The house at 15 Gordon Terrace, Matamata was built in 1916 for local farmer and politician James Frederick Vosper (1872-1948). The large farmhouse, now a private rest home (Rawhiti Lodge Care), was designed by prominent Waikato architect Frederick Charles Daniell and is a representative example of a corner bay villa. The Vosper family had strong community and political ties with the developing town of Matamata and the former farmhouse remains an important feature of Matamata’s townscape.
The house is built upon Section 14 from the 1904 settlement ballot, which was allocated to Frederick Herbert Good. Vosper purchased the farm on Waharoa Road East, Matamata in 1914. Originally a farmer in Taranaki, Vosper sold his farm and left the district in 1911. Vosper and his brother, Alfred Cleave Vosper (1867-1949), were probably the first to bring a herd of jersey cows to Matamata. The Vosper farm was prosperous, producing award-winning jersey heifers, bulls and calves. Vosper was the founding president of the Matamata Jersey Breeders Club which was formed in September 1921. Involved in the development of early Matamata, Vosper was a commissioner of the first Town Board from July 1917 to April 1920 and September 1924 to September 1926.
The 1916 farm homestead is a single-storey, corner angle bay villa, originally with five bedrooms, three living rooms, a large foyer and three verandahs. The house was constructed with a timber frame and a corrugated iron roof. Exterior features include lavish decorative fretwork and brackets, a tied verge board, finial gable ends and a pediment over the main entrance. The Vosper family planted numerous trees and created attractive gardens which were the location for many garden parties held by the local Methodist Women’s fellowship. Access to the property was via a long tree-lined driveway off Waharoa Road East. The house was designed by architect Frederick Charles Daniell (1879-1953), who established a practice in Hamilton in 1908. Daniell was a prominent architect in the Waikato region and buildings such as Wesley Chambers (1924) and St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (1914) in Hamilton are examples of his work.
In 1961 a fire burnt approximately half of the house and the exterior was restored as closely as possible to the original. In 1984 it was purchased for use as a private rest home facility, which it remains today. Various alterations have been made to the property, including relocation of the driveway and significant extensions in the 1980s and 1990s.
The house is built upon Section 14 from the 1904 settlement ballot, which was allocated to Frederick Herbert Good. Vosper purchased the farm on Waharoa Road East, Matamata in 1914. Originally a farmer in Taranaki, Vosper sold his farm and left the district in 1911. Vosper and his brother, Alfred Cleave Vosper (1867-1949), were probably the first to bring a herd of jersey cows to Matamata. The Vosper farm was prosperous, producing award-winning jersey heifers, bulls and calves. Vosper was the founding president of the Matamata Jersey Breeders Club which was formed in September 1921. Involved in the development of early Matamata, Vosper was a commissioner of the first Town Board from July 1917 to April 1920 and September 1924 to September 1926.
The 1916 farm homestead is a single-storey, corner angle bay villa, originally with five bedrooms, three living rooms, a large foyer and three verandahs. The house was constructed with a timber frame and a corrugated iron roof. Exterior features include lavish decorative fretwork and brackets, a tied verge board, finial gable ends and a pediment over the main entrance. The Vosper family planted numerous trees and created attractive gardens which were the location for many garden parties held by the local Methodist Women’s fellowship. Access to the property was via a long tree-lined driveway off Waharoa Road East. The house was designed by architect Frederick Charles Daniell (1879-1953), who established a practice in Hamilton in 1908. Daniell was a prominent architect in the Waikato region and buildings such as Wesley Chambers (1924) and St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (1914) in Hamilton are examples of his work.
In 1961 a fire burnt approximately half of the house and the exterior was restored as closely as possible to the original. In 1984 it was purchased for use as a private rest home facility, which it remains today. Various alterations have been made to the property, including relocation of the driveway and significant extensions in the 1980s and 1990s.
House (Former) | Fiona Low | 01/10/2013 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
House (Former) | Fiona Low | 01/10/2013 | Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
