Cultural Significance

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Registration considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Cultural/Social: The Brownlee homestead, through its size, finishing and location near the former Brownlee business, reflects the lifestyle enjoyed by successful provincial middle class entrepreneurs.

Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Registration considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. The Brownlee homestead was the domestic residence for many decades of the Brownlee family, originally of major local historical significance for its Marlborough timber-milling business and associated ventures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Physical Significance

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Registration considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Aesthetic: This large homestead stands in a commanding position overlooking Havelock Harbour. Many features of the original gardens remain, as well as the circular driveway. House, garden and setting form a distinct visual unit, arguably the most impressive in Havelock township, as befits the former home of its most important merchant. Architectural: The Brownlee homestead was built in 1893 of local timbers. The concrete foundations and piles were an innovative feature of the times. Outwardly, the house shows remarkable restraint for the home of a prosperous sawmiller and timber merchant: it is a plain, two-storey, centre-gutter villa, with a pleasant verandah encompassing the house on four sides, held up by graceful paired posts. The plainness of the exterior belies the rich ornamentation of the interior - splendid fireplaces, wallpapers, lamp-shades, and general fittings. The deliberate playing down of the ostentatious exterior values by a rich man is uncommon in large houses of the era.

Detail Of Assessed Criteria

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Registration considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. The following comments are made in relation to the criteria identified under S.23(2) of the Historic Places Act 1993. g) The technical accomplishment or value, or design of the place: The Brownlee homestead was designed by Richard Marshall, a Scottish architect who practiced at the time from Hereford Street, Christchurch. The house itself was built in 1893 of quality local timbers supplied, naturally, by William Brownlee himself. The design of the homestead reflects accurately, both in its design and specifications, the unpretentious pragmatism of William Ross Brownlee. The exterior reveals a plain, two-storey, centre-gutter villa, with a pleasant balcony-verandah encompassing the house on four sides, held up by graceful paired posts. The balcony was a later (1910) addition. The facades are symmetrical. The eaves cornice features a panelled frieze and paired moulded brackets. The exterior is clad in rusticated weatherboarding of red pine, and finished at angles with rusticated quoins (which have been removed from the upper storey). The upper windows are either paired or single square-headed, double hung sashes. The downstairs front windows are Venetian - a tripartite arrangement, with a large centre sash and two narrow flanking side lights. The main door is a solid feature with heavy raised panels. The sidelights and fanlights around the door feature obscured glass centres and cathedral glass margins of selected tints, as are as originally specified. An impressive feature of the fenestration is the staircase window set in an 8 by 4 foot frame; this is filled in variously with obscured figure centres, coloured margins and rosette corners, as well as stained-glass centres and figured margins of cathedral glass. There are panelled original doors on the south elevation and at the back of the house. The concrete foundations and piles were an innovative feature for the times. The plainness of the exterior belies the rich ornamentation of the interior. International cultural influences are in evidence in the splendid tiled marble and faux fireplaces, wall papers, lamp-shades, the painted and gilded finishing work in doors and ceilings, and in the general fittings. There are specific decorative references to William Ross Brownlee and his Scottish birthplace; his initials are painted on the ceiling of the drawing room (the former dining room) and Scottish thistles are incorporated into the ceiling rose of the room. j) The importance of identifying rare types of historic places: The interior features of the house are rare. Conservation architect Stephen Cashmore states (in a letter included with the nomination form) that "In my view, the inside of the house is exemplary of the art of stencilled decoration and painted effects. It is the most highly decorated and skilfully executed example of this form of Victorian decoration I have yet seen in New Zealand". Conclusion: The Brownlee homestead, Havelock, is recommended for registration as a Category I as a place of special and outstanding historical and cultural heritage significance and value. The building is historically significant as the home of sawmiller William Brownlee. It also has architectural and aesthetic significance featuring particularly rare interior decoration.