Daisy Bank, 12 Royal Terrace, built in the late nineteenth century, is associated with the prominent Hudson family and a testament to the position Dunedin once enjoyed as New Zealand’s commercial capital.
The section on which this house stands was originally part of a larger block purchased by John Logan (1819-95) in 1855. In 1896 Logan sold three sections to Richard Hudson (1842-1903), the founder of Cadbury Schweppes Hudson Ltd. In April 1896 Richard also bought section 28 which included a particularly fine Victorian villa built in 1868. This villa, ‘Linden’ (Record no. 4768), became Hudson’s home. Part of his garden became the site for the home of eldest son Richard Hudson junior (c.1869-1958), with a sunken garden linking the two houses.
It appears Richard junior’s home was built between March 1896, when Hudson bought section 25, and March 1899, when Richard junior and his wife Millie (nee Jacobs) were residing at ‘Daisy Bank’, Royal Terrace. Indeed Stone’s Directories indicate both Hudson senior and junior were resident in Royal Terrace only from c. September 1898.
Two residences were erected in Royal Terrace within the probable time frame, both supervised by architect J.A. Burnside (1856-1920). One tender is advertised just days after the purchase of the site and is perhaps premature. The other dates from February 1897 and represents a more realistic timeframe.
‘Daisy Bank’ was a two-storeyed symmetrical building with a large basement. Built of concrete and wood, it echoed a number of Burnside’s other elegant residential designs. The Italianate exterior, popular in the late-nineteenth century, included a colonial flavour with the north-facing balcony projecting from the first floor. The northern wing of the house was added after the erection of the original building and prior to renovations in 1925-1926. These may have occurred after 1901 when Hudson bought section 24 or following Richard senior’s death in 1903 when ownership was transferred to Richard junior.
Architect Eric Miller redesigned the ground floor rooms between 1925 and 1926. The main stair was rehung; a small sitting room and entrance porch were erected; the staircase, entrance hall, sitting room and dining room were lined with darkly stained timber panelling featuring richly carved woodwork. Multi-paned leaded sash windows were installed in the dining room, living room, sitting room, and landings, and decorative glass doors were hung between the hall and dining and living rooms.
The rooms are arranged around a central open staircase which rises from the entrance hall. On the ground floor the entrance hall is flanked by the large living room, which extends the length of the house, and the dining room with a decorative fireplace and floor to ceiling wood panelling. There is a small sitting room at the end of the hall. The panelling in the hall, dining and sitting rooms creates a Tudoresque feel, further enhanced by the leadlight windows with their heraldic motifs. The first floor contains four bedrooms and a bathroom.
Further significant alterations were made between 1959 and 1967. These included the addition of a lean-to, a first floor sunroom, and a reconfiguration of the service areas. The current owners renovated the house so as to remedy some of the mid-twentieth century alterations.
The elegant home of Richard Hudson, Daisy Bank, is architecturally, historically and socially significant for its association with the prominent Hudson family and noted architects J.A. Burnside and Eric Miller. It is an example of the wealth and entrepreneurism which established Dunedin as an early commercial centre.
The section on which this house stands was originally part of a larger block purchased by John Logan (1819-95) in 1855. In 1896 Logan sold three sections to Richard Hudson (1842-1903), the founder of Cadbury Schweppes Hudson Ltd. In April 1896 Richard also bought section 28 which included a particularly fine Victorian villa built in 1868. This villa, ‘Linden’ (Record no. 4768), became Hudson’s home. Part of his garden became the site for the home of eldest son Richard Hudson junior (c.1869-1958), with a sunken garden linking the two houses.
It appears Richard junior’s home was built between March 1896, when Hudson bought section 25, and March 1899, when Richard junior and his wife Millie (nee Jacobs) were residing at ‘Daisy Bank’, Royal Terrace. Indeed Stone’s Directories indicate both Hudson senior and junior were resident in Royal Terrace only from c. September 1898.
Two residences were erected in Royal Terrace within the probable time frame, both supervised by architect J.A. Burnside (1856-1920). One tender is advertised just days after the purchase of the site and is perhaps premature. The other dates from February 1897 and represents a more realistic timeframe.
‘Daisy Bank’ was a two-storeyed symmetrical building with a large basement. Built of concrete and wood, it echoed a number of Burnside’s other elegant residential designs. The Italianate exterior, popular in the late-nineteenth century, included a colonial flavour with the north-facing balcony projecting from the first floor. The northern wing of the house was added after the erection of the original building and prior to renovations in 1925-1926. These may have occurred after 1901 when Hudson bought section 24 or following Richard senior’s death in 1903 when ownership was transferred to Richard junior.
Architect Eric Miller redesigned the ground floor rooms between 1925 and 1926. The main stair was rehung; a small sitting room and entrance porch were erected; the staircase, entrance hall, sitting room and dining room were lined with darkly stained timber panelling featuring richly carved woodwork. Multi-paned leaded sash windows were installed in the dining room, living room, sitting room, and landings, and decorative glass doors were hung between the hall and dining and living rooms.
The rooms are arranged around a central open staircase which rises from the entrance hall. On the ground floor the entrance hall is flanked by the large living room, which extends the length of the house, and the dining room with a decorative fireplace and floor to ceiling wood panelling. There is a small sitting room at the end of the hall. The panelling in the hall, dining and sitting rooms creates a Tudoresque feel, further enhanced by the leadlight windows with their heraldic motifs. The first floor contains four bedrooms and a bathroom.
Further significant alterations were made between 1959 and 1967. These included the addition of a lean-to, a first floor sunroom, and a reconfiguration of the service areas. The current owners renovated the house so as to remedy some of the mid-twentieth century alterations.
The elegant home of Richard Hudson, Daisy Bank, is architecturally, historically and socially significant for its association with the prominent Hudson family and noted architects J.A. Burnside and Eric Miller. It is an example of the wealth and entrepreneurism which established Dunedin as an early commercial centre.
