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| Larnach Castle at it appeared pre-1935. Part of Mrs Purdie's Rock Garden appears in the foreground along with a small "German Dwarf". Note also the carving on a plinth behind. [Credit : Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive] |
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.
Mrs Purdie's Garden Installations
Today we shall explore how Mrs Purdie's vision, and that of her Head Gardener, Mr Ira Vincent Thornicroft (b. Dunedin 1903, d. Gwelup, Western Australia 1984, aged 81), created a beautifully laid out Victorian style garden to grace the Castle and which would be greatly admired and enjoyed by so many visitors during the 1930's. And also which elements of her beloved garden are still evident today. I would stress that this is not a definitive description (i'll leave that to Mrs Barker) but rather a general overview of some historical features including specific detail I have noted in photographs and which I believe are worth highlighting.
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| Mrs Laura Purdie, Taken 25 Dec 1927 [Credit : Mrs L. Hormann] |
Mrs Purdie herself is also noted as having been “an avid gardener” and laid out the gardens “in the Victorian style”. Her legacy and vision, and that of her Head Gardener, Mr Thornicroft, can still be viewed today in the rockery (only part of which appears in the top photo), now being known as the “lost rock garden”, and having been “the pride and joy of both it’s creator and owner”. After the Purdie’s departed it would became neglected, overgrown and quite literally 'lost', only being rediscovered after Mr Thornicroft paid a visit many years later and alerted the Barker’s to its existence, then being hidden by a 'jungle' of trees and undergrowth. The said rockery had also contained a “bridge, pond, grotto, and stream”, of which there was now no visible evidence. So, all in all, very hidden indeed.
Their niece, Mrs Lorna Hormann recalled that Mr Purdie employed men from his Castle Street wood and coal company to help move the rocks to form the rockery which would cover a third of a hectare. There was a union strike but since they needed money for their families, Mr Purdie discreetly trucked them up to the Castle where they agreed to work without being seen. I believe Mr Purdie, with his strong Christian values and hospitable nature would, like William Larnach, have been a fair and respected employer.
Larnach himself is remembered as “an
honourable man” and is in fact known to have been exceedingly kind and generous
to his workmen. I even noted that he had acted as Witness for a Groomsman's marriage, signing his name in the Peninsula Presbyterian Parish Marriage Register. Hardly, at least in regards to his staff, the “arrogant and autocratic” man that Historian Hardwicke Knight sadly avers he would become later in life.
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| Mrs Purdie's Goldfish Pond & Italian Fountain, Taken pre-April 1934 [Credit : Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive] |
Another inspired garden installation created by the Purdie’s is a raised Italianate style circular front lawn with a central goldfish pond. Mrs Hormann recalled that her Aunt purchased the still extant single tier marble fountain for the pond while on a trip to Venice while Mrs Barker additionally states that it specifically came from Pisa. The fountain, which now creates an elegant water feature, actually went missing in transit to New Zealand and never turned up. Apparently “years later” it was spotted by a friend – all wrapped up, correctly labelled, and for whatever reason – sitting in a Sydney shipping warehouse. It had assumedly been off-loaded for trans-shipment but then simply overlooked and somehow forgotten. If you've read my Blog on the much travelled 'unkucky' Tokomairiro Presbyterian Church bell you will know that much stranger things have indeed occurred.
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| A close-up of the Italian Fountain. The "Ibis" and "Frog" are highlighted. Taken pre-April 1934 [Credit Miss MTL Watson / Genfram Image Archive] |
The fountain was then, no doubt with some relief, sent on the final leg of its journey and installed where it remains to this day. I note that is has, however, since lost the small round circular carved acanthus finial above the upper fountain trough just under where the water was ejected. I personally think it maybe looks better without it but it does appear to be a traditional feature of such fountain design. Mrs Purdie also placed a carved ibis and frog in the goldfish pond beside the fountain, the Ibis noted as being repaired by the new owners in 1945, but sadly, neither feature are extant today. A 1937 visitor refers to the "fish pond" so it would definitely appear to have then contained goldfish.
