The Pah Homestead is a historic home located in the suburb of Hillsborough in Auckland, New Zealand, within the bounds of Monte Cecilia Park. It is owned by the Auckland Council, and is currently used as an art gallery, housing the Arts House Trust (previously Wallace Arts Trust) collection of New Zealand art. Since opening in August 2010, the gallery has attracted over 410,000 visitors, including 130,000 in its first year[1]
The homestead was built between 1877 and 1879 as Auckland businessman James Williamson's "gentleman's residence" by Thomas Mahoney, and was one of the largest and finest homes in Auckland at that time. Of plastered brick in the Italianate style, it is based on Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's Osborne House in the Isle of Wight. The tree-lined drive to Pah Road remains largely intact, although parts of it now run through private properties adjoining the proposed park. The grounds include some of the finest exotic trees in Auckland,[2] and there are views to the Manukau Harbour and to One Tree Hill.
The site was a fortified Māori pa during the 17th and 18th centuries, although it was probably abandoned during the latter part of the 18th century. By the early years of the 19th century little evidence probably remained above ground. It may have been occupied by Pōtatau Te Wherowhero between 1839 and 1844 (Te Wherowhero would become the first Māori king in 1858). In 1844 William Hart was able to purchase the property (referred to as The Koheraunui No.1 Block) from Ngāti Whātua, although the purchase, like many at the time, had to go through an official process. Hart's original claim of 400 acres (161 ha) was reduced by the Government land Commission to 193 acres (78ha).
Hart built a Regency styled villa on the site in 1847. Hart had been intrigued by reports that the hill had been a fortified Maori pa and excavations for the house did uncover evidence of tōtara wood palisades which may have dated from the mid 18th century. Hart increased the size of the farm to 250 acres by purchasing the adjacent properties (66 acres: Koheranui No. 2 in 1846); he raised cattle for beef and dairy purposes as well as cultivating wheat and barley. As well as wind break trees, orchards and other agricultural plantings, Hart planted a number of exotic specimen trees on the site including what is now the largest hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) in New Zealand, and several Morton Bay figs (Ficus macrophylla), including the largest example in New Zealand.
In 1866 the farm was sold to Thomas Russell for £12,725. Russell was an active member of the Auckland Horticultural Society and added many interesting plants to the property including a Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis), several Bunya Bunya pines (Araucaria bidwillii) and a circular grove of holm oaks (Quercus ilex). In January 1872, Cyrus Haley, who had a grudge against Russell, attacked the home, firing shots into each of the bedrooms. No-one was hurt and Haley was later caught and convicted of attempted murder.[3]
One of the galleries in the Pah Homestead
In 1877 James Williamson purchased the property for £10,000 which was substantially less than what Russell had paid for it ten years earlier; Russell had returned to Britain three years earlier. Williamson retained the name "The Pah" and demolished the thirty-year-old house to make way for one of the largest and most expensive houses ever built in the colony.[4]
Designed by Edward Mahoney & Sons, the house is an Italianate villa, constructed of brick rendered with cement to imitate stone. The Pah featured verandahs, balconies and a central tower with a viewing room at the top to give a 360-degree view of the landscape. The house enjoyed vista to One Tree Hill to the north, Mount Smart to the east and the Manukau Harbour to the south. The viewing room was equipped with a telescope. The main rooms are distinguished by high quality plaster ceilings, Italian marble fireplaces, parquet floors with inlaid borders and finely chased metal fixtures to the doors.
The bay windows are very large and the glass panes of the sash windows are actually curved—an added example of the sumptuous fitout of this residence. The hall is panelled in wood supplied by Gillow and Sons (the royal cabinet makers), who also supplied all the furniture for the house. The contents of the house were sold off at public auction in 1888; remarkably none of the Gillows furniture has ever subsequently been identified despite it all being stamped by the company—the only remaining piece is the built-in coat stand in the hall.
