Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Six

The rear of Larnach Castle as it appeared pre-1935.
The detatched building at far right is the original dairy.
You can just make out the arched entrance to the "dungeon"
(actually used for wood storage for the fires)
[Credit : Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive]

This Continues my eight part Blog Series on the Purdie family and their ownership of Larnach Castle. This instalment covers the roller coaster years from 1937 to 1937 commencing with a leisurely European holiday, Mr Purdie's increasingly debilitating ill health, and ending with the now seemingly inevitable prospect of the Castle being demolished. While this is a rather long post, if you have been following this Blog from the beginning I am sure you will find it all very interesting. To Read the First Instalment in this series please click HERE.

[My apologies for missing this post last week. I had some considerable trouble with the online draft of this Blog (only) which had never happened to me before and unfortunately meant re-writing the greater part of it. I made much better than expected progress on a re-write and in fact this version is now more informative.]

The Purdie's Leave The Castle, March 1937

With the sale of the contents of the antiques gallery on the 25th February 1937 and the additional sale of farm equipment Mr and Mrs Purdie would vacate the Castle from the beginning of March 1937. Mrs Purdie (only) would now undertake an extended European holiday, and the fact that she would be travelling on her own is in fact noted in an advertisement for the Castle Antiques Gallery auction on the 13th February 1937. I also note that Mrs Purdie travelled on her own on a six month trip to Great Britain and the Continent in 1925. I think it says a great deal for Mr Purdie, and in fact for their marriage, that he was obviously content to allow his wife to travel away for quite extended periods of time to pursue her own interests. 

I do not know where Mr Purdie stayed during this period but may have moved into a place with his mother in law, Mrs Duncan, who lived with them. While dwelling extensively on the Purdie's own lives during this period, this Blog series is just as much about them as it is about Larnach Castle and their active and varied lives also makes for quite fascinating reading.

Mr Purdie's (Very) Busy Year

While I was surprised that Mr Purdie remained in Dunedin he kept himself exceedingly busy with a quite remarkable range of various business, group and Church activities. His year's activities tell us a great deal about his interests, his selfless nature, and without doubt his belief that he could make an active contribution in many areas of public and Church life in which he was actively involved and personally interested.

These ranged from being actively involved with the Baptist Church Men's Association and Sunday School (of which he was their Superintendent), the Waikouiti Early Settler's Assoaciation, a Croquet Club tournament, the Hanover Street Baptist Church Harrier Club Committee, the Automobile Association (Otago) for which he was an Executive Member, a member of the Young Men's Christian Association Directorate, managing and adding to his business and property portfolio (partly, in the case of the Leviathan Hotel purchase, on a syndicate basis), a meeting of the Port Chalmers Old Identities' Association, the 50th Jubilee of the South Dunedin Baptist Church, the 55th Annual Conference (held in Christchurch) of the Baptist Union of New Zealand, and being elected an Executive Member of the Dunedin Citizen's Association.

Health issues, of which we shall read more of shortly, do not appear to have been a factor in deciding to not accompany his wife on her travels. I can only imagine that he either held a general dislike of extended travel, or that he just did not enjoy travel to foreign shores, art, culture, and visiting historical sites in the same way that his wife did and much preferred, and in fact enjoyed, his active and busy business and personal life at home. Certainly, that he would later be "Ordered away for his health" indicates an unwillingness to travel extensively whereas Mrs Purdie obviously relished the opportunity. 

An Extended European Holiday

I am devoting part of this post solely to Mrs Purdie and her European journeys as these are really very interesting and also say something about Mrs Purdie's obvious passion for travel, the arts, and of history. And I now believe that one reason for travelling at this time was, as we shall read, specifically a desire to be in London for the "Coronation Season".

