David Anderson arrived in Wellington in 1849 aboard the barque ‘Pilgrim’. Almost immediately, it would seem, he opened a grocery and spirit store on Lambton Quay, advertising on September 29 of that year that he had commenced business. By 1867 advertisements listed a new address: Anderson’s shop was now on Willis Street. David Anderson’s son, also named David, had his own store in Molesworth Street, seeing food goods and appliances. The Anderson family would eventually sell their mercantile businesses to Burns, Philp & Company Ltd in 1920.
Anderson House was built for David Anderson (senior) around 1875. By that point, the family was one of the leading mercantile families in Wellington. The house’s original name was Rhyme. David Anderson (the senior) died in 1889, and when his widower moved to Willis Street in 1893, his son (David II) and his wife Sarah Spinks moved in. David II spent ₤2000 enlarging the house and installing the upstairs balcony. The balcony was partly for the benefit of his disabled son Eddie, a vantage point from which to enjoy the view of Wellington.
David II and Sarah died in 1918 and 1914, respectively, and the next resident was David III. David III’s legacy was the redevelopment of Anderson Terrace below the property. David III died in 1935.
During World War II Anderson House was used by the Army, but returned to the Anderson family in 1946 with the return of David III’s son Paul from military service overseas. Paul died in 1977, ending the Anderson family’s residence in the house.
With the property up for sale, NZHPT in conjunction with the Royal Forest and Bird Protection society registered their interest in purchasing the property and furnishings. However, the furnishings were sold separately in 1978, and in August the Wellington Commercial Travellers’ Association purchased the property. Reflecting on the house and its history in the 1970s, David McGill and Grant Tilly wrote that the property was dilapidated and tired. The disrepair must have been extensive; the WCTA did not move in four years while the house underwent renovations and another wing was added.
Since the tenure of the WTCA, the house has also been owned by the Royal Foundation for the Blind, and since 1993, Te Kohanga Reo National Trust Board.
Anderson House’s main heritage value comes from its long association with one of early Wellington’s prominent families. The Andersons were an important merchant family in settler Wellington, and their house was once a feature of the Wellington townscape as it sat planted on the hill overlooking the town.
