson as well as the "Chelsea Derby" model of the "Venus Aphrodite" dated 1760-1770 which she purchased from a dealer on her 1925 trip and her companion, "Minerva", all being precious pieces in her collection. And not forgetting the mahogany Grandfather clock dated 1806 by Ritchie of Edinburgh, having been brought to Dunedin in 1853 on the 'Rajah' by John McGlashan, Treasurer of the New Zealand Company. We have of course already mentioned her magnificent Venetian chandelier which hung in a room furnished with a Sheraton mahogany table along with Chippendale and Sheraton chairs. But after the sale of Larnach Castle and over the ensuing years her collection would gradually be dispersed and there will, for those items not given to family, have been a further sale when, in her 90th year, she moved from her home into Mater Hospital, being just three years prior to her death.
A surprisingly woman in all respects, and apart from having a great interest in antiques, she was well known for her poetry recitals, a keen croquet player, a committed member of the Hanover Street Baptist Church, and additionally a member of many clubs and societies. A surprising fact about Mrs Purdie is that she was also; "an ardent follower of sport, in particular rugby and cricket".
Latterly, and when resident at Mater Hospital, she took it upon herself to acquaint other patients in the wards with the news of the day. And not forgetting that until the year of her death she retained the position of Honorary Curator of the Decorative Arts collection at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery (then located at Logan Park) where;
"...She was in the habit of making her point by prodding her interlocutors [someone in conversation] with her walking stick, sometimes taking them by surprise from behind having made a slow approach across the gallery's normally resounding floors, in her silent slippers."
And with her life experience, a confident and (I believe) rather independent nature, wide ranging interests, and a very sharp, inquisitive, and intelligent mind, I perceive that she would have quite capably held herself in any social situation.
While the late Jane Thomson noted Mrs Purdie's name when considering people for inclusion in "Southern People - A Dictionary of Otago Southland Biography" (possibly by nomination), she does not appear in the final published work. I believe Ms Thomson died suddenly around the time she was researching this work so aspects of her research may not have been pursued as they might otherwise have been.
The "Offerings" Interviews
Interviewed twice for the television programme called "Offerings", Mrs Purdie died just the day before the second interview was due to be screened, family consenting to it being broadcast as planned. In the first programme she speaks for some five minutes of both her "deep and abiding faith" and of her and her late husband's purchase and restoration of Larnach Castle. The second five minute interview is solely of a religious nature. Both interviews are held in the Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Archives but are unfortunately unable to be viewed online however it is worthwhile knowing that they actually exist.
Both Mr Purdie (burial) and Mrs Purdie (cremation) share a plot with Mrs Purdie's Duncan family in the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.
'To Let' - Ballroom Apartments
While it was not my self-imposed 'brief' to cover in detail the latter years of the Castle's history, elements of this story are very much in the public domain and also make for some rather interesting reading. How close, I wonder, were we from, in order to make the Castle pay its way, subdividing the Ballroom into apartments to be let as weekend cribs? Yes, even this drastic 'repurposing' had been a serious suggestion made by Mr Armstrong.
With war difficulties, his own ill-health, and with his wife refusing to live at the Castle, it is not surprising that Mr Armstrong sold up as early as February 1941 but for only £1,500 plus £300 for stock and plant. A display board in the Castle notes that;
"Armstrong had sold all the remaining items the Purdies had wanted kept with Larnach Castle, leaving an empty shell".
What these items and / or fittings were is unspecified but I found this reference quite intriguing as it really speaks volumes for the Purdie's respect for their beloved Castle and of William Larnach's legacy.
The afore mentioned and very interestying historical display boards at the Castle give a good visual and written account of the succeeding years in the Castle's varied and turbulent history and of subsequent owners. These are located on the enclosed second floor verandah on the right behind the front door and are easily missed if not pointed out as was the case with myself on one particular visit a couple of months back, promptly being given directions and quickly waved away to my left which necessitated a further visit some weeks later.
The Castle would unfortunately go on to suffer yet another sad, slow decline until 'saved' again by the Barker family in 1967. But as noted, I would seriously doubt this would have even been possible without the passion - and indeed deep pockets – of Mr and Mrs Jackson Purdie. Their good work certainly helped to ensure that the Castle would be sufficiently rehabilitated to then survive long enough to yet again find sympathetic and dedicated owners who were in it for the 'long haul', despite some cost to themselves.
I found it very interesting to note in Mrs Barker’s comprehensive book, “The Garden at Larnach Castle” [clickable link],that after selling the Castle, Mrs Purdie;
“…had refused to visit, appalled by the incompetence of subsequent owners and abject at seeing her cherished former home falling into disrepair.”
