Lack of professional qualifications could not stop Henry Frederick Hardy (1831-1904). From cabinet maker’s apprentice, to helping construct the first ship built in Dunedin, it was only a short hop to builder and architect. Born in Derbyshire, England, in February 1831, Hardy was brought up to the business of a grocer. Immigrating to New Zealand in 1853 on board the Rajah, Hardy was nearly shipwrecked in a hurricane. He arrived at Port Chalmers in early October. Hardy ‘had been very fond of carpentering work from his boyhood, and found the knowledge he had gained invaluable to him in the new land to which he had come’. First apprenticing himself to a cabinetmaker, he then helped build the first ship constructed in Dunedin: Star of Dunedin. On 23 October 1854 Hardy married Isabella (c.1831-1871), nee Calder, widow of the late John Boyle Todd. Isabella’s address was given as Ebbin Cottage, Dunedin. John Boyle Todd was the original occupier of Ebbin Cottage, which was built close to the hillside between, what would become, Graham and Maclaggan Streets. Todd arrived on board the Philip Laing in 1848, aged 16. Born in Glasgow, he was a printer by occupation. That same year Henry Baker Graham arrived on the Blundell. Graham was also a printer, and arrived with the equipment necessary to set up a printing business. On 12 December 1848 Graham published the first issue of Dunedin’s first newspaper, The Otago News. Graham’s small staff included Todd. Todd’s only colleague reminisced that they ‘had to act as compositors, pressmen, devils, publishers and frequently write letters and leaders’. After Graham’s death in 1851, the stock and plant of the Otago News was soon purchased. Todd became the compositor and publisher of the new Otago Witness. Todd was also Secretary of the Otago Property Investment Company. As a young man with a good position and an interest in land, he had a small cottage built for himself at some point in the first years of the 1850s. It was horizontal weatherboard, with Australian hardwood shingle roof. Nestled into the hill, close to Graham Street, it had an attic story with a dormer roof. Two windows, top and bottom, looked out towards the harbour. Todd married Isabella Calder in early May 1854 and the couple settled into Ebbin Cottage. It was likely a two-roomed cottage; one downstairs and one upstairs probably accessed by a ladder. A hearth and chimney probably sat on the north elevation. Becoming ill two days after the wedding, Todd died three weeks later on 27 May 1854 ‘at his residence in High Street’. The Otago Witness recorded that he was ‘so familiar’ to Dunedin residents and had ‘so long and industriously laboured’ among his fellow emigrants that there was deep sorrow at his passing. The widowed Isabella, who had arrived on board the Mariner in June 1849, was 19 years old. Although she was a milliner by occupation, Isabella did not wait long before remarrying. Her new groom, Henry Frederick Hardy, moved into Ebbin Cottage. The Cottage was first mentioned after their marriage in February 1855 when Hardy advertised the resumption of his evening school, to be held at Ebbin Cottage – although the exact nature of the education offered is unclear. In August 1855 the birth of the Hardy’s first child, a daughter, was recorded at Ebbin Cottage. Baby Isabella Jane died three months later. It is likely Hardy began building houses in late 1855/early 1856. In April 1856 he advertised a house to let – presumably his first construction. In September he advertised another ‘convenient house’ to let, which contained three ‘apartments’. Again, in October, Hardy advertised a small cottage to rent. In each case, applications were to be made to Mr Hardy, Ebbin Cottage, High Street. In 1857 Hardy’s enterprises expanded in various directions. On the construction front he went into business with W.T. Winchester – a partnership that lasted until October 1860. On the home front Hardy’s first son, Alfred Reginald (1857-1937), was born. In August that year ‘Ebbin Cottage, High Street’ headed an advertisement for ‘Parties requiring Temporary Accommodation, Board and Lodging, Furnished or Unfurnished Apartments, with or without attendance’. It appears that Hardy was now taking boarders into his own small home, even though the new baby had already taken up residence. In January 1858 the Town Board ordered Hardy, among others, to build a fence in front of his property ‘in order to prevent any accident taking place’. Hardy was one of only two who refused to build a fence at the brink of ‘the cutting’ (which would become Maclaggan Street) and ‘declared that if the Board executed their threat of cutting away the hill close to their property, they should demand compensation’. This disagreement may have prompted Hardy’s attempt to be elected to the Town Board in March 1858. He received only six votes. Hardy often dabbled in community and political affairs. He was nominated for the Otago Provincial Council, and although not elected he was eventually voted on to the Town Board. Hardy was also elected to the Committee of the Otago Building and Land Society and was secretary of the Dunedin School Committee. In 1858 an important development was marked in the history of the Cottage. In March Hardy placed an advertisement publicising that ‘considerable additions’ had been made to Ebbin