Harrogate

84 Salamanca Road, Kelburn, Wellington
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Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
Extent: Cityview GIS 2013
Extent: Cityview GIS 2013 
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  • Constructed

    1926 - 1926

  • Architect(s)

    Swan Lawrence Swan (also Swan, Lawrence Swan & Hamilton)

  • Builder(s)

  • Harrogate is a good representative of the style and has architectural value for the quality of its English Domestic Revival design which has been used to house two flats within one unified building. 

    This building has historic significance due to its association with Charles Wilson, a distinguished Wellingtonian who achieved some national prominence. The house was also later owned by Susan Price, who is probably the greatest collector of children’s books. It is also associated with its designers, Swan, Lawrence, and Swan, a prominent architectural firm in Wellington.  

    Harrogate has group value in its relation to the Chevening Flats, together these buildings are indicative of the growing market for apartments during the interwar period. These two buildings complement one another, both historically and stylistically.

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  • close History
    • This building, known as ‘Harrogate’, is a prominent feature of the Salamanca Road streetscape that possesses significant architectural value for the quality of its English Domestic Revival styling, its historical association with Charles Wilson, its townscape and group values, and its high degree of authenticity. 

      Harrogate was built in 1926 for Charles Wilson as a two flat apartment building. Wilson, then 69, was coming to the end of a distinguished career as Parliamentary Librarian so it is possible that he planned the building as a retirement place for him and his wife Lucilla. They occupied the upstairs flat 84a. 

      Wilson had secured the lease on the steep property on Salamanca Road in February 1926, close to the University, whose council he served for many years. The land was owned by the Wellington Hospital Board, the legacy of a land acquisition some decades earlier. Wilson commissioned local architects Swan, Lawrence, and Swan to design the house. Wilson decided to name the house Harrogate after the town in Yorkshire where he was raised. The builder was C. Totterdell. The permit was actually issued in late 1925, and the application value was split into the cost for the flats £4200 and the cost of the steps/garages £248.10. Wilson proudly put the name of his property on the side of the building, along with a brass plaque bearing the name, address, and date of the building’s completion. 

      Wilson did not get to enjoy the building or his retirement for very long. In 1932 he was killed in an accident when he tried to board a moving cable car at the Salamanca Road stop. The Kelburne and Karori Tramway Co. were sued by Wilson’s widow Lucilla, and the Supreme Court awarded a sum of £350 to her. 

      The property passed to Lucilla Wilson but she appears to have left the flat that she shared with her husband after his death. Street directories show that she returned about 1945 and died soon after. The lease was transferred to Leslie Goldfinch, a company director. He is listed as an occupier of No. 84 until the early 1950s, although he sold the property to MLC Insurance Company in 1948. MLC retained the lease until 1982 when it bought the land and building outright from the Wellington Hospital Board. In 1985 the company sold the building to Amrat and Sharda Pardhu, who were retailers. In 1986 the house was unit titled, and separate Certificates of Title were issued for the two flats. 

      In June 1989, both flats – 84a or Unit A and 84 or Unit B – were bought by Susan Price, a writer, historian, and collector of children’s books, together with her parents, children’s author Beverley Randell and publisher High Price. The latter’s third shares were transferred to Susan Price two months later. She owned the building until 2007, when it was bought by Harrogate Properties Ltd. 

      A succession of tenants came and went from the flats, particularly in the middle portion of the buildings history. The first occupant of the downstairs flat (84) appears to have been Major A.D. Speirs of the Defence Department. A variety of occupants lived in the flats thereafter, including a bank manager, electrician, medical practitioners, clerks, a printer, furriers, and many more. Few listed occupants stayed in the flats for long. 

