Rebuilding History
The Old Glenmark Vicarage stands as a legacy to its original benefactor and one of Canterbury’s most memorable women of Victorian times – Annie Quayle Townend.
The legacy of The Old Glenmark Vicarage and its benefactor, Annie
Quayle Townend
LESS THAN AN HOUR’S DRIVE NORTH OF Christchurch, in bony soils surrounded by majestic limestone cliffs, lies the Waipara Valley Wine Region. Seventy-five mostly family-owned boutique vineyards span over 1,400 hectares of sun-drenched terroir in a microclimate that produces some of New Zealand’s best handcrafted and awardwinning Pinot Noir and Rieslings. The story of the Waipara Valley is not just told through its viticulture though. A proud and colourful agricultural and pioneering history interweaves through its vines, and there is no better example of this synergy than The Old Glenmark Vicarage.
Built in 1906, the building was commissioned by Annie Quayle Townend and gifted to the community, along with the Glenmark Church. Annie was the daughter of the infamous George Moore, who left Annie’s mother at her family home in Tasmania to purchase what would become one of Canterbury’s largest sheep runs, Glenmark Estate.
Annie joined her father from Tasmania at age 19, quickly taking her place as head of his household in the absence of his estranged wife. With a reputation as a rogue by some and a private and astute businessman by others, George Moore quickly made enemies with neighbouring landowners, gaining the name ‘Scabby Moore’ for his refusal to treat his sheep for scab.
Embracing his role as a wealthy landowner, Moore employed architect Samuel Farr to design a mansion of such ostentatious proportions that it surpassed all others both in its size and design. Farr was the leading Christchurch architect of his time, designing such iconic buildings as the Christchurch Normal School and Hambledon house. Passionate about bringing an English influence on Canterbury, Farr created what would be a lavish two-storey gothic-styled manor complete with decorative gables, a turret and marble staircase imported from Italy.
The mansion, completed in 1888, had no back doors, such was Moore’s distrust of his neighbours. Annie lived a life of relative luxury, confidant to her father in all things business, but essentially kept prisoner. Moore refused to let Annie leave the estate, and any potential suitors were quickly turned away, lest they have their eyes on Annie’s substantial inheritance. The mansion burned down just three years later, damage from a previous earthquake compromising its chimneys and causing fire to take hold in the roof space.
Despite the distinct lack of external doors, there were no fatalities. The mansion, however, was uninsured and never rebuilt. Annie moved with her father, whose health had deteriorated significantly, to Christchurch. She then married her father’s physician, Dr Townend, in secret in 1900. Moore went to his grave, unaware of their union.
Annie’s happiness was short-lived, however, when her husband died three years later.
A widow with a large fortune, Annie bought land in Fendalton, naming it Mona Vale after her childhood home in Tasmania. She built the gatehouse in the gothic style of the Glenmark Mansion that is now part of one of Christchurch’s most iconic heritage sites. Annie became a
Next to the vicarage, a converted barn offers two-bedroom self-contained accommodation complete with an Asian-inspired spa room.
keen philanthropist, donating to many Christchurch institutions. It was at this time she donated land from the Glenmark Estate to build St Paul’s Church in Glenmark, and adjacent cemetery. She then commissioned the building of the large 12-room vicarage. At her insistence, external doors off every room were included. Annie dedicated the church to the memory of her late father, and husband.
Unlike the Glenmark Church, which was damaged significantly in the Christchurch earthquakes, the vicarage stands unscathed and beautifully restored by current owners Janette Rosanowski and Damian MacFarlane, in a style that is true to its era, with a unique Asian influence inspired by the couple’s time spent in Hong Kong.
The pair purchased the house in 2004, breathing new life into the home as quirky bed and breakfast accommodation. In what was to become a labour of love, most of the renovation was completed by Damian, with an attention to detail that can be seen in the beautifully restored native timbers throughout the house. ‘The vicarage has good original bones, so after about three years living in the house we set to creating an open-plan kitchen/lounge and dining area, which is luckily northfacing,’ Damian explains. ‘I have stripped all the painted wood back to its natural look to show off the native rimu and kauri, and the cedar. It took many hours with a heat gun and a paint scraper. I repainted and replastered, and the result is what was a seven-bedroom, one-bathroom house is now five en-suite bedrooms. With the help of old photos, I rebuilt the old entrance pillars and tried to bring back as much of the history as possible.’
Guests can choose to stay in the room of the previous vicar himself, which includes an ornate king-sized four-poster bed, or The Mistresses Room, with views outlooking the vicarage’s extensive gardens. Next to the vicarage, a converted barn offers two-bedroom self-contained accommodation complete with an Asianinspired spa room, potbelly stove, outdoor pool and Damian’s own extensive record collection. ‘The last owner renovated the barn and the stable building, but I have changed it a lot to make it warm and funky for a very different type of accommodation experience,’ he explains.
The accommodation business is supplemented by a boutique handcrafted wine label which, with names like The Vicar’s Mistress and The Wicked Vicar, reflects the spirit of the vicarage itself. Award-winning winemakers from neighbouring Greystone produce the wine for the vicarage, with the labels taken from the cartoons of vintage Punch comics from the 19th century. ‘Our vineyard, although small, is planted in the close French style,’ Damian explains. ‘In 1999, the previous owners planted three varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling. Now we stick to the two standouts of the region, Pinot Noir and Riesling. We produce about 100 cases of each wine each year.’