Cottage. Early photographs reveal a much grander wing had been added to the north elevation of the early Cottage. Like the existing Cottage, it included a half-attic storey although the roof height was higher. Even now the unsymmetrical exterior addition may be read in the differing roof lines. The addition was, unusually, clad with vertical flush timber –an Australian hardwood. Photographs show hoods over the windows – a decorative element but also prevention against water seeping into the windows. The roof was wooden shingles and finials were added to the roof line. A bay window looked out over what would become Maclaggan Street and a balcony was added to the window above. The dormer window on the original Cottage remained but its view was curtailed by the new roofline. It is also likely that the single storey wing at the rear of the new addition was added at the same point in time. A photograph dated 1859 to 1860 shows the existence of the single storey wing and it includes Ebbin Cottage’s new front door. Stone steps lead up to the door and some early plantings surrounded the house. The continued existence of the original early 1850s Cottage indicates that a portion of the present house is one of Dunedin’s very earliest still in existence. Even the addition would compete as one of Dunedin’s oldest houses still extant. Renovations in the 1990s and the use of Australian hardwood prompted a theory that the additions were prefabricated, although by the time of the addition Hardy had several years’ experience in construction. The house has also been described ‘as a “cottage orne” in the manner of builders’ instruction books of the day…the small but richly detailed house advertised Hardy’s skills and ambitions’. Certainly the detailing is Hardy-esque: the barge boards, finials, coverboards, gutterboards, cornices, cornice returns at the gable supported by decorative corbels and topped with gutters were all in a style particular to Hardy. The enlarged house had a grander aspect than most houses of the day and it was a well-known building in the fledgling settlement. Other businesses and homes advertised their location by their proximity to ‘Hardy’s house’. Given Hardy’s grand aspirations, it may appear unusual that he did not simply demolish the earlier Cottage and start again. At this point in the settlement’s history, however, nothing was wasted. Advertisments also indicate that Hardy had plans for the original portion. On the Cottage’s completion Hardy advertised that he was now able to accommodate boarders ‘at a moderate charge; and assures those who may favour him with their patronage that every attention will be paid to their comfort’ – by Mrs Hardy, no doubt. As his own family was growing, Edwin Henry in 1859 and Anne Maria in 1861, boarders were likely accommodated in the original Cottage. After 1858 the name Ebbin Cottage disappeared from the record. Perhaps the alterations meant Hardy’s house could no longer be termed a ‘cottage’. In June 1860 Hardy advertised a vacant tenancy with particulars available from ‘Clifton Villa Maclaggan-street’. The former Ebbin Cottage was the closest of Hardy’s houses to the newly formed Maclaggan Street and it is likely that after the additions, the Cottage was renamed. Further, in December 1861 Hardy advertised ‘To Let or Sell – That elegant Freehold FAMILY RESIDENCE situate in Graham-street, Maclaggan-street, Dunedin, known as CLIFTON VILLA. Will be Let Furnished, or the Furniture may be taken at valuation’. Hardy’s plans had changed by the new year - in January 1862 he advertised as a builder and ‘valuator’ at Clifton Villa, Maclaggan Street. The Hardy’s were also still taking on boarders – Hardy also advertised in January a ‘Select Board and Residence’ vacancy for two gentlemen at Clifton Villa. Changes were afoot, however. On 11 March an advertisement appeared for ‘Superior Board and residence, with separate bedrooms, at MRS. JENKINS’, Clifton Villa Maclaggan-street.’ Renting out Clifton Villa to Mrs Jenkins for use as a boarding house, the Hardy family relocated to ‘Clifton Terrace’. This Hardy house was built above Ebbin Cottage/Clifton Villa and still stands at 7 Graham Street. A photograph by Meluish in 1863 shows the two houses with a section in between. The land would later be filled by another Hardy building, Alma House. Boarding houses were one of the few respectable businesses available to single women. The boarding house also played an important role in colonial society; they were a ‘key part of how 19th-century cities grew’. The boarding house enabled social change, allowing people to move away from their families and friends. During the gold rush and growth years the need for temporary accommodation grew exponentially. Even after the boom years, young men in particular sought out the opportunities offered by larger cities. Boarding accommodation also gave people the opportunity to mix more broadly than their normal social circles. Although, as one American historian notes, they caused some nineteenth century handwringing for ‘homes nurtured virtue, boardinghouses supposedly bred vice.’ In 1862 Dunedin’s Town Board, of which Hardy was now a member, appointed Augustus Poeppel (1839-1891) as Town Surveyor and Engineer. Poeppel was born in Germany, the son of an architect. Although he was to become a noted Australian surveyor and explorer, in 1862 he set up business in Dunedin as an architect and surveyor. Hardy took advantage of Peopell’s presence and studied architecture with him. His training was brief - Peopell arrived in March and in August Hardy first advertised as an architect. Certainly his training did not extend beyond November which is the last mention of Poeppel in Dunedin. He had encountered a number of difficulties and criticisms as Town Surveyor which may have shortened his stay. Meanwhile Mrs Jenkins at Clifton Villa appeared to go through boarders and servants at equal speed, often advertising for replacements. In May 1863 Mrs Jenkins either tried a new advertising tactic or she gave up the lease. On 5 May an accommodation advertisement, with no mention of Mrs Jenkins, appeared for ‘Gentlemen and Families. Clifton Villa Maclagan street [sic].’ The move to family accommodation appeared successful. Early in 1864 an advertisement appeared from a tenant at Clifton Villa wanting ‘a Lady to teach two young ladies, aged nine and eleven years…Salary no object’. The family required a Germanic speaker so it likely they were German and relatively wealthy. As a boarding establishment, Clifton Villa must have been one of the finer ones. For example an ‘active Boy’ was required to wait at the dining table, as well as generally making himself useful. They also employed a young servant girl. In early December 1864 the lease was given up and Hardy advertised ‘To Let, that long established and favourite Boarding establishment, Clifton Villa Graham street’. In a few short weeks, Hardy’s plans changed again. In late December he advertised that the family had ‘resumed occupation of Clifton Villa Graham street, [and] is now prepared to Let Furnished Apartments to Gentlemen, either with or without board’. One new inhabitant of Clifton Villa was baby Lewis Francis who had arrived in 1863. At least Isabella now had the help of a ‘respectable female servant’. The cost of the rooms was not advertised, but three rooms near Clifton Villa cost ten shillings per week to let. In modern terms ten shillings amounts to around $386 dollars. These figures are only vague estimates but they do indicate that boarders could provide a lucrative return. Given Hardy’s ever expanding family and his profitable boarding interests, it was logical that Clifton Villa was further expanded. Available photographic evidence indicates that sometime between 1863 and 1890 a small lean-to with a lower, flat pitched roof was added to the rear of the house. Behind that may have been a kitchen or scullery built into the angled retaining wall. Later a second toilet was added behind. On 4 March 1866 tragedy stuck when a large fire broke out in Maclaggan Street at 11 o’clock at night. It quickly destroyed two hotels and a boarding house. The heat at this time was terrific. To leeward, myriads of burning patches were whirled, lighting up fantastically huge banks of smoke, which the wind could at first only urge on bodily. Far up the hill, beyond Graham-st. and in High-st. these patches fell, still burning; and the danger seemed so great, that at Clifton [Villa]…the removal of the furniture was commenced….Fortunately, on the easterly side of the street…there are slopes and levels there…which afforded places of safety for furniture, and for cowering to many of the poor people who so suddenly found themselves homeless. It was a terribly picturesque sight, that of the groups standing out from dark backgrounds on the steep site of the great shrub-covered hill, in the strong glare of the fire’. It was the most rapid fire Dunedin had suffered and for a distance of around 110 to 140 metres there was nothing left in Maclaggan Street ‘but embers and shaky chimney-stacks’. On 7 March Hardy placed an advertisement expressing ‘his grateful thanks to the numerous Friends, who kindly rendered him assistance, during the calamitous fire of yesterday morning’. The list of destroyed structures was extensive and Clifton Villa was fortunate to survive. The Villa was advertised for rent again in early 1867 ‘as the present occupier [was] leaving on account of illness.’ The Villa was advertised as having fourteen rooms - although by March the Villa contained only thirteen rooms. It seems likely that the extension of the original Cottage to its present length was completed around this time. Photographs show the original Cottage has been extended to match the length of the rear addition, doubling its length. To bring homogeneity to the building, Hardy relined the original portion of the Cottage in flush vertical timber, added finials to the roof and hoods to the windows. In May 1867 a sale of furniture was advertised at Clifton Villa, on the corner of Graham and Maclaggan Streets. After this date, Clifton Villa disappears from the record. Hardy’s sister Elizabeth, eleven years his senior, was born in 1818 in South Wingfield, Derbyshire, England. In 1848 she married Lieutenant Samuel Collinson. Their children, all born in England, were Edward Thomas (1849-1920), Elizabeth Ann (c.1851-1911), Margaret Mary (d.1928), Ada (c.1854-1909), Bertha Emily (c.1859-1934), and Louisa Meverill (c.1862-1940). The Collinson family likely arrived in 1867/1868; daughter Ada took part in the 1868 school examinations. By 1871 the Miss Collinsons, as they were later known, were at