A no longer extant feature on the raised front lawn were four defined pathways, roughly on a north, west, south and east axis which extended from still extant side steps and joined a central pathway around the fish pond. But far from being pebble pathways, they look decidedly stoney and were possibly stone chips from past building work, so perhaps not exactly comfortable to walk across in light footwear. These pathways, which you can just see a portion of in the upper pond photo above, unfortunately appear to have disappeared by the 1940's, possibly for ease of lawn maintenance. Together with the still extant pond and fountain, the pathways were a quite striking feature of the front lawn design. You will be able to see a good framed photo of the original front lawn design hanging in the corridor leading to the Castle ballroom café.
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| One of Mr Purdie's "German Dwarfs" [Credit : National Library of New Zealand] |
Another no longer extant but rather intriguing feature of Mrs Purdie's garden were a number of "German Dwarfs", most, I gather decorating a "Little Rockery". And did you spot the one hiding in the "Lost" Rock Garden in the very top photo? This larger one with a peaked drooping hat is positioned beside the entrance to the entrance to the Ballroom corridor and basement level of the Castle. I note that this same dwarf also appears in the late 1920's photo of the Castle I featured in Part Two of this series so had been a long-term and intriguing guardian silently greeting guests entering the ballroom and café corridor, then being the only public access from the garden.
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| A 1930's Photo of the Garden Pergola [Credit : "The Ordeal of William Larnach, 1981] |
The elegant etched glass cupola in the Castle gardens is of great historical interest. Mrs Purdie herself confirms that "the little round summer house in the grounds" was her inspiration and that the dome, being of "french glass", came from the "Paloona, one of the Union Steam Ship Company vessels". In her memoirs, her niece Mrs Hormann also speaks of it, stating that it had stood above the saloon in what she termed; “Mrs Purdie’s favourite ship”.
This was in fact originally the former Huddart Parker Line 2771 ton triple expansion steam ship “Zealandia” (built 1899 in Dundee) which, in 1908, was purchased by the Union Steam Ship Company and then re-named “Paloona”. Described as a “stately” vessel, the "Paloona" then served the Company on the Trans-Tasman, Inter-Island and Pacific routes until laid up at Port Chalmers in 1922. It would be during her service with the company that Mrs Purdie came to know the vessel. The 1899 "Zealandia" should however not be confused with earlier sailing vessels of the same name. While referred to as from a "sailing ship" in a Castle information handout I note that it has been correctly attributed to the "Paloona" on one of their information boards and additionally, is also correctly attributed to the "Zealandia" / "Paloona" in the Heritage New Zealand website entry.
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| The restored Cupola as is appears today. Note the gold painted finial. [From my own collection] |
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| "Princess Charlotte" (and other objects) which Mrs Purdie placed under the Cupola, c.1929-1930 Note also the croquet hoops at left rear. [Credit : Te Papa Tongarewa] |
Mrs Purdie would, after the installation of her "Summer House", add decorative items with a distinct nautical theme. Under the dome, Mrs Purdie placed, as confirmed by Mrs Hormann, a ship's figurehead of “Princess Charlotte” with a date of "1821" on a plaque. After the Purdie’s temporarily left the Castle in March 1937 this same figurehead would purportedly be found dumped in Otago Harbour before being duly returned but I have no further details of this incident. The bust is at least confirmed to have still been under the dome after the Purdie's departure, being noted by an Australian traveller who, with some difficulty, had arranged a visit to the Castle with a Larnach family member just the day after the property was temporarily leased.
“Princess Charlotte” would refer to Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) and daughter of George, Prince of Wales and Prince Regent (later King George IV). As to the provenance of the figurehead; "It was an effigy of Princess Charlotte and as far as [Mrs Purdie] could ascertain came from the Royal Navy frigate Princess Charlotte, built in 1821 and destroyed by fire in the Far East some years later".
The vessel Mrs Purdie refers to was in fact launched in September 1825 and knowing that; "His Royal Highness the Prince of Cobourg [sic Coburg]" (Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, being the late Princess Charlotte's former husband) desired to perform the ship's christening ceremony in memory of his late wife at least confirms the correct attribution to the afore-mentioned "Charlotte".
But I now seriously believe that the figurehead is not actually from the 1825 "HMS Princess Charlotte". Firstly, it does not match the detailed description of the figurehead given in the "Hampshire Chronicle" after her launching. And secondly, Maritime Historian Stephen Davies, writing in the 2022 journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, not only tells us that the figurehead was removed from the ship in Hong Kong before being towed to Canton (now Guangzhou) for scrapping in 1875, but that it was still extant in Hong Kong in 1933. He even provides a grainy photograph of the said figurehead which is disimilar to Mrs Purdie's and more closely matches the description given in 1825. All Mrs Purdie could otherwise tell us about it was that, "the figurehead had been purchased by her about 1928".
