Newspaper Article 1995 – Early settler’s home for sale

Early settler’s home for sale

A solid looking house on St Aubyn St, once the [show] home of an early [se]ttler and a Hastings mayor, came on to the market this month.

John Beatson, who married Mary Harvey of the Hastings china shop family in 1877, built the house in 1911. He owned significant landholdings in Hawke’s Bay and a wool scouring business at Meeanee. He formed a syndicate to buy part of the Tanner estate.

He gave Hastings Windsor Park, which was originally called Beatson Park, but changed in 1935 after the visit by the Duke of Windsor, and Queen’s Square.

The former mayor was the late Algernon Rainbow who lived in the house with his wife Mary. She was John and Mary Beatson’s daughter.

Present owners Shirley and John Chubin need a smaller garden. Their 1057sq.m. section once encompassed two neighbouring properties for a tennis court.

A veranda entrance leads into the 205sq.m. home. A reception room connects the two wings of the house. A lounge, kitchen, dining wing leads off from the right. Four big double bedrooms are on the left. A connecting passage behind the reception room links the two wings.

The house is gibbed over the scrim. The original coal range in the dining room has a wetback and is useable. The ceilings are wood panel. The Chubins improved the kitchen and added a room after they bought it in 1979. The addition is faithful to its style.

Williams and Kettle agent Murray Keane is looking for offers around the set price of $176,000. Its 1992 government valuation was $112,000.