Otago Girls High School. Although the family likely moved into Clifton Villa on their arrival, it was not until the first publication of Wise’s Post Office Directory 1872-1873 that Samuel Collinson was listed residing in Graham Street. Dunedin City Council valuation rolls reveal that Hardy was still the owner of the home but Collinson was the occupier. Unusually, Collinson’s occupation is never listed in directories during his long occupation of Clifton Villa, but he was apparently a sea captain who ‘satisfied his daughters’ penchant for fine china by bringing back pieces from overseas. The china was gifted to the Dunedin Art Gallery when the last Miss Collinson died’. Elizabeth died in July 1883 and Samuel in November 1894. In 1899 Elizabeth Ann married Henton Davey and lived in neighbouring High Street. Edward became a law clerk but was better known for his cricketing career. He played sixteen first class cricket matches for Otago between 1886 and 1888. Margaret, Ada, Bertha and Louisa remained in, what was now, the Collinson family home. The Miss Collinsons were involved with St Paul’s Church and were Sunday School teachers in St Paul’s Schoolroom, where Hardy had been an inaugural teacher in 1854. They were co-Presidents of the St Paul’s Cathedral Girls’ Sewing Guild and co-Vice Presidents of the ex-High School Girls’ Club. Bertha and Margaret were also on the Council of the Society of Musicians. One of the sisters also studied art with noted New Zealand artist, Grace Joel. Miss Collinson showed ‘some excellent drawings from still life’ in an exhibition of the students’ works. It was later said that all the sisters were ‘very well-known figures in the early days of Dunedin….all devoted members of the Anglican Church, connected with St. Paul’s Cathedral from very early days.’ Most significant, however, was the Miss Collinsons’ new use for Clifton Villa – they opened it as a private school. Advertisements for the school are far and few between – it may have been established on word of mouth. The first publicised notice appeared in 1893 when Margaret advertised the resumption of pianoforte lessons in 1893 from her residence in Graham Street. In 1895 Ada advertised the resumption of her private school for boys in Graham Street. She also offered a Junior Latin Class at 4 o’clock on Tuesdays. In February 1900 Louisa advertised the resumption of her girls’ school at her residence. From boarding house to family home, Clifton Villa was now a school. Dunedin was the first place in New Zealand to offer schooling for girls. The Presbyterian founders championed public education for all children. Indeed one-eighth of Otago land sales were set aside for religious and education purposes. Aside from public schools there were a number of private schools – these schools ‘opened and closed depending on the initiative, resources, and health of owners, as well as the demand’. Indeed public schools often emerged from private beginnings: Braemar House and Girton College eventually became Columba College; Anglican nuns established St Hilda’s which is now St Hilda’s Collegiate school; and of shorter duration was the privately-run Archerfield Girls School (1913-1932). Private schools for girls were not uncommon given that state education, compulsory for around seven years, concentrated on basic numeracy and literacy. The creative and artistic skills, such as music, still held important for the fairer sex could only be gained in the home or in private schools. Indeed Louise attended Girton College and was the only sister to matriculate for the University of New Zealand. By the turn of the century competence in Latin, also advertised by the Collinson sisters, ‘became the hallmark for the academically inclined high school girl’. The founder of Archerfield School, a larger version of the Collinson’s establishment, reflected the values of a private school: …put character first, She [the founder Mrs Nisbet] had a parent’s eye for manners. She impressed on her girls that school of was a means to an end, that they were to go back and be the brightness of their own homes…Archerfield’s training would fit them to fulfil with grace and dignity any task…Second in policy came the care of health and the knowledge of healthful ways…training the girls to give intelligently and systematically. In February 1904 Hardy died in Queenstown. For over 40 years he was regarded as a leading architect in the city – ‘he progressed from being a carpenter and builder of structures in timber…to being the architect of major stone and brick city buildings….his work can be said to be ubiquitous..[but his] architectural abilities are best seen in his surviving residences’. Hardy was survived by his second wife, Catherine (nee McCallum), five sons and two daughters. Hardy’s estate was extensive and the properties were gradually sold off. In February 1905 Section 22, Maclaggan Street, was advertised for sale. It contained five houses, including Clifton Villa, that were leased for 21 years from 1894. The land did not sell so in 1906 Section 22 was subdivided, each house gaining its own allotment. On 31 January the lots were advertised for sale. Lot 8, on which Clifton Villa stood, was described as ‘Section. Graham street, containing 11.7 poles, with Dwelling-house of 10 rooms thereon. House no.13.’ Also advertised for sale was ‘Lot 9…..large Residence of 13 rooms thereon, known as Kaituna House (street No. 15)’ also Brick Corner Building….fronting Maclaggan street’. The ‘GREAT PROPERTY SALE’ was held on 5 February. Surprisingly, the Miss Collinsons did not purchase their family home and private school, instead purchasing the adjacent Kaituna, built by Hardy in 1893. It was one of the last of a group of about ten houses he built in and around section 22. Lot 8, containing their old home, was purchased by Maurice Coughlan. The Miss Collinsons’ private school, now named ‘Kaituna School’, opened for business in their new home. A former pupil, who attended between 1913 and 1917, had fond recollections of her time there. She remembered that Bertha taught music in the small cottage and shop which sat on Maclaggan Street - at one time, Hardy’s office. Louisa taught the girls. In 1913 the roll stood at 17 and many were daughters of local doctors, many of whom had built homes and practices around lower High Street. The Miss Collinsons took pupils from the primers up to standard six – all in the one room. Margaret taught music and did the housekeeping and cooking. In July 1909 Ada died at Kaituna. Her occupation was noted as ‘spinster’, although her probate called her a teacher. Her will indicated that her ‘share of house rent of Clifton Villa to be paid into Hardy Estate’. In 1917 Louisa closed Kaituna School and began teaching at Archerfield School, a boarding and day school from girls. Kaituna and Archerfield had a close relationship. Louisa was described as ‘a very widely-read woman …[who] always took a keen interest in world affairs. She had a wide circle of friends…this kindly gentlewoman…’ Perhaps prompted by Louisa’s closure of the school, Bertha purchased the sisters’ old family home in 1917. The old Ebbin Cottage/Clifton Villa was once again in family hands. Bertha also retained part ownership of Kaituna with her sisters. In 1923 they sold Kaituna. In 1928 Margaret died at Seacliff Asylum. The Collinson and Hardy families obviously remained close as each of the Collinson sisters bequeathed money to members of the extended Hardy family. After Margaret’s death, the Collinson sisters sold Clifton Villa to Irene Horniblower, also a music teacher. Louisa and Bertha moved to George Street where Bertha died in 1934 and Louisa in 1940. On Louisa’s death the newspaper reported that she would be …remembered by many people as having assisted with their early education. Miss Collinson was the last surviving member of an old Dunedin family, two of which were well-known music teachers of this city. A fourth, Miss Ada Collinson, conducted a small private school in Graham street and for a short time she was assisted in this work by Miss Louisa Collinson, who subsequently taught at Archerfield School…For many years she acted as governess to various private families in Christchurch and Dunedin districts, her teaching being based on the English style. Miss Collinson was a fine type of woman who, by her quiet understanding and person example, maintained the highest traditions of her profession. After 1946 the property passed through various hands and by the 1970s the property was in a state of extreme disrepair. The exterior Australian hardwood walls were still sound but it was virtually uninhabitable. The iron roof, which had been placed over the original shingles, was no longer weather tight and glass was missing from most window frames. In 1986 the Dunedin City Council issued a notice for the house to be restored or demolished. In 1992 Graeme Rose purchased the property. It was divided into eleven rooms. The rear, square lean-to which included two rooms was in such poor repair that it was demolished. The rear verandah stands in its place. It was likely a twentieth century addition and was in poor repair. Rose saved the home by undertaking extensive repairs, beginning with the roof. The interior was refitted, the exterior boards and windows repaired and electricity was restored to the home.

Current Description At the end of Graham Street, a short no exit road, is a steep driveway almost hidden by trees. At the bottom of the drive to the right, is an old zigzag path leading from Serpentine Avenue to Graham Street. To the left is Clifton House. It is immediately clear from the front facing eastern elevation, that this is an early colonial house. The southern edge of the front façade is the original part of the house - Ebbin Cottage. The original gabled building is benched into the hillside both in front and behind, where a steep hill/retaining wall rises up to the level of Graham Street. The original Ebbin Cottage has one multi-paned sash window on the ground floor, which appears to be hand-tooled. Another window is on the first floor placed symmetrically above it. Most of the windows were gone when Graeme Rose took ownership in 1992. Replacements windows were sourced, and while they are not original to Clifton Villa they are surviving fabric from other heritage structures. The original Cottage is on a slightly higher ground level to the rest of the façade and there is little obvious in the way of foundations. The wall boards run vertically and the new iron roof is a high pitch, following the original line. Graeme Rose also tells of evidence found during the restoration which indicates there was an earlier