Mrs Purdie is reported to have departed Dunedin on Monday the 1st March 1937, "on an extended tour abroad". She would cross Cook Strait on the Union Steam Ship Company "Arahura" arriving in Wellington on the 2nd March then departed from there on the "Awatea" for Sydney the same day at 5pm. Interviewed by a Reporter upon arrival in Sydney, Mrs Purdie, “Who is on her way to England”, stated that while away she; “was hoping to find antiques suitable for her castle” which indicates that she still very much saw it as being her permanent home. She would then board the Orient Line "S.S. Orontes" on the 16th March on a voyage that would take her via Colombo (Ceylon) where she visited the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens at Kandy, Aden, the Suez Canal and Port Said, the Mediterranean, and thence across Europe to England so she may possibly have left the ship at the port of Naples.

A report confirms that; “Mrs J. Jackson Purdie of Dunedin, made a tour of the Continent before arriving in London on May 10. She was in Venice when Mussolini was there, and she was thrilled with the water pageant in his honour.” Noting “her journeyings through Italy”, the old City of Venice appears to have been a particular favourite and this would not in fact not be her first visit as she had purchased her carved fountain on a previous trip to Venice. 

A full and descriptive letter from Mrs Purdie would later be published under the heading, “A Night in Venice” which describes her impressions of the City as being “en fete” for the Water Pageant in honour of Mussolini with houses and palaces bedecked with flags, banners, and “priceless old tapestries” and with decorated gondolas and also floats carrying a band and singers. Mrs Purdie and an un-named travelling companion (as she refers to “we”) would hire a gondola and join the water procession up the Grand Canal. She writes that; “I am just as fond of Venice as ever; it is a very beautiful and interesting place.”

Mrs Purdie is noted as having had; “a discerning taste in the flower fashioned glass of Venice” and it was probably no accident that a branched Venetian Glass chandelier “interspersed with flowers of glass” would grace her home up until 1977. I even wonder if she had bought it on a visit to Venice.

While visiting Milan, Italy, Mrs Purdie would also attend “La Scala”, being the historic old Opera House in Milan where she, “enjoyed the singing”.

At the beginning of May Mrs Purdie happened to be in Heidelberg and witnessed a big procession there in honour of Hitler. Before travelling to London, she would also visit Holland where "she saw miles of tulips", and Paris where she also attended the Paris Opera.

Arriving in London in time for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Mary on the 12th May 1937; “Mrs Purdie had an excellent view of the Coronation procession from Apsley House [the home of the 5th Duke of Wellington], at Hyde Park corner, and now she is leaving for a few weeks' tour of England and Scotland. She has been one of the fortunate overseas visitors to receive invitations to some of the most interesting homes in the Mother Country. A great deal of hospitality is this season being extended to overseas visitors, and in Northampton she went to Courteenhall, the home of Sir Hereward and Lady Wake.”

Now into Spring, Mrs Purdie motored through England, being; “absolutely entranced with its fresh beauty [and] through the lanes of Cornwall and Devon, bordered by quaint old stone walls, literally covered with primroses, violets and bluebells was a sight never to be forgotten.”

Mrs Purdie is also noted as having visited “Chester to see the pageant, which was beautifully carried out and full of interest.”, and “saw both the [Military] tattoos, at Aldershot and Tidworth [being] very much struck by the perfection of the organisation [and] Her tours in Devonshire and Monmouthshire were much enjoyed, with their historic ruins and interesting churches.” A tour of Scotland would be made in late Spring but there is unfortunately no record of how extensive her travels here were.

A second visit to Cornwall in July; “discovered the wealth of summer wild flowers, the Cornish heather then making a brave showing.” A visit would also be made to Southampton where she inspected a “mercantile marine exhibition”.

Back in London, Mrs Purdie enjoyed a whirlwind round of visits to Theatres and the Opera including Covent Garden, Sadlers Wells, the Albert Hall, the “Old Vic”, Drury Lane, and even an open-air Shakespeare performance in Regents Park. Mrs Purdie notes that the Opera in Milan, Paris and London, “pleased her tremendously”. It would be on the 26th July 1937 that she attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace with King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, the Dowager Queen Mary, and all the Royals in attendance except the Princess Elizabeth who was suffering from a knee injury and forced to watch from a Palace window. This event would mark the formal end of the "Coronation Season".

