Romantic Weddings in the Wairarapa
Vintage Style Weddings - our speciality
Special Wedding Anniversaries
Wedding Reaffirmations
Milestone birthdays
Family reunions
Leaving functions
Celebratory luncheons
Cocktail parties
Christmas Parties
Private functions
Product launches
Romantic weekend getaways
A dog friendly venue
"Nobody
does it better"...
A TRUE ROMANCE…
"In
the early 1920’s, Hugh Williams, a solicitor and wealthy land owner
who was also a quiet, kindly, gentle man, fell in love with Helen
Jones, a remarkable woman who had been a Governess to the children
of the Governor of Fiji. She had returned to New Zealand and
not wanting to be beholden to anyone, she had taken a job as a
bar maid in the (now demolished) Midlands Hotel. “I love you Helen”
he said. “Please marry me.” “No”, she said, “I am not of your class
and you would truly be marrying beneath yourself”. An
unconventional man even for those days, Hugh persisted to pursue
Helen and finally she agreed to marry him. But sadly, Helen was
right. The society matrons of the Wairarapa ostracized her and made
it very clear that she was not welcome in their homes. So Hugh spoke
once again to his beloved wife. “I will build you a home, so special
and so grand that all the ‘so called’ elite both here in Masterton
and beyond, will beg for the privilege of an invitation to your
beautiful home”. And thus, at the cost of 8000 pounds,
Lansdowne House was built!"
Constructed on the site of
New Zealand’s first commercial vineyard, Lansdowne House is a three
story ‘tudor’ mansion of some 12000 square feet, built in the style
of a grand English country estate. The building boasts the best of
English and New Zealand building materials. The wood work is hand
selected, native Rimu and Totara with all the mullioned lead light
windows imported from England. The grand staircase is beautifully
proportioned and all the rooms, both reception and bedrooms are on a
larger than life scale with 3.6 metre wood ceilings. Indeed, each of
the floors amasses over 4000 square feet (370 square meters).
The real uniqueness of Lansdowne
House is that 80 years after it was built, it is still largely in
its original state with all the timber panelling, 6 working
fireplaces and superb wooden floors still in excellent order. The
originality of the building was the main attraction for new owners,
Richard and Kadia Merralls who moved from an 1880’s farmhouse north
of Auckland to take on the new challenge of restoring Lansdowne to
its former glory. This restoration has been a 'labour of love' for
the last two years and will be an ongoing project. However, the
major first stage has now been completed and Lansdowne House is
ready to open its doors once again.
The work completed on Lansdowne
has transformed the old mansion. The floors upstairs and down have
been sanded to restore the original colour and gloss. The main
downstairs reception rooms which are used extensively for weddings
and functions have had 12 spectacular chandeliers erected as well as
pelmet mood lighting in a soft yellow or warm red for romantic after
dinner dancing. The bar/drawing room has been painted in soft
buttermilk to complement Kadia’s large blue and white plate
collection. The buffet room with its large, 1850 antique dining
table has been painted a vibrant red and the plate rail going right
around the room has allowed Kadia to display more of her collection
of English plates and bowls. Three huge open fire places add an
ambience unequalled today and the rooms look out on a secluded brick
courtyard bordered by an original brick icehouse, as well as huge
trees, a well established garden and several water features. Guests
often comment that it is very peaceful.
As you move upstairs there is another breathtaking chandelier in the
stairwell. The wide, wood panelled staircase has two landings and a
large leadlight window and has been fitted with a new carpet runner
in a rich traditional style with brass rods and finials. At the top
of the stairs there is a wide hallway extending the length of the
house to the top veranda. All the rooms on this floor also have top
quality light fittings and antique furniture which reflect the
grandeur of the house. One of the great finds during the restoration
process was the 8 matching, antique, French alabaster lights which
now adorn the upstairs hallway giving it a magical night time
ambience. For the lights still to have all the original brass
fittings was a truly amazing discovery.
Moving outside you quickly become aware of the magnitude of this
stately home. The grandeur of the house itself is reflected in the
magnificence of two huge trees, a white chestnut and a massive elm
which stand guard proudly over the driveway leading to the house.
From there the drive curves past three majestic willows and
then leads on to impressive lawns and gardens with roses and several
water features including a babbling waterfall with an arched bridge
and a pond with ever increasing goldfish. This is a calm and restful
area where you can read the morning paper under the willows, enjoy
the solitude of the bricked courtyard or just lean on the bridge and
watch the fish at play.