low-pitched lean-to behind the original Cottage; it was either demolished or incorporated into the longer extension and given a matching roofline. The pre-March 1858 addition is also gabled and adjoins to the original Cottage to form a double gabled structure. The join between Ebbin Cottage and this addition is clearly readable, with the addition jutting out by perhaps five cm. The space is inhabited by a modern drainage pipe. The vertically-laid boards are narrower than those used for Ebbin Cottage. The addition also sits slightly lower on the sloping ground and is longer and taller than the original building. There are two multi-paned sash windows on the ground floor and one smaller multi-paned sash window on the floor above. Turning the corner to the northern facade, the pre-March 1858 addition continues. The footprint of the house as outlined in a 1906 survey plan, as well as early photos, indicate the large window on this façade was a bay window, with what appears to be a railing above to provide a small balcony to the room on the first floor. It has been replaced by a 1950s style window and a carport is now attached to the façade and juts out over this window. The façade then cuts back slightly behind the former bay window, where a number of steps lead to the front door. At this end of the pre-March 1858 addition is a modern garden fence. Through the garden gate, the edge of the single story addition to the house comes into view. It is unclear from J.W. Allen’s photograph, taken pre-March 1858, if this rear addition was completed at the same time as the front addition – it does not appear to be. In the 1859 to1860 view of Clifton Villa, however, it is clearly visible. The two windows are sash windows and the cladding is vertical board. The footprint of the house in the 1906 survey plan indicates that by this time a verandah ran along the front of the façade, from the bay window, over the front door and along to an exterior part of the building which no longer exists – possibly the rear, square lean-to added between 1863 and 1890. This verandah is no longer extant. Following around to the western elevation, the additions to the building are readable in the exterior cladding. The vertical cladding continues only halfway along the length of the façade. The pitch of the roof is also a more relaxed slope than the adjoining pitched roof above the remainder of the facade. This indicates that the single story addition was originally half the existing width. The footprint from the 1906 survey plan also indicates the southern end of the western elevation sloped away on an angle. It has since been brought into line with the earlier addition. It is clad in board and has a narrow window running its length. Its roof line is the same as that of Ebbin Cottage given that it extends from the back of the Cottage. The cladding board runs around the corner to the first part of the southern elevation, which is tightly tucked into the hill and retaining wall. Halfway down this façade the board joins to the vertical timber exterior of Ebbin Cottage. There is one single multi-paned sash window in the exterior. The step by step expansion of Clifton Villa is very visible and readable. Later additions have not engulfed or overridden earlier sections. The result is a very organic whole. Interior Through the front door is a hall way, lined with floorboards unusually running across, rather than lengthways. The boards are likely original. The walls are lined in tongue and groove and there is little ornamentation. A door to the left, and a step down, leads to the pre-March 1858 addition which once had a bay window. There is panelling under the windows facing east – one of the few ornamental details in the house. It is a good sized room, once including a fireplace, and was likely the parlour. Returning to the hall, the door opposite the former parlour leads to the single story c.1859 to 1860 addition. The room is now used as large living and dining space. A former owner remembers that a hallway once ran along the southern edge of the living room, which would have made the room considerably narrower. Returning to the front hall and walking its length a staircase leads up to the left. The wooden staircase is extremely steep and ladder-like. The steps are worn from decades of use and likely date to the pre-March 1858 addition. A small arch-effect, also original surviving fabric, sits above the entry to the stairway. The arch is made of tin and sits in a wooden frame. A brass rail is attached to the wall and provides assistance up the steep stairs. At the top of the stairs is a small foyer space. It now provides a walk-in wardrobe of sorts on the right and a small landing used for the storage to the left. The ceilings are sloping and the space is confining. A small window in the exterior wall of the wardrobe space looks out on to Ebbin Cottage’s roof. At the northern end of the second story is a bedroom in the pre-March 1858 addition. Like the rest of the upstairs area it is lined in board and batten – a very broad batten, almost equal to the width of the board. A sash window in the east elevation overlooks the zigzag footpath. A casement window looks out over the northern aspect. This casement originally had a small balcony outside which sat on top of the former bay window (see Figure 14). The ceiling is