Amberley House a rich piece of North Canterbury history

Amberley House has had many different personas since it was built in 1876, including housing a girls’ country boarding school. Photo / Claire Inkson

By Claire Inkson claire.inkson@theguardian.co.nz

Andrew and Angie Mason don’t consider themselves owners of Amberley House, but custodians of a rich piece of North Canterbury history.

Amberley House, built in 1876, sits like a grand old dame overlooking 100 acres of farmland and 12 acres of park-like gardens with ponds and an established arboretum.

During its lifetime, the house, situated just outside Amberley township with views across the ocean, has had many different personas.

It began as an elegant homestead, known as Hursley, built by Yorkshire businessman John Woodhouse.

The house passed through another five owners before it was purchased in 1920, along with 144 acres, by a group of local farmers wishing to give their daughters a private education.

The property became Amberley House Girls Collegiate School, which it remained until 1943.

The initial intake was 22 girls and peaked at 68 in 1937.

Andrew’s grandmother, Mary Luckie, was a student at the school in 1931 but passed away before the Masons purchased the property.

The school was heavily equestrian-focused, with its own stables and nearly three-quarters of students kept horses on the grounds.

There were four classrooms, a gymnasium and eight dormitories.

The school prospered until its role began to drop in the early 1940s when parents began to withdraw their daughters from the school due to the war, and the possibility of scandal.

Angie and Andrew Mason with the unicorn statue which was a gift from Andrew to Angie on her birthday.

A rumour that suggested an improper relationship between a staff member (thought to be a gardener) and a student caused the school to lose credibility.

However, the accusations were never substantiated, and the school denied any such scandal.

“There are a lot of different stories,” Andrew said.

“Apparently, the gardener wasn’t employed because it was mainly the girls who did the gardening.

“The Board of Governors actually took ads out to try and talk the scandal down, but that just made it worse.

“80 years later, people still talk about it.”

The rumours, the threat of coastal invasion during the war and challenging economic times for farmers saw the school close.

“Economic conditions were quite tough. A lot of men were away at war, which meant girls were needed back home to look after the farms.

“Then Pearl Harbour happened, and the fear of Japanese invasion from the beach became quite heightened.”

With the school closed, the house was sold to a Christchurch accountant, Percival Neale, who then sold it to Blenheim builder Frederick Musgrove.

Musgrove dismantled many of the additions that had accommodated the school pupils.

The house then passed through another five owners before being bought by Douglas Eaves in 1978, who converted the property into a plant nursery.

Hurunui District mayor Garry Jackson bought the property in 2000, completing extensive renovations.

The house was then sold again before being purchased by the Masons in 2014 when they moved from Christchurch with their seven children.

Amberley House has had many different personas since it was built in 1876, including housing a girls’ country boarding school.

“We had made a wish list before we started looking at the house,” Angie said.

“I was desperate to get out to the country.”

The house was perfect for their big family, but the Masons thought it would be out of their reach.

When it passed over at auction, though, they were able to negotiate and purchase the property, which Angie describes as their “dream home”.

“I was so emotionally invested, I spent the whole time crying,” Angie said.

The Masons initially hosted weddings on the property, but after the couple purchased St Leonards Station in Culverdon, their time is now much more limited.

Angie is also recovering from cancer treatment, having been diagnosed with lung cancer last year.

With the new farm and Angie’s recovery, keeping up with the farm work and gardens is a family affair, with the Masons’ children pitching in to help when they are home.

“It got pretty exhausting when I was sick, but it’s actually kept me going and given me a purpose,” Angie said.

“Andy and I sometimes fight over who mows the lawns because it’s actually quite a fun job.”

Amberley House now hosts pre-booked garden tours and recently held an open day.

“Some people just come for garden tours, but we have a range of tour groups that come from all over the place, and sometimes they want to tour the whole lot – the garden, the farm and the house.”

The Masons accept tour groups in between busy periods on the farm.

“Sometimes we can’t do tours because we are calf marking, breeding horses, or foaling.

“It’s seasonal, and we just make whatever we can work.”

The ornamental garden has over 2500 specimen trees and ponds fed from natural springs and streams.

A fairy grove makes a magical heart of the garden, with wire fairies that were gifts from visiting woofers hanging in the trees.

A unicorn statue that was a surprise gift from Andrew to Angie on her birthday is a popular attraction for visitors.

In keeping with the property’s equestrian history, the Masons also run a sports horse breeding stud.

“We have a Hanoverian stallion, Remi Lion King,” Angie said.

“He is a darling.

“He was competing in the North Island in the Grand Prix show-jumping, and then we decided we wanted him home because he is like a family pet.”

Amberley House has its fair share of ghost stories, like every old homestead.

“Sometimes you can hear girls giggling, and doors open and things like that,” Angie said.

“But everyone that visits says it feels like a nice energy.”

This article was originally published in Rural Guardian.