While she found the London Caledonian Antiques Market “disappointing as compared with a former visit some years ago” she would be fortunate to have been in London for the Annual Antique Dealers’ Association Exhibition at Grosvenor House, receiving “an invitation to the private view[ing]. Here hundreds of rare pieces were shown and among the visitors was [the Dowager] Queen Mary, herself an ardent collector [of antiques].”

A tour of Ireland would conclude “a most enjoyable visit” to this part of the world.

Mrs Purdie would then depart England on the 25th September 1937, sailing again on the Orient Line “S.S. Orontes” with the advertised route being Southampton, Suez, Aden, Colombo and thence onto Australian ports. A few weeks would then be spent in Melbourne before joining the Union Steam Ship Company “T.S.S. Maunganui” for Port Chalmers via Milford Sound and Bluff, enjoying "excellent weather" before arriving home on the 29th November 1937, having been away a total of nine months.

Mrs Purdie's Illustrated Lectures

I would hope Mrs Purdie kept a travel diary, it would certainly make for fascinating reading. There are, as in former years, a number of published references to her giving talks and lectures to various groups on her travels including a "descriptive talk on her trip to the Coronation". But the most fascinating lecture would no doubt have been to the Otago Cine-Photographic Club in March 1938 where she showed half a dozen reels of cine film which would also confirm visits to some countries and areas not mentioned in the newspaper reports;

"The lecture, which took the form of a running commentary, consisted of some half dozen reels of film, the opening shots depicting scenes in some of the Australian cities" [assumedly Sydney and the usual Australian Ports of Call, being Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth], thence to Ceylon, through the Suez Canal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Holland, "and so to England, here numerous scenes of historic beauty were shown. Quite a few of the films had been taken in full natural colour, which greatly enhanced their beauty, but even the black and white subjects left nothing to be desired."

Having myself in former years also taken a considerable quantity of both silent and sound cine film (now mostly on my two UTube channels), I found the fact that Mrs Purdie filmed her trip; "on nearly a thousand feet of film" quite fascinating. Being a keen photographer, I would imagine that she also took a number of still photos. 

Mrs Purdie would in fact go on to give a number of illustrated talks using her travel films, all receiving very complimentary reviews. I have, however, had no contact with any Purdie family descendants and would have no idea if these now historic 87 year old films still exist or if she had placed them in an Archive but I would certainly hope so and that one day they may again see the light of day. Having in my last job discovered both black and white and colour home movie film taken just prior to WWII they were still perfectly viewable and able to be digitized. This also raises the intriguing possibility that Mrs Purdie may have taken other films, such as during their final years at the Castle.

A circa 1930's photo view of Larnach Castle.
Note the man rolling the front lawn.
[Source : From a period postcard view]

Mr & Mrs Purdie’s Return to the Castle

As to how long the Castle had been leased for is unclear but i'm guessing nine months which would be up till the end of November. The Castle would still be advertised as being open for public visits up until at least October 1937 including Sunday visits which would most definitely not have occurred had the Purdie's been back in residence. On the 3rd November 1937 "Country women" attending a recreation week organised by the Otago Provincial Council of the Women's Division of the New Zealand Federated Farmers' Union would be shown over the Castle and served morning tea but there is no reference to the hostess. 

Mr and Mrs Purdie appear to have returned to the Castle and were back in residence from at least December 1937. On the 7th December 1937 a letter was published under the heading; "A Tourist's Complaint" alluding to the lack of signage. The fact that the Castle may not then have been open to the public may have been a contributing factor here;

"Then, after arriving at Portobello, we wished to come back by the hill road, taking in Larnach's Castle en route, and even with a microscope I defy anyone to see which is the hill road, and if you are lucky enough to find it you are doubly lucky to find Larnach's Castle, as not the slightest indication is shown of its whereabouts. Still, we had a really wonderful view from the hilltop that was some compensation for missing the Castle".