of different heights and pitches, providing only limited wall space. Returning to the landing and moving to the rear of the house, down a few steps is a large bedroom. It occupies the upstairs area of the original Ebbin Cottage. Again the ceiling is at various angles and allows for little wall space. Reading the ceiling and wall lines, it is possible that this space was once two very small rooms with a small hallway between. A small door, cut in line with the ceiling, provides cupboard space. A second door leads to a second staircase. Graeme Rose added this staircase in the 1992 restoration. Returning to the ground floor is a hallway running at right angles from the entrance hall. The hall level includes five different levels with intermittent steps leading down to the original ground floor of Ebbin Cottage. At this end of the hall is a cupboard on the left. It provides access underneath the early 1850s staircase. Also visible in the cupboard is the remains of a brick fireplace, which likely once ran along the north elevation of Ebbin Cottage. It may also have been used to provide a fire in the 1858 parlour. Across the hall, opposite the cupboard, is the door to the bathroom. Its exterior walls indicate this room was also part of the original Ebbin Cottage, although it would not have functioned as a bathroom. The hall terminates in the ground floor room of Ebbin Cottage. The room is dark, with a low ceiling. The wardrobe occupies space sloping in under the ceiling on the Cottage’s original northern edge. This area was likely the original fireplace/stove. At the other end of the hall is a modern kitchen. This is in the western end of the house in the extension at the rear of the original Cottage. Half of the kitchen area did not exist in the 1906 survey footprint. Given the narrow walled skylight in the ceiling of the portion that did exist pre-1906, it was likely part of the service areas. A large step down leads in to the current living and dining room. The current tenants say the house flows well, despite its odd angles and circuitous routes. It is warm, sunny, and a pleasure to live in. Comparative analysis New Zealand’s earliest surviving residences It is perhaps no surprise that New Zealand’s oldest extant building is a house. Kerikeri Mission House (Category 1, List No. 2), sometimes known as Kemp house, was built between 1821 and 1822. Samuel Marsden instructed Rev. John Butler to build the part station/part home using Māori and European labour. Like Hardy’s house, it was originally a two-storey structure only one room deep and used Australian native timbers. In 1823 James and Charlotte Kemp moved into the house, with what was to become a large family. From the 1830s, the house saw a number of additions. Yet, like Hardy’s Clifton Villa, the original home and its various additions are quite readable and provide interesting insight into colonial domestic arrangements. Dunedin’s own oldest surviving residence dates to 1849. Ferntree Cottage (Category 1 List no. 368) was by Scottish carpenter Robert Murray for Dunedin gentleman John Borton. He used upright, squared ferntree (ponga) logs, cut from the surrounding bush, and plastered together with clay. The whole was then contained and faced by wooden framing. Like Hardy’s Clifton Villa, the original proved too small for an expanding family. In 1902 owner Alexander Thomson, of aerated water and cordial manufacturing fame, hired architect James Hislop to design an addition. Like Hardy’s addition to Ebbin Cottage, Hislop’s mirrored the original Ferntree Cottage. After Ferntree, the Ebbin Cottage portion of Clifton Villa appears to be the second oldest residence still extant in Dunedin. Hurworth (Category 1, List No. 144) is an early settler cottage in New Plymouth and, like Clifton Villa, dates to the 1850s. The owner of Hurworth, like Hardy, built the small house with his own hands around 1857. Both gentlemen were also involved in political affairs, although Hurworth’s Harry Atkinson was slightly more successful at it - becoming Premier of New Zealand four times. During Atkinson’s ownership the house was considerably changed and enlarged. Clendon Cottage (Category 2, List No. 144) was built in Russell for James Reddy Clendon, a ship owner, merchant, consul, and magistrate. A cottage was on site by 1834, although it is not certain if any of that original building survives in the present structure. James Clendon lived in the house with his first wife Sarah until her death in 1855. He then lived in the cottage with his second wife, Jane (38 years his junior), from 1856 to 1859. The Clendons then moved to the Hokianga where Clendon House was built at Rawene. In 1910, like Clifton Villa, Clendon Cottage became a ‘first-class boarding-house’ named 'The Bungalow' and run by Mr A.E. Bisset. In 1963 the house became a motel named 'Pompallier Lodge’. New Zealand’s nineteenth century boarding houses There are a number of boarding residences on Heritage New Zealand’s List, including large family homes that were subsequently used to offer accommodation. The re-use of grand mansions as boarding establishments was a common theme in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Clifton Villa, however, is unique in that it appears to be the only extant family home/boarding establishment, dating from the 1850s, to appear on the