Williamson had dreamed of creating a family dynasty with this estate as its symbol, however following the stock market crash in 1886 Williamson was forced to sell this property, which was subsequently divided up for development. The farm manager's house was built in a similar style. This two storied neo-classical masonry house stands in nearby Warren Avenue, separated from the main house by the many houses of the area. The area maintains part of its original farmland image as large tracts of land were purchased by various institutions; several Roman Catholic schools, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Masonic Retirement Village.
After Williamson's death in 1888, the lavish establishment was taken over by the Bank of New Zealand and leased to the Anglican church, and was purchased by the Sisters of Mercy in 1913. More recently, Monte Cecilia House was used as a temporary residence for the homeless and new immigrants, but this operation has been relocated to new premises in Māngere.
On 1 September 1983, the building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I heritage structure, with reference number 89.[5]
In September 2002 Pah Homestead was purchased by the Auckland City Council as part of council plans to develop the surrounding estate into a premier park for the city, Monte Cecilia Park. The council developed a heritage conservation plan, an archaeological and geophysical assessment and a cultural heritage overview for Whataroa Pā. A landscape history and tree assessment were produced to help better understand the Māori and European heritage of the site.
Monte Cecilia Catholic School, a neighbour of The Pah since 1913, will be moved to a new building on the grounds of the nearby St John Vianney Catholic Church, Hillsborough.[6]
Restoration
One of the numerous works of art on display in the Pah Homestead.
The council upgraded the Pah Homestead roof as part of its commitment to protecting and preserving heritage buildings in Auckland city. The restoration involved weatherproofing, reinforcing the structure of the roof and some seismic upgrading. The council selected materials matching the original roof like English slate tiles and rolled lead.[7]
Auckland City worked with other groups and organisations like New Zealand Historic Places Trust and specialist heritage architects Matthews & Matthews Architects Ltd. to ensure the renovation is of a high standard. These works were undertaken by NZ Strong Construction,[8] an Auckland construction company specializing in unique projects such as this.
Refurbishment of exterior joinery and façade is now completed, with drainage works and fire protection undertaken to prevent further deterioration of the building.
Called the TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre, it opened to the public in August 2010. The building now houses the Wallace Arts Trust's collection of New Zealand art, consisting of more than 7000 works by New Zealand artists.[9] In 2021, the James Wallace Arts Trust was renamed the Arts House Trust.[10] The trust has disassociated itself from James Wallace.[11]
The collection and regular exhibitions, such as that of image-maker Vincent Ward titled Exhale in 2012,[12] are on display free of charge.[13]
Television and film
Over the years the house and its grounds have been used as the shooting locations in a number of television and film productions.
KīngiTāwhiao, known initially as Matutaera, reigned as the Māori King from 1860 until his death. After his flight to the King Country, Tāwhiao was also Paramount Chief of the Rohe Pōtae for 17 years, until 1881. A Waikato Tainui nobleman, rangatira, and religious figure, Tāwhiao amassed power and authority during a time of momentous change to become de facto leader of the Waikato tribes. He was a member of the Ngati Mahuta hapū, who comprise the kāhui ariki.
South Auckland is one of the major geographical regions of Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. The area is south of the Auckland isthmus, and on the eastern shores of the Manukau Harbour. The area has been populated by Tāmaki Māori since at least the 14th century, and has important archaeological sites, such as the Ōtuataua stonefield gardens at Ihumātao, and Māngere Mountain, a former pā site important to Waiohua tribes.
Māngere is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau City Centre and 15 kilometres south of the Auckland city centre. It is the location of Auckland Airport, which lies close to the harbour's edge to the south of the suburb.
Māngere Bridge is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, under the local governance of the Auckland Council. Surrounded by the Manukau Harbour, the area is the most north-western suburb of South Auckland, and is connected to Onehunga in central Auckland by three bridges that cross the Māngere Inlet. Many features of the Auckland volcanic field are found in and around Māngere Bridge, including Māngere Mountain, a 106-metre-high (348 ft) feature in the centre of the suburb, and Māngere Lagoon, a volcanic tidal lagoon opposite Puketutu Island in the harbour. The suburb is also home to Ambury Regional Park, a working farm and nature sanctuary run by Auckland Council, that connects to the Kiwi Esplanade and Watercare Coastal walkways.
