Historic Treasures Make Their Way Back to Highwic

Highwic – the 160-year-old Newmarket mansion cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga – received a number of items relating to the house from descendants of original owners Alfred Buckland, his wife Eliza and his second wife Matilda.

The items range from a wooden writing box to a modular double bed frame likely to date back to Highwic’s heyday, a series of colour prints known to have hung in the house, and a black and white photo of family members participating in a historic equestrian event 75 years ago.

“The items may have some rarity value in themselves, but what makes them really important is that they have clear provenance to the house and the people who lived there. That’s what makes them so special. Currently, a significant number of items on display in Highwic are from the late Victorian era but don’t necessarily have a connection to the house. These donated items belong and tell their own stories.” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Senior Collections Advisor, Belinda Maingay.

Perhaps the most poignant of these is a writing box complete with the original key which once belonged to Donald Gorrie, grandson of Alfred and Eliza Buckland. Gorrie was killed in action in 1917 during the Battle of Beersheba, also known as the Third Battle of Gaza, during World War I.

The writing box originally belonged to Donald Gorrie who was killed in World War I.

The writing box has brass detailing and a hinged lid which opens up to create a writing surface complete with a black leather writing pad. The box also contains compartments for ink bottles, pens and paper and even has an original ink bottle complete with a small amount of ink.

Another item is a wooden modular bed frame very similar in style to a bed that is already in the collection. The bed was donated by David Chapman – grandson of Hazel Ferguson, the youngest daughter of Alfred and Matilda Buckland.

There is a strong possibility that the bed was originally at Highwic when Hazel lived there and is very much in keeping with the style of other beds in the house, with its series of circular knobs and plates that hold it together.

A series of four Victorian-era colour prints depicting horses in various bucolic English settings have also been donated by Denis Buckland, a descendant of Eliza and Alfred. The pictures, which originally hung in Highwic, mirrored Alfred’s deep interest in horses. According to Denis, “If it didn’t have a horse attached to it, Alfred wasn’t interested”.

In a similar vein, a black and white photo dating back to 1950 shows various members of the Buckland family in full horse-riding kit when the Pointway Pony Club was relocated from its Pakuranga Highway base, where St Kentigern College is now, to Manurewa.

Hillary Harrison also donated the picture, which is an important snapshot of Buckland family life in the mid 20th Century. Alfred Buckland co-founded the Pakuranga Hunt in 1872.

“All of these different items have significant personal family history associated with Highwic and after we have registered them and undertaken some basic conservation where needed, we will eventually display them in the house itself. We are honoured to be able to receive them from different family members who value the link these items have to Highwic. They add to the history of this place and help reinforce the fact that although Highwic is an impressive historic building, it was – first and foremost – a family home.”

Highwic - 40 Gillies Avenue

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