Located a short distance from the banks of the Whanganui River in Pipiriki is Anderson House, a fine example of residential colonial architecture.
Anderson House is a small, two-storey cottage. Constructed in the 'saltbox' style, the building has a gable with a built in lean-to at the rear. The steeply pitched roof of corrugated iron is decorated with finials at either end. The upper storey has twin dormer windows and the front of the structure is embellished by a verandah that gives the house a deceptively grand appearance. The building has four rooms downstairs, plus two small storerooms. A steep staircase extends to the upper storey into three, tightly domered bedrooms.
The exact date of the construction of the cottage is uncertain. It was definitely constructed by 1905, as it appears in photographs of the Pipiriki township taken in that year. The style of the building suggests it constructed much earlier, and is one typical of New Zealand cottages constructed between 1850 and 1860. However two features of the house may suggest a later date of construction. The house has boxed corners, which were popular in the 1870s, and it is clad in rusticated weatherboards, which were introduced in Wellington in the 1860s but did not become fashionable until the 1880s.
The development and history of the town suggest that the house may have been constructed around the 1850s or 1860s. Pipiriki, a Maori settlement traditionally used as a meeting place for iwi of the upper and lower river, expanded rapidly in the 1850s, as settlers began arriving in the Wanganui district. Maori planted European crops on the riverbanks and produced a significant proportion of the district's agricultural produce. However, some Pakeha settlers established farms in Pipiriki during this period. In 1865 Reverend Richard Taylor recorded that a Richard Booth was farming the area where Anderson House now stands.
The New Zealand Wars had a severe impact on the Pipiriki settlement, and its population declined sharply. In 1866 the Reverend Richard Taylor noted that there was 'no voice of welcome, the place all overgrown with grass'. In the 1890s, the settlement revived and passengers travelling by riverboat used Pipiriki as a landing site. In 1892 an accommodation house was constructed adjacent to what is now known as Anderson House. Seven years later the spot became a fashionable tourist destination when Alexander Hatrick constructed Pipiriki House, one of New Zealand's grandest hotels, on the site of the accommodation house built in 1892. Pictures depicting Pipiriki House show Anderson House immediately adjacent to the hotel.
While the architecture of Anderson House suggests a construction date between 1860 and the 1880s, the first identified owner or tenant of the building was Reone Te Maungaroa, who was Chairman of the Pipiriki Native School Committee in 1898. It is unclear when Reone Te Maungaroa commenced living in the structure. When Te Maungaroa died in 1906, the property was passed on to his son Ngarino Te Maungaroa, who lived in the house until his own death in 1935. The house then passed to his daughter Noke Te Maungaroa. Noke was related by marriage to the Anderson family, and when she died two years later, Andy Anderson (1895-1958) who had grown up in Pipiriki, settled in the house with his wife Emma Whitianga Ratana of Ngati Tuera and Ngati Pare. Emma became the cook at the adjacent Pipiriki House and Anderson, who had grown up in Pipiriki, continued to serve as one of the Whanganui riverboat captains. Anderson remained in the house until his accidental death in 1958, and it is in memory of him that the house received its colloquial name.
When Emma Anderson died, the house was taken over by Anderson's brother, Arthur Anderson, who remained in Taumarunui but used the house during the holidays until 1966, when it was sold to the Proprietors of the Pipiriki Township. In 1975 the building was leased to the Wanganui River Scenic Board (WRSB), who intended to establish a museum in the building. In that same year, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust granted $1,500 to the Board to assist with the cost of restoring the house. Restoration began early the following year and was completed over a period of twenty months. During the restoration, the house was re-roofed and re-piled and a number of weatherboards were replaced. The brick chimney was removed and a new one constructed in a different location, and several parts of the front verandah were replaced with materials sympathetic to the originals. It was formally opened as a museum on 3 December 1977 and continues to function in this capacity.
Anderson House is a small, two-storey cottage. Constructed in the 'saltbox' style, the building has a gable with a built in lean-to at the rear. The steeply pitched roof of corrugated iron is decorated with finials at either end. The upper storey has twin dormer windows and the front of the structure is embellished by a verandah that gives the house a deceptively grand appearance. The building has four rooms downstairs, plus two small storerooms. A steep staircase extends to the upper storey into three, tightly domered bedrooms.
The exact date of the construction of the cottage is uncertain. It was definitely constructed by 1905, as it appears in photographs of the Pipiriki township taken in that year. The style of the building suggests it constructed much earlier, and is one typical of New Zealand cottages constructed between 1850 and 1860. However two features of the house may suggest a later date of construction. The house has boxed corners, which were popular in the 1870s, and it is clad in rusticated weatherboards, which were introduced in Wellington in the 1860s but did not become fashionable until the 1880s.
The development and history of the town suggest that the house may have been constructed around the 1850s or 1860s. Pipiriki, a Maori settlement traditionally used as a meeting place for iwi of the upper and lower river, expanded rapidly in the 1850s, as settlers began arriving in the Wanganui district. Maori planted European crops on the riverbanks and produced a significant proportion of the district's agricultural produce. However, some Pakeha settlers established farms in Pipiriki during this period. In 1865 Reverend Richard Taylor recorded that a Richard Booth was farming the area where Anderson House now stands.
The New Zealand Wars had a severe impact on the Pipiriki settlement, and its population declined sharply. In 1866 the Reverend Richard Taylor noted that there was 'no voice of welcome, the place all overgrown with grass'. In the 1890s, the settlement revived and passengers travelling by riverboat used Pipiriki as a landing site. In 1892 an accommodation house was constructed adjacent to what is now known as Anderson House. Seven years later the spot became a fashionable tourist destination when Alexander Hatrick constructed Pipiriki House, one of New Zealand's grandest hotels, on the site of the accommodation house built in 1892. Pictures depicting Pipiriki House show Anderson House immediately adjacent to the hotel.
While the architecture of Anderson House suggests a construction date between 1860 and the 1880s, the first identified owner or tenant of the building was Reone Te Maungaroa, who was Chairman of the Pipiriki Native School Committee in 1898. It is unclear when Reone Te Maungaroa commenced living in the structure. When Te Maungaroa died in 1906, the property was passed on to his son Ngarino Te Maungaroa, who lived in the house until his own death in 1935. The house then passed to his daughter Noke Te Maungaroa. Noke was related by marriage to the Anderson family, and when she died two years later, Andy Anderson (1895-1958) who had grown up in Pipiriki, settled in the house with his wife Emma Whitianga Ratana of Ngati Tuera and Ngati Pare. Emma became the cook at the adjacent Pipiriki House and Anderson, who had grown up in Pipiriki, continued to serve as one of the Whanganui riverboat captains. Anderson remained in the house until his accidental death in 1958, and it is in memory of him that the house received its colloquial name.
When Emma Anderson died, the house was taken over by Anderson's brother, Arthur Anderson, who remained in Taumarunui but used the house during the holidays until 1966, when it was sold to the Proprietors of the Pipiriki Township. In 1975 the building was leased to the Wanganui River Scenic Board (WRSB), who intended to establish a museum in the building. In that same year, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust granted $1,500 to the Board to assist with the cost of restoring the house. Restoration began early the following year and was completed over a period of twenty months. During the restoration, the house was re-roofed and re-piled and a number of weatherboards were replaced. The brick chimney was removed and a new one constructed in a different location, and several parts of the front verandah were replaced with materials sympathetic to the originals. It was formally opened as a museum on 3 December 1977 and continues to function in this capacity.
