The little stone library at Taitapu, situated in parklike grounds, has been described as an 'architectural gem'. It was designed by architect Cecil Wood (1878-1947), who also designed the adjacent St Paul's Anglican Church. A library was first established at Taitapu in the early 1880s when a wooden building was erected on land donated by Robert Rhodes. Rhodes and his brother had subdivided some of their Ahuriri run in 1875 to form the township of Taitapu but it was Rhodes' son Heaton (1861-1956) who became closely associated with the town. He provided the town with a domain, new church (St Paul's), and war memorial. Described as the 'squire of Taitapu', Sir R. Heaton Rhodes also donated the land for the new library, while the funding for the building came from the sale of bulbs by Rhodes' head gardener, Alfred Ernest Lowe (1851-1924).
Lowe had trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew before immigrating to New Zealand and specialised in the cultivation and hybridisation of narcissi. Rhodes supported him in this interest. Rhodes and his wife, Jessie, helped Lowe with hand-pollination during the 1890s and by the 1920s they had established New Zealand's pre-eminent daffodil collection. During the early 1920s Lowe and Rhodes decided to put aside the money raised from the sale of narcissi bulbs and prize money won at flower shows to fund the construction of a new library for Taitapu. By the time Lowe died in 1924 the fund stood at just over £1,000. At the opening of the library in 1932, the Governor-General Lord Bledisloe commented: 'I have never before heard of flowers being converted by realisation, into a home for the flowers of literature - it is a most ingenious and delightful idea'. Bledisloe's visit to Tai Tapu to open the library was the first visit by a governor-general to the town and he and his wife donated two parcels of books to the library.
The architect of the library, Wood, had been influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement occurring in England during his time there. Both the library and neighbouring St Paul's, which was also opened in 1932, reflect this influence through their scale, their association with the surrounding landscape and their use of local materials. Both buildings utilise the distinctive reddish stone quarried from Otahuna, and had tiled roofs. So successful was Wood in conveying the feeling of vernacular England architecture that Bledisloe said at the opening that it was difficult for him to realise that he was not at home in Gloucestershire.
The library is a simple rectangular single-storey building, with a gabled entrance porch located in the centre of the front facade. A wooden ventilator is located on the roof directly above the porch. Under the gable is a stone plaque with the name of the library, the date of its opening and two groups of daffodils carved on it. It is possible that this was carved by the noted local carver Frederick Gurnsey, who often worked with Wood and had just been engaged in the carvings for St Paul's Church.
The building was lit by leadlight casement windows. At the time the library opened it consisted of one main room and two smaller rooms. These are panelled in rimu, the same timber from which the furniture was made. Both water and electricity were laid on and fireplaces installed at either end of the main room. The stone wall surrounding the library was built at the same time and from the same Otahuna stone.
Today the Tai Tapu Library continues to function as a small library. It is closely associated with Sir Heaton Rhodes, politician, landowner and philanthropist, and also with his head gardener, Alfred Lowe. The use of the Otahuna daffodils to raise funds for the library is an acknowledged part of the estate's history, with funds raised from the flowers and 'Daffodil Days' also being donated to various good causes around the region. The building itself is a fine example of Wood's Arts and Crafts-influenced architecture and, alongside St Paul's, shows how effectively he could design both secular and sacred buildings in the same materials but to quite different ends. His little red library, set in verdant surroundings, remains a distinctive part of Tai Tapu's townscape.
Lowe had trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew before immigrating to New Zealand and specialised in the cultivation and hybridisation of narcissi. Rhodes supported him in this interest. Rhodes and his wife, Jessie, helped Lowe with hand-pollination during the 1890s and by the 1920s they had established New Zealand's pre-eminent daffodil collection. During the early 1920s Lowe and Rhodes decided to put aside the money raised from the sale of narcissi bulbs and prize money won at flower shows to fund the construction of a new library for Taitapu. By the time Lowe died in 1924 the fund stood at just over £1,000. At the opening of the library in 1932, the Governor-General Lord Bledisloe commented: 'I have never before heard of flowers being converted by realisation, into a home for the flowers of literature - it is a most ingenious and delightful idea'. Bledisloe's visit to Tai Tapu to open the library was the first visit by a governor-general to the town and he and his wife donated two parcels of books to the library.
The architect of the library, Wood, had been influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement occurring in England during his time there. Both the library and neighbouring St Paul's, which was also opened in 1932, reflect this influence through their scale, their association with the surrounding landscape and their use of local materials. Both buildings utilise the distinctive reddish stone quarried from Otahuna, and had tiled roofs. So successful was Wood in conveying the feeling of vernacular England architecture that Bledisloe said at the opening that it was difficult for him to realise that he was not at home in Gloucestershire.
The library is a simple rectangular single-storey building, with a gabled entrance porch located in the centre of the front facade. A wooden ventilator is located on the roof directly above the porch. Under the gable is a stone plaque with the name of the library, the date of its opening and two groups of daffodils carved on it. It is possible that this was carved by the noted local carver Frederick Gurnsey, who often worked with Wood and had just been engaged in the carvings for St Paul's Church.
The building was lit by leadlight casement windows. At the time the library opened it consisted of one main room and two smaller rooms. These are panelled in rimu, the same timber from which the furniture was made. Both water and electricity were laid on and fireplaces installed at either end of the main room. The stone wall surrounding the library was built at the same time and from the same Otahuna stone.
Today the Tai Tapu Library continues to function as a small library. It is closely associated with Sir Heaton Rhodes, politician, landowner and philanthropist, and also with his head gardener, Alfred Lowe. The use of the Otahuna daffodils to raise funds for the library is an acknowledged part of the estate's history, with funds raised from the flowers and 'Daffodil Days' also being donated to various good causes around the region. The building itself is a fine example of Wood's Arts and Crafts-influenced architecture and, alongside St Paul's, shows how effectively he could design both secular and sacred buildings in the same materials but to quite different ends. His little red library, set in verdant surroundings, remains a distinctive part of Tai Tapu's townscape.
