Field trip to The Gables, Waimea West Road (a Category I building with Heritage NZ) on 27th April 2023 at 2pm.
About 12 members gathered at the home of Keith and Lorraine Davis who are the current owners of the Gables Historic building situated on Waimea West Road, Brightwater.
Built somewhere between 1864 and 1865, this building has a Category I listing with the Historic Places Trust. John and Annie Palmer had the building constructed using approximately 60,000 sundried clay bricks that were made next door to the building site. The roof was made from slate tiles, the origin of which is unknown. The front and sides of the building was covered with plaster but the rear of the building was bare brickwork.
[This image via Google Images sourced from Nelson Provincial Museum Daroux Collection Ref. 114867]
The Palmers were a well-known local family who had previously owned the Volunteer Arms Inn and the Waimea Inn, both close to the confluence of the Waimea and Wai-iti Rivers.
The Gables, initially called The Waimea West Inn, was built as a family home, as well as being a Store and an Inn and these facilities were in the front left room when looking from the road. John Palmer had been the Waimea West Post Master at both of his previous stores/inns, and established a new Post Office in a room at the right rear of the Gables, so as to be separate from the Store and Inn.
Below: the Gables west front (late afternoon) after some restoration.
The current owners, Keith and Lorraine Davis, began their restoration project about 3 years ago and are nearing completion. The building was in very poor repair and the lean-to section at the back had to be completely rebuilt. The kitchen living area is within this section. Apart from this area that needed to be rebuilt, the remainder of the restoration followed the original design. The downstairs part of the house consists of an office, a Parlour (where the women had gathered), a Drawing room (where the men had gathered), a Music Room and the old shop. Upstairs is accessed by two staircases, one for the maid to access her living quarters, and the other to the six bedrooms. Some of these rooms have had ensuites added.
Below is a view of the east front showing the completely rebuilt kitchen wing which is an extension from the main facade.
The restoration required the installation of steel beams to secure the bulging brickwork. Once this was completed, twelve kilometres of 12×2, 6×2 and 4×2 Douglas Fir timber (imperial measurements) was used for framing and a further 2 km of timber for architraves and skirting boards was required. On top of this was laid hundreds of metres of American White Oak floor boards.
At right is the restored main staircase.
The hospitality of Keith and Lorraine was greatly appreciated and the combined building and decorating skills of them both is to be admired. Their efforts have restored a regal building that has been much admired since it was first constructed nearly 150 years ago and for this we cannot thank them enough.
Some Additional Photos from our Visit
Lorraine and Keith – restored North front.
Above: Restored period fireplace in downstairs front room.
Left: upstairs view from bedroom looking west.
WAIMEA SOUTH HISTORICAL Inc. 1981 