      There have been few modifications made to these flats, and they have barely changed over their history.
    • Modifications close
      • 1925 - 1926
      • 84 Salamanca Road, flats, garages and steps (00056:5:B477)
      • 1930 - 1930
      • 84 Salamanca Road, garage and steps (00056:94:B8770)
      • 1981 - 1981
      • 84 Salamanca Road, top flat additions and alterations. Kitchen, bathroom, wc and wardrobe (00058:1334:C56137)
    • Occupation History close

      Not assessed

  • close Architectural Information
    • Building Classification(s) close

      Not assessed

    • Architecture close

      Harrogate is in the English Domestic Revival style, which enjoyed considerable popularity in New Zealand in the early 20th century. The building is typical of the style, and shows a combination of brick, timberwork, roughcast, and tile exterior cladding. The Decramastic roof of Harrogate is not original, but is cohesive with the aesthetics of the building. A small, flat roofed dormer that lights the first floor bathroom even features an area of half timbering, which is another feature of the style. Leaded fanlights above the casement windows add texture and recall the Tudor and Elizabethan sources upon which English architects based their early 20th century domestic style. Harrogate is domestic in style and from the exterior appears to only hold one home, however upon closer inspection of the garaging and dual side entrances it is apparent that this is not a single family dwelling.  

    • Materials close
      Brick, Cement render, Decramastic tiles, Timberwork
    • Setting close
      Harrogate stands on the west side of Salamanca road overlooking Kelburn Park to the east. The rear of the building abuts a steep bank that rises up to meet Rawhiti Terrace. This area is made up of low to medium density residential dwellings, meaning that there is little visual barrier between Harrogate and the nearby Chevening Flats. These two buildings complement one another, both historically and stylistically. Harrogate sits between Victoria University and the Cable Car; two familiar city landmarks that help define the character of the area. 
  • close Cultural Value
    Harrogate is a good representative of the style and has architectural value for the quality of its English Domestic Revival design which has been used to house two flats within one unified building. 

    This building has historic significance due to its association with Charles Wilson, a distinguished Wellingtonian who achieved some national prominence. The house was also later owned by Susan Price, who is probably the greatest collector of children’s books. It is also associated with its designers, Swan, Lawrence, and Swan, a prominent architectural firm in Wellington.  

    Harrogate has group value in its relation to the Chevening Flats, together these buildings are indicative of the growing market for apartments during the interwar period. These two buildings complement one another, both historically and stylistically.
    • 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?

        Harrogate is a good representative of the style and has architectural value for the quality of its English Domestic Revival design which has been used to house two flats within one unified building. 

      • 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?

        Harrogate has townscape value because of its siting directly abutting the footpath on Salamanca Road and the visual interest that it contributes to its setting.

      • 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?

        Harrogate has group value in its relation to the Chevening Flats, together these buildings are indicative of the growing market for apartments during the interwar period. These two buildings complement one another, both historically and stylistically.

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

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

        This building has historic significance due to its association with Charles Wilson, a distinguished Wellingtonian who achieved some national prominence. The house was also later owned by Susan Price, who is probably the greatest collector of children’s books. It is also associated with its designers, Swan, Lawrence, and Swan, a prominent architectural firm in Wellington.

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeology

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

        The risk of archaeological discovery is unknown; the building is included in the NZAA Central City Archaeological Area R27/277, and is in an area known to have pre 1900 human activity associated with it.

    • Social Value close

      Not assessed

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Representative

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

        This building is a good representative of English Domestic Revival architecture,   constructed in materials and using techniques common to the period and the style.

      • 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?

        This building has had few detrimental modifications, and the exterior gas a high degree of authenticity with only minor changes having been made since its design in 1925.

      • Local - Regional - National - International

        Is the item important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level?

        Harrogate is a locally important building for its architectural, townscape, and group values, its historical associations, as a representative of its type, and its authenticity.

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      12/416

    • Legal Description

      Lot 2 DP 7646

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      Not listed

    • Archaeological Site

      NZAA Central City Archaeological Area R27/277 – risk unknown

    • 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
      • Kelly, Michael and Ann McEwan. Harrogate – 84 Salamanca Road. Wellington City Council: Unpublished report, prepared for Plan Change 58, 2007
      • Archives: 1925 84 Salamanca Road, flats, garages and steps (00056:5:B477)
      • Archives: 1930 84 Salamanca Road, garage and steps (00056:94:B8770)
      • Archives: 1981 84 Salamanca Road, top flat additions and alterations. Kitchen, bathroom, wc and wardrobe (00058:1334:C56137)
    • Technical Documentation close
    • Footnotes close

      Not available

Last updated: 11/24/2016 3:35:11 AM