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 1939 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.
The Purdie's Leave The Castle, March 1937
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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;
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.
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."
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;
“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.”
The Original "Pastry Kitchen" from Larnach's Day [Source : The Otago Witness] |
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."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)
No comments:
Post a Comment