On the 18th December 1937 I note a new advertisement for Larnach Castle which states that the Castle and cafe would now be open daily "except Sunday" which would clearly indicate that the Purdie's were back in residence. There is, however, no further mention of an Antiques Galley. The Castle furnishings had of course remained intact and clearly only items from the Gallery had previously been sold.

Their New Year holiday would be spent in Queenstown, with both Mr and Mrs Purdie staying at the historic Eichardts Hotel.

Mr and Mrs Purdie would then be noted as showing Engineer's Conference delegates round the Castle on the 22nd February 1938, and delegates to a Farmer's group conference on the 28th March 1938. But by this date regular advertisements for visits to the Castle had ceased. From May 1938 regular bus trips would be organized down the Peninsula including Broad Bay with, "Pleasant walks, including Larnach Castle". The "twenty minutes' walk" up the hill from Broad Bay to the Castle may have been the closest that the general public could now get to the property so from the complete lack of newspaper advertising I am assuming that there had only been a limited summer opening but groups would occasionally still be welcomed. 

On the afternoon of the 19th July 1938, Mr and Mrs Purdie would have the honour of hosting the renowned Hungarian tennis players Viktor Barna and Laszlo Bellak who were on a playing tour of New Zealand. But i'm sure that it would also have been the Purdie's who were equally entertained meeting and hosting these World renowned players. Along with her husband, Mrs Purdie was in fact also an avid sports follower.

On the 10th March 1939, the Purdie's were then reported to have entertained delegates and wives attending a "Municipal Conference" in Dunedin;

"Thursday afternoon was taken up with a drive down the high road to Larnach Castle, where Mr and Mrs J. Jackson Purdie made an excellent host and hostess, arranging for the visitors to he shown over their lovely home in small parties, so that the beautiful carvings and decorations could be fully enjoyed."

 Ordered Away For His Health

On the 15th April 1939, Mr and Mrs Purdie departed for Auckland thence by the "R.M.S. Aorangi" for the United States; 

"With hopes of visiting the San Francisco Exposition, Mr and Mrs J. Jackson Purdie, Larnach Castle, left Dunedin this morning for Auckland, where they will join the Aorangi en route for the United States. Mr Purdie, who has not been well for some time, has been ordered away for his health, and if sufficiently recovered will attend the Baptists’ World Conference, to be held at Atlanta, Georgia, accompanied by bis wife. They will be New Zealand’s sole representatives." 

Mr and Mrs Purdie departed Auckland on the 18th April 1939, sailing cabin class on the Union Steam Ship Company "R.M.S. Aorangi" with the advertised route being Suva (Fiji), Honolulu (Hawaii), then onto Vancouver. But transiting via Honolulu would sound rather more plausible in regards to climate, with regular Pan Am "Clipper" flights and passenger sea connections with the United States west coast ports.

Mrs and Mrs Purdie would arrive back in Auckland on the 21st August 1939 on board the Union Steam Ship Company "T.S.S. Monowai" with the ship's advertised route being Vancouver, Honolulu and Suva onto Auckland. There is no record of the Purdie's having attended the Baptist World Convention which would be held from the 22nd to 28th July 1939 but subject to Mr Purdie's health I do hope this had been possible. The social columns are decidedly scant on specific detail and only note that Mr and Mrs Purdie returned on the express to Dunedin on the 25th August 1939 after, "a short trip to America". 

