Historical Narrative
Acacia Cottage is Auckland's oldest surviving residential building. The cottage was built in June 1841 by William Brown and John Logan Campbell at the rear of their business allotment in Shortland Street. An earlier (by one month) two-roomed cottage built by them on land on which they had squatted before the first official land sale, had to be sold to the eventual purchaser of that land. When Mr and Mrs Brown, and later, Campbell, moved into the cottage it was in an unfinished state, comfortless and dreary, with bare walls, 8 feet high partitions separating the rooms, no ceiling so that rafters and shingles were visible, no chimney and no fireplace. But it was the first permanent home, for a few years, of two of Auckland's pioneers and businessmen.
Brown and Campbell were both born in Scotland where they studied law and medicine respectively. Before emigrating Campbell had also taken some training in carpentry. The two men met first in Australia, and later, in 1840, formed a business partnership in Coromandel. They purchased Motukorea (Browns Island) and then moved into the commercial area of the newly established capital city.
Both men were at various times members of the Legislative Council and Superintendents of the province, although Brown, before he returned to Britain permanently in 1858, had keener political interests than Campbell. Apart from the years 1848-1850 and 1856-71, which were spent in Britain and Europe, Campbell remained largely in Auckland. He was prominent in the founding and development of several major companies and banks. He was chairman of the Auckland Education Board and in 1877 he established the Free School of Arts which he maintained until the founding of the Elam School of Fine Arts in 1889.
Physical Description
ARCHITECT/ENGINEER OR DESIGNER:
The cottage was built for William Brown and (Sir) John Logan Campbell, with Campbell doing at least some of the work himself. Because of its simple design it is unlikely that it had a formal architect or designer.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
The cottage is an example of local vernacular timber construction, and in appearance is typical of cottages of the initial settlement period. The front door is centrally positioned with a small rectangular fanlight above. The two front rooms have double hung windows, each with six lights. The front door opens into a central hallway which continues through to the two rear rooms and the back door. The main front room has a brick fireplace and built in cupboard. The back door is ledged and braced in contrast to the four-panel doors used elsewhere in the building.
MODIFICATIONS:
The original wooden section of the cottage was shifted from O'Connell Street to Cornwall Park in 1920, and subsequently relocated in its present position in 1956. The original structure was a bare shell which was added to and made more comfortable over the years. It is not possible to document these improvements. The present building, as it stands in Cornwall Park, has been returned largely to the original plan, with the wooden addition to the left hand side of the front elevation being retained, and the brick chimney of the main front room, originally internal, being retained in the later external location. Hardwood shingles now replace the corrugated iron of the 1880s, although they are not the kauri shingles originally used.
Notable Features
Registration covers the building, its fixtures and finishes. It also includes recent modifications. The building lies on the lower slopes of the site of Maungakiekie pa, and early colonial farmland.
Its age and its association with John Logan Campbell.
Construction Dates
Original Construction
1841 -
Original construction of Acacia Cottage
Addition
-
Extension to rear
Addition
-
Brick bedroom added
Addition
-
Further additions, including front porch and rear verandah
Relocation
1920 -
Parts of Acacia Cottage moved to Cornwall Park
Relocation
1956 -
Structure moved to current position (without verandah)
Modification
1992 - 1994
New verandah and refurbishment of exterior
Construction Details
Kauri timber construction, both framing and weatherboards; rough sawn; boxed corners. The gabled roof originally with kauri shingles; wooden guttering.
Ceilings and inner walls lined variously with kauri board and batten or vertical tongue and groove.
Originally on wooden, now concrete, blocks.
Completion Date
21st August 2001
Report Written By
Martin Jones
Information Sources
Auckland Institute & Museum
Auckland Institute & Museum
John Logan Campbell Papers (MS 51)
Auckland Public Libraries
Auckland Public Libraries
Hickson, T.W. (surveyor), 'Map of the City of Auckland, New Zealand', 1882
Cobb, 1994
John Cobb, Cornwall Park: The Story of a Man's Vision, Auckland, 1994
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
Land Information New Zealand
A M Kelly (surveyor), 'Deposited Plan 13496, dated 7.10.1919'
New Zealand Herald
New Zealand Herald, 12 July 1932, p. 6; 28 September 1933, p. 6.
'Our King of the Forest - Kauri - The Oldest House in Auckland Still Standing', 15.6.1882:6
'Local and General News', , 11.1.1921:4
'Pioneer Home Renovated', New Zealand Herald, 12.4.1956:12
Salmond, 1986
Jeremy Salmond, Old New Zealand Houses 1800-1940, Auckland, 1986, Reed Methuen
Scholefield, 1940
G. H. Scholefield, A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1940
Southern Cross
Southern Cross
'To Let', 21.12.1844:1
Stone, 1982
R. C. J. Stone, Young Logan Campbell, Auckland, 1982
pp.95-96, 114, 117 & 132.
Vercoe, 1866
Map: J Vercoe and S.W. Harding, City of Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland, 1866
Axford, 1971
E Axford, The Story of Auckland in Pictures, Auckland, 1971
Bretts, 1883 (reprinted 1902)
Bretts, Colonists Guide & Cyclopedia of Useful Knowledge, Auckland, 1883 (reprinted 1902)
Bush, 1908
W E Bush. 'Map of the City', December 1908
School of Architecture Library
School of Architecture Library, Auckland
Heaney, R. et. al., 'Acacia Cottage', September 1946
Wilson, 1984
J Wilson (compiler), AA Book of New Zealand Historic Places, Lansdowner Press, Auckland 1984
Conservation Plan
Conservation Plan
Dave Pearson, 'Buildings of Cornwall Park: Conservation Plan', Auckland, 1992 (held by NZHPT, Auckland); Dave Pearson, 'Acacia Cottage, Cornwall Park: Conservation Plan', Auckland, 1995 (held by NZHPT, Auckland)
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.