These men’s quarters were built for gentleman farmer John Reid at Elderslie Estate in the Waiareka Valley in North Otago. They are architecturally and historically significant for their association with John Reid and his grand and picturesque Elderslie Estate. They are one of a number of buildings associated with the former estate.

Scottish-born Reid came to New Zealand in 1863. For ten years he was in business in Dunedin before retiring to Elderslie. The estate was large – over 17,000 acres. Reid and his family lived one of the three homesteads. Reid was a pioneering stock breeder and involved in the new frozen meat trade. Reid had the S.S. Elderslie built in 1883 for the London market.

Elderslie, like its neighbour Windsor Park, was one of the ‘great properties’ of the Waitaki region. Reid built the first part of his grand house in 1868. He made additions in 1874. He developed a large park – with exotic trees and artificial lakes – around the house. The house’s setting was described as ‘unsurpassed in New Zealand’. Reid built a group of buildings to support the working of the estate: a two-storey Oamaru stone woolshed and yards, men’s quarters, and stables (a Category 2 historic place, Register No. 2420).

Elderslie Estate was subdivided in 1900 in accordance with government policy to break up the big estates. Eleven thousand acres of land at Elderslie were opened up for settlement.

New men’s quarters were built in 1908. Plans show that they had ten bedrooms upstairs, and a bedroom, office and sitting room downstairs. The building had concrete piles, rimu framing and cladding. The plans show the building to be 44ft by 21 ft (13.5 by 6.4m). The ablutions were in a separate building, as was the cookshop. The cookshop was demolished in 2000.

John Reid died in 1912. Reid’s obituary recalled how important the Elderslie was to North Otago and Reid’s role in business. His wife Elizabeth died in 1924.

In 1932 Ken Austin moved from Australia to take over the management of the Elderslie racing stud for the Reid family, who stood Phar Lap’s sire Night Raid. Austin was a key figure in New Zealand’s thoroughbred breeding industry. He co-founded the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association. He had visited regularly as an auctioneer at the Trentham Yearling Sales and helped set up the first New Zealand national yearling sales. Austin founded the Inglewood Stud property in North Canterbury in 1938.

Elderslie was sold to James Rutherford in 1940. The grand homestead became a furnished guest house and later a cabaret. Elderslie Homestead was destroyed by fire on 14 November 1957, leaving the coach house, stables and men’s quarters to recall Reid’s expansive estate. The stone gates were donated to Centennial Park in Oamaru and the Gazebo is to be found in the Oamaru Public Gardens (Category 2 historic place, Register No. 7150).

The men’s quarters have been altered. An internal staircase, bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms were added, probably in the 1980s.

In 2013 Elderslie is a private residence and also welcomes visitors for functions and for historic home tours.