Unfortunately I can find no other vessels (naval, merchant or passenger) by this name with a specific launch date of "1821" and we only have Mrs Purdies belief (no doubt having been told at purchase) that it was specifically a Royal Navy vessel which we can now, I believe, consider as totally erroneous. The figurehead's true provenance unfortunately appears to have truly been lost in the mists of time.
As to the fate of this object, in 1952 Mrs Purdie gifted it to the "Sea Scouts", having obviously kept it after the 1940 sale of the Castle and most of the contents. In 1965 the figurehead would again (assuming the first reference is correct) suffer another 'dunking' in Otago Harbour having; "been removed from a store at the rear of the cadet training ship, Waireka, and thrown into the water by intruders." It was found and safely returned. I am currently trying to ascertain if the Navy Cadet Unit still retain the said figurehead and will update this entry if further information comes to hand. But needless to say, the original origins of the figurehead now requires further detailed research which may still elicit something.
As to the other two objects, one is an; "Old Cannon Ball Found on Otago Peninsula Date Unknown" for which I have no further information as to its current whereabouts, and the other object is a small cannon which has a most fascinating history. I will be featuring this historical artefact in Part Four. Note, however, the old decorative wooden lath pergola at the rear in its original position beside the glasshouse, having been erected here in Larnach's day.
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| "The Duchess" (highlighted), shown in a circa 1940's photo [Credit : Used with the kind permission of Lemuel Lyes] |
In the gardens today, there is still the small but well-known bust of “The Duchess” which sits on a plinth fronting the driveway, being a character drawn by artist John Tenniel in 1865 for Lewis Carroll’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. According to Mrs Barker, this garden feature, including one of the Knave of Hearts, were both installed during the ownership of the Purdie family in the 1930's and "The Duchess" can certainly clearly be seen in the above circa early 1940's photo.
Two yew trees on the lawn fronting the
ballroom were also, according to Mrs Barker, planted by Mrs Purdie.
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| The old Lath Trellis Pergola as viewed from the domed cupola. Taken circa 1929-1930 [Credit : Te Papa Tongarewa] |
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| Larnach's Glasshouse with Decorative Gable Ends. Only the central wall and bases survive today. [Credit : "The Ordeal of William Larnach, 1981] |
So overall a number of features and improvements which formed both William Larnach's and Mrs Laura Purdie’s vision for the gardens are incorporated in and add historical layered elements to the very considerable work undertaken by Mrs Barker since 1967. The seven acres of maintained gardens are now rated by the New Zealand Gardens Trust as a Garden of International Significance. Mrs Purdie would surely have been delighted that her beloved garden continues to not just delight visitors but has continued to evolve and expand. I do recommend Mrs Barker's comprehensive publication; "The Garden at Larnach Castle" (clickable link) and which includes many snippets of history which I have only touched on here.
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| The "Monster Garden Party" held at the Castle, Saturday 11 October1930 |
The 1930 "Monster Garden Party"
Notably, on Saturday the 11th October 1930, Mr and Mrs Purdie
would generously host a “Monster Garden Party” under the auspices of the
Baptist Church Union during their 48th annual conference in Dunedin,
with delegates attending from all parts of New Zealand. With admission to the
grounds by private car or taxi reduced to one shilling (or two shillings and
sixpence by bus from Dunedin), the Anderson’s Bay Orchestra would play on the
lawn, while delegates could join “specially conducted” tours of the Castle and
up to the tower for an extra two shillings and sixpence with a visit to the
Ballroom Antique Gallery reduced to just sixpence. Full catering was provided.
Providing a wonderful venue, upwards of 700 to 800 guests were entertained with
the whole of the proceeds, being £80.0.0 being donated towards Conference
expenses. I gather, from the published recollections of Mrs Lorna Hormann, that local Baptist Church
picnics in the grounds were also held quite regularly.
We shall now enter into some increasingly uncertain, and indeed turbulent, years in the Castle's many layered history.
This eight part Blog series featuring the Purdie family and their ownership of the Castle follows a more or less consecutive timeline through the highs and lows for this period. Please click HERE to read the next instalment.
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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