Katherine Mansfield Birthplace and Heritage Garden
The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace is the childhood home of one of the world's best known short story writers, and New Zealand's most famous author.
The house is situated at the North end of Thorndon, the oldest suburb of Wellington city, an area still closely associated with Mansfield.
The house provides a background for the enjoyment and understanding of a large part of Mansfield's writing. Her memories and experiences here were recreated in her most famous short stories including 'The Aloe', 'Prelude' and 'A Birthday'.
'The longer I live the more I turn to New Zealand,' Mansfield wrote to her father in 1922.
'A young country is a real heritage though it takes one time to recognise it. But New Zealand is in my very bones.'
The house at 25 (previously 11) Tinakori Road was built in 1888 for Mansfield's father, Harold Beauchamp, an aspiring young merchant who was to become a successful businessman and was later knighted for his services to commerce and banking. Three generations of the Beauchamp family lived together in the house from 1888 to 1893.
25 Tinakori Road has been meticulously restored and furnished with antique furniture of the era and replicas of original wallpapers, creating an authentic atmosphere in keeping with the family's social status.
Facilities include:
- Translations of information in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, German and French
- Guided tours by arrangement
- Tea and coffee available
- Minibus parking in driveway
- Tour bus stop in nearby Hobson Street
- Illustrated education resource sheets for school classes
- A range of videos
- Gift shop with a range of exclusive New Zealand manufactured merchandise
Permanent and changing exhibitions are a feature of the Birthplace and include 'A Sense of Living', a collection of period photographs with excerpts of Mansfield's writings.
The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace is classified Category 1 on the New Zealand Historic Places Trust register. It is open 10am to 4pm seven days a week. There is a charge for admission.
The Birthplace is administered by the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society Inc, a non-profit charitable organisation. The Society exists 'to acquire, restore, maintain and re-use, for the benefit of all people, the birthplace of New Zealand's most internationally famous writer, Katherine Mansfield, and foster an appreciation and understanding of her work'.
For more information phone or fax the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society on (04) 473 7268 or write to:
The Secretary, Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society, PO Box 12006, Wellington, New Zealand.
Heritage Garden
The Garden at the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace was first planted in 1888. It is recalled by Mansfield as 'small and square with flower beds on either side. All down one side big clumps of arum lilies aired their rich beauty, on the other side there was nothing but a straggle what the children called "grandmother's pincushions"'.
The garden has been faithfully recreated by a team of volunteers following the evidence provided by eye-witness accounts, original photographs, archaeological investigation, and by Katherine Mansfield's stories and letters.
'Oh how I love flowers!' Mansfield wrote to her sister Chaddie. 'It's strange we should all of us Beauchamps have this passion for flowers...'.
Related Information
- Katherine Mansfield Birthplace website: www.katherinemansfield.com
- See the Katherine Mansfield page for more information about this distinguished author.
- The BNZ Katherine Mansfield Short Story Awards celebrate the work of New Zealand's fiction and non-fiction writers.
- The Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship sends a New Zealand writer to live and work in France each year.
