An exceptional Italianate-style garden in the Wairarapa has been placed on the market for sale ending the two-decade guardianship of the historically-significant 3.76ha property by its current owners.
The Carterton property is called ‘Richmond’ and reflects both Wairarapa’s early history and more recently, 20 years of dedicated and meticulous green-fingered input from owners Melanie and John Greenwood. John Greenwood is a leading Wellington property lawyer and the couple are relocating to the capital now that their children have left home.
Recently assessed as a garden of International Significance by the The Royal Horticultural Society’s New Zealand Garden Trust, Richmond Garden is based on 16th and 17th century Italian formal plantings admired by the Greenwoods on travels to Italy. The gardens represent tranquillity and peace which is achieved through the repetition of themes, straight lines, water and symmetry.
Richmond Garden is unique in New Zealand and captures many moods throughout twelve months of the year. It has been open to the public by arrangement and the owners have also run a successful nursery business from the property, Boxwood Topiary Nursery, which is now closed.
The historic homestead was built in 1887 and was originally home to Carterton’s first town clerk, Henry Wolters, a wealthy German immigrant who held that office from 1887 to 1901 and made a substantial contribution to the town and district until his death in 1926.
Wolters’ home was named after Richmond Palace in Brunswick, Germany, where he was born. The property was a social hub in the district and hosted many gatherings including the wedding of his eldest daughter Frances who married Katherine Mansfield’s cousin, ‘Burney’ Trapp in 1910.
A 1900 Cudell De Dion Voiturette car, owned by Wolters and a familiar sight around Carterton in the early 20th century, is now in Southward’s Car Museum in Paraparaumu.
Richmond is being marketed by tender closing 3 May through Bayleys Wairarapa. Lindsay Watts and Tim Falloon of Bayleys say the property is an outstanding private residence with many potential income streams.
“Given the evolution of the greater Wairarapa area as a tourist destination thanks to its proximity to Wellington and daily flights into Masterton airport, there could be the opportunity to offer accommodation at Richmond in conjunction with garden tours or as a retreat experience,” says Mr Watts.
“It is certainly a property that stands out. The attention to detail in both the empathetically restored homestead and the inspirational gardens sets Richmond apart and it’s an opportunity that rarely comes around.”
The garden was designed not only to be viewed from the house, room by room, and from an upstairs terrace, but also to entice people to walk and explore.
“The current owners were able to realise their vision for Italian-style formal gardens because of the flat site, the availability of water via a bore on the property, and the large area of north-facing land,” explains Mr Falloon.
Formal gardens must be sited on the north face so that hedging grows evenly all around. The garden achieves its harmony and continuity through the repetition of a few predominant species; European beech – copper and green – is used extensively for hedging and forest trees, Hornbeam is hedged and pleached as well as linden limes, which are also used as forest trees. Buxus Sempervirens is used extensively and pulls the garden design together in the form of hedging and topiary.
Each garden room on the south side of the house is unique with whimsical elements designed to surprise.
The property also features an historic barn that predates the house, vegetable gardens and glasshouse, a large swimming pool surrounded by mature trees, original stables half of which have been converted to carports, pony paddock, horse arena and tennis court and a new two-bedroom cottage built in the style of the main residence.
The restoration of the homestead has been exceedingly thorough and was overseen by respected conservation architect Chris Cochran to ensure that all additions and alterations would be in keeping with the era in which the house was built. Amongst the additions is a grand portico which looks north towards the gardens and takes in water features and an impressive bronze fountain which is a reproduction of a fountain in Madrid.
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