The first dwelling on Town Acre 507 was probably built by 1845 and by 1857 there were three houses on the land. In 1858 the Hodgson family were living there in an eight-roomed cob house - the original portion of "Brookside". The property has since changed hands many times. The historically most important person to have lived in Brookside was Thomas Brunner, who rented the house from 1866 to 1874. Brunner was the well-known explorer of the Nelson and West Coast regions. He undertook no exploration after the 1848 West Coast epic. He had various employment in the Nelson settlement and Christchurch until 1851 when he was appointed Surveyor of Crown Lands, Nelson, and in 1858 Chief Surveyor and Commissioner of Works for the Nelson Provincial Government. He retired in 1869.
List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
5119
Date Entered
14th February 1991
Date of Effect
14th February 1991
City/District Council
Nelson City
Region
Nelson Region
Legal description
Pt Lot 1 Deed 1765 (RT NL7C/1200), Nelson Land District
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
5119
Date Entered
14th February 1991
Date of Effect
14th February 1991
City/District Council
Nelson City
Region
Nelson Region
Legal description
Pt Lot 1 Deed 1765 (RT NL7C/1200), Nelson Land District
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value Brookside is an important architectural survivor from the early settlement of Nelson. It has had numerous owners in this time, and at one stage was the home of the famous explorer, Thomas Brunner, who lived there for the last eight years of his life.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: The cob portion of "Brookside" dates from the mid-nineteenth century, making it one of the oldest surviving buildings in Nelson. While the house has been subject to a series of major additions and alterations, it has retained its present form for many years and exudes charm and an atmosphere of stability. The piecemeal additions over the years imbue the house with its own special character. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: The house is nestled amongst trees and other dwellings and is not prominent in its suburban environment.
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value Brookside is an important architectural survivor from the early settlement of Nelson. It has had numerous owners in this time, and at one stage was the home of the famous explorer, Thomas Brunner, who lived there for the last eight years of his life.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: The cob portion of "Brookside" dates from the mid-nineteenth century, making it one of the oldest surviving buildings in Nelson. While the house has been subject to a series of major additions and alterations, it has retained its present form for many years and exudes charm and an atmosphere of stability. The piecemeal additions over the years imbue the house with its own special character. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: The house is nestled amongst trees and other dwellings and is not prominent in its suburban environment.
Construction Details
Type
Original Construction
Description
1840s or early 1850s
Construction Materials
Original walls in cob; elsewhere timber framed with shiplap weatherboards; corrugated galvanised iron roof.
Notable Features
Cob walls, the large central hall.
Construction Details
Type
Original Construction
Description
1840s or early 1850s
Construction Materials
Original walls in cob; elsewhere timber framed with shiplap weatherboards; corrugated galvanised iron roof.
Notable Features
Cob walls, the large central hall.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Originally an eight-roomed cob house, Brookside today retains several cob walls but its appearance is largely the result of a series of timber framed additions. The central section of the house is two-storeyed, a narrow staircase leading to two bedrooms with sloping ceilings following the roof line. The pitched roof has a gable end to the south where bargeboards are adorned with a series of quatrefoils. A double-hung sash window is centrally placed within the gable-end, each sash with six lights. The north end of this pitched roof consists of a gabled dormer with plain bargeboards and simple casement windows. Below the dormer the external cob wall has been covered with shiplap weatherboards. This north facade has a verandah, the east end of which has been closed in to form a sunroom, and a formal entrance leading to a large foyer characterised by dark beams and polished floorboards. This is probably the original sitting room. Other rooms lead directly off it. The east facade of the building has a square bay projecting from the formal living area and a gabled roof. Within the gable weatherboard cladding is stepped out and supported on simple brackets. Extending to the south is a lean-to housing the kitchen. The south facade has a cob wall which is partly exposed rather than covered with weatherboards. To the west of the house is another addition incorporating an informal living area and the master bedroom. Here the roof is pitched at a low angle. MODIFICATIONS: Date unknown: The original cob house has seen many additions, perhaps the earliest being the timber framed second storey. The east side of the house, other than the north cob wall, has been added and later rebuilt. Early photographs show a second storey in the south east corner, removed at some stage and replaced with the present single storey pitched roof. The north cob wall was covered with weatherboards probably at the same time that the east side of the house was rebuilt. Other modifications include: - Kitchen lean-to added to south facade. Floor of kitchen raised c.1970. - Small lean-to added to south facade. - Extension to west facade incorporating informal living area and master bedroom. - Cob wall removed to enlarge master bedroom. - Verandah closed in. East end remains closed in today, elsewhere boxing removed. - Internal staircase enclosed. - False ceiling added to formal living room. - Carved rimu fireplace added to formal living room.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Originally an eight-roomed cob house, Brookside today retains several cob walls but its appearance is largely the result of a series of timber framed additions. The central section of the house is two-storeyed, a narrow staircase leading to two bedrooms with sloping ceilings following the roof line. The pitched roof has a gable end to the south where bargeboards are adorned with a series of quatrefoils. A double-hung sash window is centrally placed within the gable-end, each sash with six lights. The north end of this pitched roof consists of a gabled dormer with plain bargeboards and simple casement windows. Below the dormer the external cob wall has been covered with shiplap weatherboards. This north facade has a verandah, the east end of which has been closed in to form a sunroom, and a formal entrance leading to a large foyer characterised by dark beams and polished floorboards. This is probably the original sitting room. Other rooms lead directly off it. The east facade of the building has a square bay projecting from the formal living area and a gabled roof. Within the gable weatherboard cladding is stepped out and supported on simple brackets. Extending to the south is a lean-to housing the kitchen. The south facade has a cob wall which is partly exposed rather than covered with weatherboards. To the west of the house is another addition incorporating an informal living area and the master bedroom. Here the roof is pitched at a low angle. MODIFICATIONS: Date unknown: The original cob house has seen many additions, perhaps the earliest being the timber framed second storey. The east side of the house, other than the north cob wall, has been added and later rebuilt. Early photographs show a second storey in the south east corner, removed at some stage and replaced with the present single storey pitched roof. The north cob wall was covered with weatherboards probably at the same time that the east side of the house was rebuilt. Other modifications include: - Kitchen lean-to added to south facade. Floor of kitchen raised c.1970. - Small lean-to added to south facade. - Extension to west facade incorporating informal living area and master bedroom. - Cob wall removed to enlarge master bedroom. - Verandah closed in. East end remains closed in today, elsewhere boxing removed. - Internal staircase enclosed. - False ceiling added to formal living room. - Carved rimu fireplace added to formal living room.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Alexander Turnbull Library
Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington
Electoral Roll
New Zealand Electoral Roll
Wises Post Office Directories
Wises Post Office Directories
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
Land Information New Zealand
Nelson Evening Mail
Nelson Evening Mail
Nelson Provincial Museum
Nelson Provincial Museum
New Zealand Surveyor
New Zealand Surveyor
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Alexander Turnbull Library
Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington
Electoral Roll
New Zealand Electoral Roll
Wises Post Office Directories
Wises Post Office Directories
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
Land Information New Zealand
Nelson Evening Mail
Nelson Evening Mail
Nelson Provincial Museum
Nelson Provincial Museum
New Zealand Surveyor
New Zealand Surveyor
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Current Usages
Uses: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
Former Usages
General Usage: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
Current Usages
Uses: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
Former Usages
General Usage: Accommodation
Specific Usage: House