Now In Failing Health

It was reported in 1939 that there had been 35,000 visitors to the Castle over the preceding six years. But these halcyon days in the Castle’s fortunes were now sadly again coming to an uncertain end. By 1939 Mr Jackson Purdie, and at only 60 years of age, was now in “failing health” due to developing Parkinson’s Disease and on medical advice, “compelled to live in the city”. In October 1939 Mr Purdie purchased a significantly more modest but still very nice residence at 5 Albert street, City. With the street name and numbers being altered around 1950 this property is now 305 Stuart street, being located between York Place and Cargill streets. Mrs Duncan, being Mrs Purdie's mother, would still reside with them. His condition had also forced Mr Purdie to reliquish the Superintendency of the Hanover Street Baptist Church Sunday School, a position he had held for a commendable thirty years and which will have been dear to his heart. 

Since Mr Purdie still preferred to drive himself up the steep and somewhat precipitous road to the Castle (despite, I note at least in former years, employing a Driver), I would imagine that Mrs Purdie concurred with the medical advice. The Castle would by now have become a worrying financial liability for Mr Purdie and which, he no doubt hoped, would not be left for his wife to deal with. Thus it would need to be disposed of – now at any cost.

Larnach Castle as it appeared in the early 1940's with a
circa 1939 American Packard car parked on the driveway
[From my own collection] 

Mr Purdie's Offer Again Refused

Mr Purdie would yet again offer the Castle to the Dunedin City Council, this time for the total sum of £5,000 (close to $600,000 in today’s values) which even at that figure represented a substantial loss to himself considering the considerable sums he had spent on it. But in straightened and uncertain financial times his offer would once again be refused. Noted Historian A.H. Reed states that some revenue was at least recouped from the sale of timber felled on the property but I believe Reed is referring to the whole period of ownership of the Castle by Mr Purdie rather than at any specific time period. 

The Otago Expansion League's Suggestion 

The 'Otago Expansion League' would now, and apparently not for the first time, take up the matter of the Castle's future. At their annual meeting on the 26th September 1939, their President, Mr H.M. Mackay spoke to assembled members; 

"Historic Larnach’s Castle at Highcliff was commended... as being worthy of consideration as a memorial of the Centenary of Otago in 1948. Mr Mackay said that visitors from all over the world were amazed at the magnificence and enterprise attached to this building, built, as it were, in the dark ages. What about the Otago centenary in 1948, he asked. With a scenic highway over the Peninsula to the castle, returning by the Harbour road, what better attraction could a city have for its visitors or its own people?

....Of the many thousands of people who had visited this historic edifice annually not one had come away disappointed, but rather with an everlasting feeling of wonder and admiration, not only for the enterprise of an early pioneer settler, but for the enterprise and initiative of Mr Purdie, who saved this landmark from destruction and re-established it at great personal expense. Now that health prevented him from living so far from town, the city and province was once more faced with the possibility of losing for all time this, one of the most, if not the most, interesting relics of the early days. 

The speaker [Mr Mackay] said he felt that there was ample justification for citizens to take this question up seriously by making provision for the future care of this historical landmark. The difficulty for the moment was to find a niche for this building as a public utility, and to help this end he had reason to believe that Mr Purdie would substantially assist. Mr Mackay commended the proposal to the League’s consideration for the 1948 Otago provincial centenary."

But sadly, without financial backing, the League could only advocate and advise but were otherwise powerless to act in any real capacity as far as the Castle's future was concerned.

The Otago Expansion League itself had originally been formed in 1911 (originally as the 'Dunedin Expansion League') to promote tourism within the Province of Otago but extending as far as Queenstown and Milford Sound, "which they saw as part of Otago's hinterland". 

It should come as no surprise that Mr J. Jackson Purdie, with his association with Larnach Castle as a tourist venue and considerable business abilities, would be elected an Executive Member of the League in July 1933. Mr Purdie would in fact also be elected a member of the wider "South Island League" in March 1933, which held similar but wider objectives than the more localized Otago League. 

Danger of Demolition

But with all offers refused, and perhaps in desperation, Mr Purdie would now consider taking drastic action. On the 10th October 1939 the “Auckland Star” ran an interview with by Mr J. Jackson Purdie regarding the Castle’s future with the headline, “Danger of Demolition” and that, failing any serious interest, he now intended demolishing the building and selling the valuable building materials it contained.