A Place For All Seasons!
CELEBRATING
13 YEARS!
Richard and
Kadia Merralls are now celebrating 13 years at Lansdowne House! Over
that time they have embarked upon a massive restoration which has
been an on going ‘labour of love’. Every room inside the house has
been renovated and restored and many, many people have now had the
pleasure of marvelling at its grandeur, learning about its history
and admiring the plethora of antiques. Those who have stayed all
comment that it has been an unforgettable experience, something to
tell their grand children! Without exception everyone has said that
pictures can never do the place justice. You have to see it to
appreciate its size, its magnificence and its special qualities.
The House -
One of a kind!
DOWNSTAIRS
Built on the site of a
much older house still evident in the Servants’ Quarters, the main
structure of Lansdowne House is now more than 90 years old. What
makes it absolutely unique is that most of it has remained unchanged
since the day it was built. From the beautiful Rimu panelling to the
6 working fireplaces, the superb wooden floors, the Butler’s Pantry,
the leadlight windows and the original green safe, it is all still
there and used every day just as it was intended to be.
Downstairs you will find the huge ballroom able to seat up to 120
guests comfortably or, for smaller groups of fewer than 35 people,
the enormous Rimu panelled doors can be pulled across for more
intimate dining. The 12 spectacular chandeliers, the warm red and
soft yellow pelmet lighting, the abundance of flickering candles and
the open fireplaces all contribute to the atmosphere which cannot be
replicated in modern buildings.
The bar/drawing room is
painted in soft buttermilk to complement Kadia’s large blue and
white plate collection. The dining/buffet room with its large 1850
mahogany dining table has been painted in vibrant red and the plate
rail going right around the room has allowed Kadia to display more
of her English plates and bowls. Both of these rooms look out onto a
secluded brick courtyard with a striking water feature. It is
bordered by the original brick icehouse and enclosed with formal
plantings of buxus and vibrant red Dublin Bay roses.
UPSTAIRS
As you move upstairs the breathtaking stairwell chandelier
sparkles above you. The wide panelled staircase with its two
landings, carpet runner with brass rods and finials and large
leadlight window provide the perfect backdrop for a bride to descend
downstairs to her wedding on the arm of her father, mother, or
indeed both together – there is plenty of room!
The upstairs
rooms are spectacular – large, traditional and filled with antiques.
The honeymoon suite, named the Williams Suite after Hugh and Helen
has been painted in a rich red and soft cream – red being the colour
for good luck. It combines antique furniture and an open fire with
luxurious bedding and a well equipped ensuite featuring the original
hand basin. The Eastwood suite at the other end of the wide hallway
has a wrought iron four poster and like the Williams Suite it
combines antique furniture with top of the range bedding. This suite
along with the Scott bedroom share the huge family bathroom which
contains the original claw food bath and hand basin as well as the
largest ‘walk in’ shower in Masterton. The Scott room has twin
antique beds with matching dressing table and tallboy as well as a
display of antique evening hand bags and gloves.
THE GARDEN
As you move outside you quickly become aware of the magnitude of
this stately home. The grandeur of the house itself is reflected in
the magnificence of two huge trees, a white Horse Chestnut and a
massive Elm which stand guard proudly over the driveway leading to
the house. From there the drive curves past three majestic Willows
and then leads on to the impressive gardens with five large Golden
Ash trees as well several water features including a babbling pond
with ever increasing gold fish spanned by an arched bridge. As a
symbol of good luck our brides walk over the bridge on their wedding
day and on to the rose arbor of red and white roses in the shape of
a horseshoe set out with white chairs and topped with a wrought iron
gazebo. This is a calm and restful area, somewhere to sit and
reflect and to watch the Tuis and the Fantails at play.
THE VILLA
Set in the gardens with its own private driveway this is a
classic 1970’s architecturally designed three bedroom home with all
of its original features in tact. It is the perfect retreat for
couples wanting a quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of
everyday life, for small wine groups touring this fabulous wine
region or for wedding parties & family groups wanting to catch up
with one another. Equally the Villa is an ideal ‘home away from
home’ for visiting medical Consultants and professionals needing a
quiet place to complete work or for relaxation. The Villa meets the
needs of many and guests comment that not only is it much larger
than it looks it is also warm, cosy and peaceful with the added
bonus of bookshelves loaded with books and games for some old
fashioned R & R!
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