Hillsborough is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. Hillsborough is a leafy suburb of 20th-century houses. The area is serviced by two shopping areas; Onehunga and Three Kings. The area is served by secondary schools Mount Roskill Grammar School and Marcellin College.
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand. It was set up through the Historic Places Act 1954 with a mission to "...promote the identification, protection, preservation and conservation of the historical and cultural heritage of New Zealand" and is an autonomous Crown entity. Its current enabling legislation is the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
Māngere Mountain, also known by the names Te Pane-o-Mataaho and Te Ara Pueru, is a volcanic cone in Māngere, Auckland. Located within Māngere Domain, it is one of the largest volcanic cones in the Auckland volcanic field, with a peak 106 metres (348 ft) above sea level. It was the site of a major pā and many of the pā's earthworks are still visible. It has extensive panoramic views of Auckland from its location in the southeastern portion of the city's urban area.
The Auckland Domain, also known as Pukekawa / Auckland Domain, is a large park in Auckland, New Zealand. Consisting of 75 hectares of land, Auckland Domain is the oldest park in the city. Located in the central suburb of Grafton, the parkland is the remains of the explosion crater and most of the surrounding tuff ring of the Pukekawa volcano.
Architecture of New Zealand is the built environment of regions, cities and towns of New Zealand.
Long Bay is one of the northernmost suburbs of the North Shore, part of the contiguous Auckland metropolitan area located in New Zealand.
James Williamson was a 19th-century Member of Parliament, merchant and land speculator in the Auckland Region, New Zealand.
Ihumātao is an archeological site of historic importance in the suburb of Māngere, Auckland. Once a pā site, it stands on the Ihumātao Peninsula, at the base of Ōtuataua, part of the Auckland volcanic field. Its scoria cone reaches 64 metres (210 ft) above sea level.
Greenwoods Corner is an Auckland neighbourhood located within the suburb of Epsom, situated to the south of Newmarket and to the north of Royal Oak, at the intersection of Pah Road and Manukau Road. It is settled in the lee of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill and serves as a convenient launching point for the area's many attractions. Cornwall Park with Maungakiekie and the Stardome Observatory, Alexandra Park with its harness-racing track, and Monte Cecilia Park with the Pah Homestead and TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre are all a convenient distance from Greenwoods Corner.
Scandrett Regional Park is a regional park located on the north east tip of the Mahurangi Peninsula, north of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It encompasses Mullet Point and includes regenerating coastal forest, rocky headlands that protrude into Kawau Bay, Scandretts Bay beach and a precinct of historic farm buildings. The people of Auckland own the park through the Auckland Council.
Hillpark is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand. It is bordered by suburbs of The Gardens on the east and Manurewa on the south. It was formerly part of Manukau City until the 2010 amalgamation of all of Auckland's councils, and is now under the governance of Auckland Council.
Veronica Herber is a New Zealand artist who lives and works in Auckland. She is best known for working with Japanese Washi tape.
Star Gossage is a New Zealand painter. In addition to painting, her practice includes theatre, film-making, poetry, and sculpture. While referencing European movements such as expressionism, impressionism and surrealism, her work incorporates Māori concepts such as whānau and whakapapa.
James Hay Wallace is a New Zealand businessman, arts patron, and convicted sex offender.
Brett a'Court is a New Zealand artist who has lived and painted in Waipu, Northland since 1995, and exhibits regularly in New Zealand, including 11 solo exhibitions between 2002 and 2022. His work can be found in both private and public collections throughout the country.
Monte Cecilia Park is located in the Auckland suburb of Hillsborough, close to its boundary with Royal Oak. The park's landscape showcases a diverse variety of mature exotic plants as well as native New Zealand flora.
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