Braid Cottage

300 Middleton Road

1 Westchester Drive East, Glenside, Wellington
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Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Cityview GIS 2013
Cityview GIS 2013
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  • Constructed

    1867

  • Architect(s)

    David Braid

  • Builder(s)

    David Braid

  • Braid Cottage (former) was built after 1867 on a site along the Porirua Road, it is one of a group of notable settler cottages that were built along the principal route from Wellington toward Porirua and further north. These houses are now considered old and rare.

    The cottage was home to the Braid family, from c.1867 – 1897 and is likely to have been built by local farmer, baker and storekeeper, David Braid.

     


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  • close History

    • Braid Cottage was built by David Braid (1844 – 1906) in c.1867 on Section 25 along the Old Porirua Road at Glenside. Section 25 was sold by its UK based owners to William Rowlings, a Wellington storekeeper, in 1865. In 1867 Rowlings sold the 106 acre section to three co-owners - Edwin Woodhouse and William Cook of Wellington, and David Braid, a Johnsonville Settler. David Braid’s cottage is thought to date from around this era.

      Braid is likely to have built the cottage before marrying Rosanna Pomovoy (or Pomeroy) (1852 – 1931) in 1874. The couple raised their seven surviving children at the homestead, all of whom attended Johnsonville School. They purchased all of Section 25 from their co-owners in 1880, but sold 99 acres to George Wilson, a Wellington clerk, in 1890. David Braid, by then a Johnsonville baker/storekeeper, was declared bankrupt in 1897 and the house and its remaining 7 acres of land were sold to George MacDonald, by tender, as part of the bankruptcy settlement.

      The cottage was owned in the 1960s by Cecil Mason (1905 – 1977), the inventor of Borafume – a smoke-based chemical treatment for borer beetle infestations in houses and small timber buildings. Mason was the Chief Chemical Engineer at the NZ Forestry Service where he developed a vacuum treatment system for newly felled timber. He also developed Borafume as a small private business, and the factory operated from a shed at nearby Nott House (WCC ref 26/211) for many years.

      The Braid Cottage farm-let is situated close to many of the key north-south Wellington transport routes, including the motorway (SH1) to the east, the Old Porirua Road (now Middleton Road) to the west, and the main trunk railway line. The building’s setting has been compromised by the construction of the motorway, and by the Westchester Drive East motorway access-road that opened in c.2008; from which the formerly secluded cottage is clearly visible.

  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      The house has some architectural value as a c.1867 timber framed cottage, but its original appearance has been obscured by the cement render which was added in the c.1930s to late 1960s.

    • Materials close

      The house was originally clad in plain weatherboards, and these were removed and/or rendered over in rough cast in the 1960s. It was originally roofed in timber shingles.

    • Setting close

      The house is set within a smallholding, has attractive mature gardens, and is surrounded by regenerating native bush. These contribute to the appreciation and understanding of the history of this former farmhouse which is divided by Westchester Drive from its original farmland.

  • close Cultural Value
    The house has some architectural value as a c.1867 timber framed cottage.
    • Aesthetic Value close

      • Architectural

        Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

        Braid Cottage is a good representative example of a small 19th century farmhouse.

      • Group

        Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

        Braid Cottage is one of a collection of small cottages, homesteads and houses that were scattered along the route of the Old Porirua – Wellington Road at Glenside; these include Nott House and the ‘Halfway House’.

      • Townscape

        Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

        Not assessed

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important person, group, or organisation?

        The house has significant historic values for its association with its first owner, David Braid, who has local significance as an early farmer, carter, grocer, and baker. The house has a short association with Sybil Lupp, a mechanic, motor-racing driver, garage proprietor, motor vehicle dealer who made a significant contribution nationally to automotive industry in New Zealand in the mid-to-late twentieth century. The house was owned by Cecil Mason the inventor of Borafume – a smoke-based chemical treatment for borer beetle infestations and who manufactured the product in the sheds at nearby Nott House.

      • Authentic

        Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

        Not assessed

      • Public Esteem

        Is the item held in high public esteem?

        The building is held in high public esteem locally and this can be seen from its inclusion on the Glenside Progressive Society website, and in various local historic society publications.

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

        Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

        Pre-1900 building

    • Social Value close

      • Identity Sense Of Place Continuity

        Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

        The building has had few modern alterations or additions over the past 150 years and contributes to the sense of place and continuity of Glenside.

      • Public Esteem

        Is the item held in high public esteem?

        The building is held in high public esteem locally and this can be seen from its inclusion on the Glenside Progressive Society website, and in various local historic society publications.

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Authentic

        Does the item have authenticity or integrity because it retains significant fabric from the time of its construction or from later periods when important additions or modifications were carried out?

        Not assessed

      • Rare

        Is the item rare, unique, unusual, seminal, influential, or outstanding?

        Braid Cottage (former) was built after 1867 on a site along the Porirua Road, it is one of a group of notable settler cottages that were built along the principal route from Wellington toward Porirua and further north. These houses are now considered to be old and rare.

      • Representative

        Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

        Braid Cottage is a good representative example of a mid 19th century cottage

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      26/ 373

    • Legal Description

      LOT 1 DP 83941

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      None 2013

    • Archaeological Site

      Pre 1900 cottage

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      Outside Earthquake Prone Policy

  • close Additional Information
    • Sources close
      • Arden, Stuart and Ian Bowman. The New Zealand Period House: A Conservation Guide (Auckland: Random House, 2004)
      • Bibby, Clare. ‘The History and Heritage of Glenside’ in The Onslow Historian, Volume 32 Nos 1-4 (2002); Glenside Progressive Association website accessed August 2013
      • Carman, Arthur. Tawa Flat and the Old Porirua Road: 1840 – 1982, (Trentham: Wright and Carman, 1982)
      • Evening Post, 26 July 1897, Evening Post, 13 March 1897
      • Grapes, Rodney. The Visitation: The Earthquakes of 1848 and the Destruction of Wellington, (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 2011)177-182
      • Salmond, Jeremy. 'Building materials - Early houses', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 13-Jul-12
      • The Entomological Society of New Zealand website accessed August 2013
    • Technical Documentation close

      Not available

    • Footnotes close

      Not available

Last updated: 7/27/2023 11:35:20 PM