Broadgreen Historic House, Nelson

Broadgreen Historic House, Nelson

Built in 1855, the Broadgreen Historic House is one of the oldest extant houses in Nelson that offers a glimpse of domestic life in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Built in 1855, the Broadgreen Historic House is one of the oldest extant houses in Nelson that offers a glimpse of domestic life in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The restored colonial cob cottage was home to Mr and Mrs Edmund Buxton and their 6 daughters, and features period furnishings and detail. Highlights include a child’s straight-backed teak chair made from the wreck of the Fifeshire, a custom-made Kauri sideboard, a Broadwood Piano bought to Nelson by the Saxtons on the Clifford in 1842, a sepia picture painted by Adeline Chisnall, wallpaper from the World’s Fair Paris Exhibition of 1878, a gasolier chandelier from the Tyree homestead, an English longcase clock made in the 1750s, and a colonial cot. The house also showcases a significant textile and period costume collection, including a quilt made in Ireland in 1776 and some of Nelson’s early pioneer gowns and accessories. The homestead has the Samuels’ Rose Garden, which features over 3000 plants across 560 varieties, including Slaters Crimson China Rose, the first variety of rose grown in New Zealand. Some of Nelson’s heritage walks start from here, such as the Rose Walk, Saunter in the Stoke, Settlement in Stoke, and the Isel Park Walk.