“The present owner of Larnach’s Castle, Mr. J. Jackson Purdie, says he is seriously considering demolishing the building. Mr. Purdie, acting on medical advice, has decided to live in the city, and he feels that he cannot afford to bear the upkeep of the castle or its grounds solely for members of the public to inspect the famous old building.”

"It has been my hope for some time that the city would acquire the castle and preserve it for all time as a museum piece. In fact, I have offered it to the council for £5000. I would like to see it turned into an old identities' museum, in which all the relics associated with Otago's past could be housed in the most suitable surroundings. Unless the city or some such body takes it over I shall be compelled to demolish the building and sell the valuable materials it contains."

“It comes as a great surprise to the tourist to come upon an old-world castle in such a young country, for Larnach's Castle was built on similar lines to the ancient castles of Scotland.… In the past six years no fewer than 35,000 people have visited the castle, and in this number have been hundreds of overseas tourists, who have been amazed to find an old world castle in such an unexpected place.”

Valuable Building Materials

The article goes on to describe the valuable building materials the Castle contained; 

"Materials for the castle were brought out from all corners of the world... Marble was imported from the richest quarries of Italy, slabs of stone were brought out from Aberdeen, almost priceless glass from Venice, and woods were collected from practically all the corners of the world. There are at least 16 different kinds of wood in the castle, including ebony, mahogany, teak, walnut, honeysuckle, cedar, ash, oak, and the native puriri and figured kauri. No expense was spared in obtaining the best materials and thousands of pounds of lead and cast-iron spouting were used.”

The Original "Pastry Kitchen" from Larnach's Day
[Source : The Otago Witness]

A Prior Demolition

It may be opportune to mention here that the Purdie's had already demolished a portion of the Castle. This was the former "Pastry Kitchen", an extension to the rear that had been added by Larnach shortly after the Castle's completion and was not on the original Architect's plan. This building had a "white marble shelf two inches thick all round it" and possibly a garage or open workshop under it. Mrs Barker states that the stone window sills from this building were repurposed as steps leading up to the central raised front lawn and the four no longer extant axis pathways that I mentioned in Part Three. Quite why this building was demolished I do not know other than to say that it must have been necessary, perhaps for structural reasons. You can see the lower doorway that led through to this building in the photo at the top of this page. This extension would later be rebuilt to a similar size, I assume after the Purdie's departed the Castle, but with a different window pattern and unfortunately without the original crenelations. As with the original, an open garage or storage area would be built on the lower level. 

What Will Seem Like Vandalism in the Future

Writing from Wellington on the 14th October 1939, and after having read of the Castle's impending demolition in "several New Zealand papers", one correspondent wrote; 

"Surely something should be done to keep this as a national memorial... Surely on the eve of our Centenary something could be done to make use of it as a museum or home of some kind. I hope that this matter will be taken up before our descendants have reason to regret what will look like vandalism in the future."

All Rights Reserved

To Be Continued 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 next 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)

-“The Garden at Larnach Castle” by Margaret Barker, 2006

- Larnach Castle Staff & Website https://www.larnachcastle.co.nz/

- McNab Room Collection & Librarian, Dunedin Public Library

- "Papers Past" [National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa]

- (Published) Recollections of Mrs Lorna Mortimer Hormann (née Duncan), 2010

- “The Press” Newspaper, Christchurch

- "The Otago Daily Times" 

- American Express “Insight” Magazine

- Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive (held by the writer)

- Te Papa Tongarewa / Museum of New Zealand

- National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

- Hocken Collections / Te Uare Taoka o Hākena

- Trove Newspaper Archive / The National Library of Australia

- "Treasures of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery" by Peter Entwisle, 1990

- Lemuel Lyes Photograph Collection (used with kind permission)

- Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Archives

- Images from my personal collection