Newspaper Article 1988 – Ageless charm in Esk Valley

Ageless charm in Esk Valley

By SELINA GENTRY

Hidden in the Esk Valley, north of Napier, stands a homestead which tastefully combines the old with the new.

When the present owners of the century-old Hedgeley homestead, Peter and Barbara Clark considered modernising certain rooms for comfort and convenience, there were other things they found had to be taken into account.

The Clarks moved into Hedgeley homestead 27 years ago. They found a feeling of warmth and tranquility within the home which put a hold on what renovations they would make. Only necessary changes were made for some time.

Although the exact age of the home is not known, it is estimated at 123 years. The structure, interior decoration and general size of the home – much larger than the average modern-day house – were the clues.

Bought for £33,000

The property, originally of 2428 hectares came into the Clark family when it was bought by Thomas Clark on February 1, 1899, for £33,000.

During the next 10 years and before subdivision by the family around 1910, the station grew to its maximum area of 4046 hectares. Subdivision began just before the First World War when a section of adjoining land was sold to Thomas Clark’s son-in-law, who was later killed at the battle of Le Quesnoy in 1918.

The next year a portion now known as the Beattie Settlement was bought by the Government for returned soldiers.

In 1920, Thomas Clark and his daughter, Mrs Anne Henrietta Beattie built the Eskdale War Memorial Church in memory of her late husband and other fallen soldiers from the district. The Eskdale Park was also given to the people of the district by Thomas Clark just before his death in 1922. The property was then farmed by his two sons, Frederick Charles and Henry Richard Clark.

Following the death of Frederick Clark in 1947 his son Peter, who was farming adjoining land, took over supervision of his father’s estate.

Today, Mr Peter Clark is the owner, and farms some of the 520 hectares. Mr Clark still supervises the estate land of 324 hectares.

The number of homes on the Hedgeley property grew and by 1931 there were three homesteads. One known as Herepoho was built a few metres down the road from Hedgeley, and another Highgrove was built on a hill between Herepoho and Hedgeley.

Earthquake strikes

When the 1931 earthquake struck, Highgrove was damaged beyond repair. Hedgeley was also damaged and much of it had to be rebuilt.

Originally the 270 square metre home was two-storey and had a veranda along three sides of the house with a roof flattening over it to a lower pitch.

After the earthquake the second storey was rebuilt with only two small bedrooms. The ground floor also had alterations with the corner walls being extended so a portion of the veranda was eliminated.

What remains of the veranda has not been changed much and still opens out on to sweeping lawns and a tennis court. Beyond these are well-established gardens which have been reduced to a manageable size.

A feature of the homestead is the kauri, especially the handcrafted balustrades and newel posts of the narrow stairway leading to the second floor.

Kauri skirting and scotia boards 15cm deep and large wooden doors with wide kauri architraves enhance the spacious design.

As with most older style homes, the walls were matchlined then covered with scrim, and 15cm to 20cm thick. The scrim has gradually been replaced and now all but two rooms are lined with plaster board.

Warmth was an early consideration, as Mr Clark discovered when he removed the skirting boards in a room to modernise it. Sawdust which had been used to insulate the walls poured out.

Built for servants

Living in an old house has its advantages and disadvantages says Mrs Clarke [Clark]. The house used to be managed inside by servants but is now a single-handed task.

“The house being so big that you cannot hear the doorbell in some of the rooms, and the times you do, it gives you such a fright it takes a while to get your bearings,” she says.

“When something breaks and needs to be replaced finding the matching piece can be difficult like when a log was dropped in the living room fireplace smashing a few tiles,” Mrs Clark says.

The Clark’s repair person tracks the necessary pieces down when they break, but finding these three tiles proved to be the ultimate challenge.

“He hunted throughout New Zealand for the tiles we needed eventually finding some in an old Wellington house.”

The living room and lounge have spectacular brick fireplaces, each about 1 metre wide, with wooden surrounds and seven centimetre thick kauri mantel pieces. To the left of the living-room fireplace, sits a servants’ porcelain bell, the last in the house.

“It’s a servants’ bell which nobody answers, which is a shame,” says Mrs Clark.

Continuous picture rails which once were fitted in every room, now remain only in the living-room, but the original porcelain light switches, attached to kauri blocks before being fitted to the walls have been saved.

Furniture of period

Each room is furnished with wooden furniture of the period. The rectangular rooms, of three-metre stud, have a peaceful feeling – the pastel coloured bedrooms are highlighted by the long curtains which leave the hang-sash windows uncluttered.

“We really had no choice but to paint the bedrooms. When we arrived they were a dull brown colour and the children could not sleep in them.” Mrs Clark said.

The six bedrooms, with a total of 10 beds means there is always room for everyone.

Convenience has been the reason for most of the alterations the Clarks have made, and keeping them to the minimum has produced a house with character.

Many years ago the kitchen had a huge airing rack which extended the full length of the room, but this has been removed and the ceiling lowered to 2.7 metres.

The kitchen is quite small although it does have space for a centre table.

Old range gone

Through the generations, the kitchen and bathrooms have been updated, resulting in these rooms being the most modernised of all.

A modern wood-burner now fills part of the space formerly occupied by a Shacklock wood range silky black and whispering under its singing kettles. The bathrooms had baths on an enormous zinc plate and the surrounding walls all wooden.

The Clarks have updated this room by removing the zinc plate, installing a shower and replacing the bath and the wooden walls.

Hedgeley is now a convenient modern home filled with the grandeur of earlier times.

Photo captions –

Hedgeley homestead as it is today.

The original homestead before the 1931 earthquake.

The ornate staircase made in a bygone era.

Peter and Barbara Clark owners of Hedgeley homestead.   Photos: Tim Whittaker.

The hallway reflecting an atmosphere of times past.