List. For the early decades of its existence, Dunedin’s Hulme Court (Category 1 List No. 4711) served as a doctor’s residence and surgery. In 1896 it became a boarding establishment. While there are other examples of large homes turned into boutique accommodation, Hulme’s Court is an example of an early settlement mansion turned into late nineteenth century boarding accommodation. It represents the significant number of single women who leased large old family homes in order to run a boarding house. Belgrave (Category 2, List No. 4488) was built in Auckland in 1885, some 30 years after Clifton Villa. Like Hardy’s residence, however, the house offered board from the outset. Although apparently designed as a large family residence, Belgrave was completed just as the urban property market collapsed. Its first occupant was ‘Mrs Robert Powell, a widow, late of Belgrave House, Invercargill. She opened Belgrave as a superior Boarding House…The building is new and of concrete; stands on the healthiest and most fashionable part of the city...’ Initially Belgrave catered only for gentlemen boarders, as did Clifton Villa, but after Mrs Craig took over its management in 1888 she opened it up to families, ladies and gentlemen. Henry Frederick Hardy’s other residential buildings For 40 years Hardy was regarded as Dunedin’s leading architect. On Hardy’s death in 1904, the newspaper noted that that ‘Buildings erected from his plans and designs are very numerous’ and included mills, warehouses, business offices, churches and any number of residences. Clients included Sir Henry Lindo Ferguson, Archdeacon Edwards, Mr Charles Nichols of Messrs Dalgety, Nichols and Co; and Mr Daniel Haynes of the drapery firm Herbert Haynes Ltd, which later became DIC Perhaps one of Hardy’s most well-known clients was Dr Thomas Morland Hocken, founder of Dunedin’s Hocken Collections. Hardy and Hocken were friends and in 1869 Hocken commissioned him to design and build his combined residence and surgery on the corner of Burlington Street and Moray Place. Completed by December 1869 the two storey house was christened ‘Atahapara’. Note the double gables, bay window with single window and balcony above, and positioning of the front door – all common elements of Hardy buildings and echoes of Clifton Villa. The house became a hub for Hocken’s many professional and social activities. It was also the first ‘Hocken Library’ where he built up a huge collection of manuscripts and artefacts relating to New Zealand’s history. The house was demolished in 1920. Many of Hardy’s residential commissions have been demolished or forgotten. Perhaps Hardy’s best collection of extant residences is those he built for himself as a pioneer ‘property developer’. By 1862 he had available to let ‘several Houses, various sizes’. Over the course of 30 years the block bordered by Graham Street, High Street and Grant Streets grew to include an array of Hardy buildings. Clifton Villa was the first of many. The large twenty-roomed residence known as Clifton Terrace was completed by 1862 in Graham Street, above Clifton Villa. On completion, the Hardy family moved into Clifton Terrace for two to three years before moving back to Clifton Villa. The land between the two houses was filled by Alma House around 1876. Like Clifton Villa, they were two-story timber constructions with one bay window and verandah above, but there the comparison stopped. They were grander and architecturally superior to Clifton Villa, although with irregularities that were not necessarily pleasing to the eye. Both Clifton Terrace and Alma House are now in very poor repair. They are boarding houses and although the original form can still be read, neither pay homage to their architect and builder. Kaituna (Category 2, List No. 4805) was built in 1893. It sits adjacent to Clifton Villa and its scale almost completely hides the house. Kaituna is an eclectic architectural design, which dominates the section and surrounding streetscape. Hardy’s houses, particularly in Graham Street are tightly packed together – Hardy appeared more concerned with architecture and perhaps profit than he was about setting, surrounds and sight lines. The twelve-roomed residence was a boarding house and then private school. On High Street, at least two other Hardy builds remain. ‘Waimoana’, late renamed ‘Ballymena’, was said to be the pinnacle of his architectural prowess. It was completed by 1883 when Dr Lindo Ferguson, ‘Late Assistant Surgeon to the National Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dublin’, announced his removal to Waimoana, High Street. The two story timber residence had nineteen rooms and a street frontage to High Street of 130 feet. It was rented to Dr Ferguson until his removal in 1903, when Hardy advertised a ‘moderate rent to a medico’. Slightly higher on High Street is a Hardy residence probably known as Annick Lodge. It was built by January 1865 since there was a sale of furniture – which indicated occupation somewhat earlier than 1865. In 1871 Isabella Hardy gave birth in the house (to a son, Arthur), although it was referred to then as Alnwick Lodge. Built of horizontal Baltic timber cladding, it was two stories with the typical bay window and balcony. The eight roomed house once sat beside at least one other Hardy building which has since been demolished.