Huntley House: New Zealand's Scottish and English heritage celebrated.

(Heritage Matters, Spring 2005)

Style, grandeur, charm and character abound in New Zealand's finest historic homes. Alas, many have fallen victim to the bulldozer. A few have been lovingly restored, sometimes taking on new public roles.

Huntley House, in Yaldhurst, in the west of Christchurch, is a grand old family home now converted into a boutique hotel.

The Reverend Octavius Mathias, who arrived in New Zealand in 1851, bought the land on which the house now stands, but never lived there.

The home was built in 1876 for John Twentyman, an ironmonger and saddler who owned a hardware business in Cathedral Square. Twentyman served on the committee of the Canterbury Bible Society and was described as "a glutton for moral uplift", and "a man of the strictest honor and integrity and unselfishly kind".

Ample bedrooms housed the large family, and there were extensive gardens. Designed in the highly popular Gothic Revival architectural style, the house featured ornate double verandas and bargeboards. Construction was solid timber, mostly kauri and rimu, together with Australian hardwood.

Twentyman lived there for only three years, before selling to George Holmes, famous for building the Lyttelton Tunnel.

Unfortunately, Holmes didn't get to enjoy his new home for long, and died only four months after he bought it, on September 21, 1877.

He left the property to his brother John, a Canadian politician. John moved to New Zealand and named the homestead Huntley House, after his hometown in Ontario.

John lived for only two years after his brother and died on the same day of the same month, September 21, 1879.

The property stayed in the family until 1941, before being sold to new owners. At one stage it served as a pony club.

When John Reid moved here in 1971, he found the house in remarkably original condition. For the next quarter-century Huntley House was a family home.

Reid made a few initial changes. The front door and uneven windows looked out of place, so he replaced them with more elegant and harmonious looking French doors. Instead of having the front door on the north side, guests now enter from the driveway at the rear of the house.

In the 1990s, he subdivided part of the property for houses. However, with about a hectare of grounds, the gardens are still impressive. Trees include towering redwoods, oaks, elms, an Atlantic Cedar, and big old rhododendrons and camellias.

Reid was determined to retain the sylvan setting of the property. "A big home looks ridiculous on a tiny little section."

Then, as the new millennium dawned and with his five children all grown up, Reid decided it was time for a new venture. In a massive renovation project, he has modernized the home, turning into upmarket accommodation, while preserving and enhancing its historic character.

In 2004, Christchurch firm Stewart Ross Team Architecture designed two new two-storey accommodation units, comprising 10 suites. The builders were AMC Construction. Despite the use of solid concrete block, timber cladding and the verandas perfectly match the original house. At first glance, the visitor is hard pressed to tell which part of Huntley House is old and which is new.

"We wanted it to be sympathetic," says Reid.

Other structural changes have created extra space, including a spacious dining room.

The number of upstairs bedrooms was reduced from six to five, so that each one could an en suite bathroom. All have classic-style fittings.

One room, The Cabin, has a nautical theme. Pictures of storm-tossed ships, a mahogany bunk, and even a porthole, appeal to children.

Oil-fired central heating, gas fires and under floor heating are modern and thoroughly welcome features. Historic character is fine, but there is no need for residents or guests to endure the rigors of an icy climate experienced by the early pioneers.

Reid has relished decorating the house with a Scottish flavour, celebrating his family heritage. His ancestor Donald Reid arrived from Scotland in 1849. He gained success as a farmer, a hardy pioneer with a gritty determination to succeed in this new southern land. He later became Minister of Public Works, Crown Lands and Emigration. He also helped develop the railways and founded stock and station agency Donald Reid and Company - later Reid Farmers.

Wife Frances shared Donald's enthusiasm. Their nine children inherited a love of history, and also a passion for collecting fine furniture and art.

Many of these pieces have been given pride of place at Huntley House. Other antique furniture comes from Holliday and Sons, in Christchurch.

Portraits of Donald and Frances gaze down from the wall of the drawing room.

Feltex made the tartan carpet in the bar and billiard room. The tartan is that of the Clan Donnachaidh, of which Reid is part.

The timber bar was made from recycled timber recovered from the former Dalgety's building in Cathedral Square.

Another Scottish touch are the heads of two Highland Cattle beasts (a "Heeland Coo" and a champion bull, Monarch of Trelissick) on the wall of the billiard and conference room - another new addition on the east side. Reid founded a successful Highland Cattle Stud quarter of a century ago.

The billiard table was made by Lutjohann and Co., of Christchurch.

Solid oak parquet flooring welcomes guests in the entrance hall. Décor throughout reflects classic elegance. Pink and green silk fabrics and floral green wallpaper combine with the rich lustre of timber-lined walls.

Local craftsmen made the new leadlight panels on either side of the front door. The huge marble fireplace in the dining room is also new. A beautiful American-made harp comes into its own during musical soirees.

Sumptuous curtains, made from imported English fabrics, ornate chandeliers and gilded timber doors by artist Kate Woodley all capture a gracious age of good living.

Reid says converting the house - which is far too gargantuan for a single person or a couple living alone - into a boutique hotel makes sense. "It's a way to give life to an old building. I enjoy meeting visitors from all parts of the word. People are always interested in the history."

Information: www.huntleyhouse.co.nz

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