Obviously someone who set very high standards for herself and of others, her attitude evidently softened when she accepted Mrs Barker’s invitation to tea and with it, no doubt gaining an appreciation of the genuine interest and dedication of the new owners. Her intuitive perception that the Castle was again in good hands indeed proved to be correct.
Near Ruin
Quoted as “near ruin” in 1967, this was also, on Thursday the 31st August 1967, the first time I myself visited the Castle, my family arriving by taxi from Dunedin during a two and a half hour tour of the City and the Peninsula (which I note cost precisely $61.00). At this point the Barker's had owned the Castle for only six months. While I was too young to remember that much we certainly enjoyed the visit and to the extent that we returned exactly two years later on our next visit to Dunedin. I do recall observing exposed wooden battens where plaster had fallen from the ceiling and water stains down walls. This was no doubt a similar sight to what the Purdie’s had faced back in 1927.
And What of Castle Ghosts?
Being a large and old rambling mansion with a sad and tragic past (which I have not touched on as this is also rather outside my brief), the Castle is reputed to be haunted by not just Mr Larnach's ‘spirit’ but also by family members including his first wife Eliza (née de Guise) who tragically died at just 38 years of age. And after all, on the afternoon of Larnach’s death, had;
“a resident [not] heard the thunder of hooves and reputedly saw Larnach’s coach and four horses, driverless, career out of the Castle gates, through Pukekihi, along the High Road, and then turn across the hill to vanish over the high cliff”?
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| The Purdies' Niece, the Late Mrs Lorna Hormann, pictured in 2010, and at 99 years of age, with a precious album of Larnach Castle Memories. [Credit : The Press / Dean Kozanic] |
No Paranormal Activity & No Secret Closets
But perhaps a great disappointment to many readers, Mrs Lorna Hormann (née Duncan), a Granddaughter of Mr and Mrs Purdie, and who spent as much time as she could at the Castle, avowed that no paranormal activity was evident during their family ownership of the Castle let alone talked about. She expressed skepticism of Eliza’s ghost coming back to haunt the room where she had died stating emphatically, “Eliza would not want to go near that room”. Nor did she discover any “secret compartment”, despite “pressing bits of sculpture [carvings] in the hope a secret closet would suddenly open”. Lorna died in 2012 aged 101 and we are indeed lucky that her fascinating reminiscences of the Castle and of her beloved Uncle and Aunt were published not long before her death.
I do, however, like to think that Mr Larnach keeps a wary eye on his former home and those who come to visit and if he is not happy about something he will make his feelings known. Many years ago I recall reading the published story where the late Mr Barker related his experience of Larnach's perceived 'displeasure' until the original style of front door was re-instated. I believe old penny's were being hurled at the upper front bedroom window. Larnach does not, however, appear to have a problem with a modern electronic style push door buzzer, a no doubt necessary concession to modernity. And of course the unexplained events during the 1994 premier in the Ballroom of "Castle of Lies", and which guests thought were actually part of the performance, are well documented elsewhere.
It Must Still Pay Its Way
Despite the vicissitudes of the past century and a quarter William Larnach’s home, which is now administered by a Trust, is again well cared for, being greatly admired and appreciated by visitors from all corners of the world. It remains one of the, as oft noted, jewels in Dunedin’s crown. After many years of uncertainly, the Castle’s fortunes now appear rather more secure. But it must of course still earn its keep in order to help fund the very heavy cost of continuing maintenance on what is essentially a 153 year old building, ongoing sympathetic restoration work and improvements, and additionally, as in former years, also provides work, income, and security of employment for a large number of permanent and seasonal onsite staff. So why not plan a visit, support the Castle, view the interesting historical displays, sit and enjoy the period atmosphere (and the food) in the ballroom café, and immerse yourself in the now many layered history of this wonderful building and the extensive gardens?
https://www.larnachcastle.co.nz/
If you have enjoyed reading this Blog series please feel free to share it with anyone who may also find it of interest. I have often, and especially in this particular case, strongly felt that people want their stories told and I certainly hope that I have done Mr and Mrs Purdie (and of course Miss Burt) justice while being limited to the resources that were available to me. I am, however, hopeful that further information may yet emerge, having found this to be a not infrequent and often surprising occurrence in my Blog writing, especially when concerning people. I certainly felt particularly drawn to this story and could see early on that it would make for interesting reading and have very much enjoyed researching and writing the series, learning a great deal along the way.
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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)
