Fletcher House is a historic house at Broad Bay on

Otago Peninsula The Otago Peninsula ( mi, Muaūpoko) is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour. The peninsula lies sou ...

, part of the New Zealand city of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. The house was one of the first to be built by Sir James Fletcher, the founder of one of New Zealand's biggest companies,

Fletcher Construction The Fletcher Construction Company Limited is a New Zealand construction company and a subsidiary of Fletcher Building. Together with Higgins Contractors Ltd it makes up the Construction division of Fletcher Building. Fletcher Construction is wid ...

. The house is located at 727 Portobello Road, Broad Bay, on a promontory overlooking nearby Turnbulls Bay. The property is managed by the

Otago Peninsula Trust Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government regi ...

, with the help of financial support from the Fletcher Trust. It is the only fully restored and furnished Edwardian house of its type in New Zealand. A typical Edwardian house, it was built in 1909 for local postmaster Hubert Green and his new wife Agnes. As Broad Bay was a popular holiday spot for wealthier Dunedinites, Fletcher's reputation quickly spread, and his company grew as a result.Fletcher House
" Otago Peninsula Trust. Retrieved 7 November 2020. In December 1990

Fletcher Challenge Fletcher Challenge was a multinational corporation from New Zealand. It was formed in 1981 by the merger of Fletcher Holdings, Challenge Corporation and Tasman Pulp and Paper. It had holdings in construction, forestry, building, and energy, init ...

bought and restored the villa to its former glory with help from

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum The Toitū Otago Settlers Museum is a regional history museum in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its brief covers the territory of the old Otago Province, that is, New Zealand from the Waitaki River south, though its main focus is the city of Dunedin. It i ...

. The house is now open to the public, and is listed as a Category II historic place by

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

. It is one of several historic homes open to the public in the vicinity, among them

Larnach Castle Larnach Castle (also referred to as "Larnach's Castle") is a mock castle on the ridge of the Otago Peninsula within the limits of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, close to the small settlement of Pukehiki. It is one of a few houses of this ...

and

Glenfalloch Glenfalloch is a private garden and restaurant near Macandrew Bay on Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. The gardens are owned and run by the Otago Peninsula Trust. Glenfalloch was established in 1871 by George Gray Russell, who bought the land from pi ...

Timeline

*1909: James Fletcher and business partner Albert Morris build the house *1910–31: The house is owned by Hubert and Agnes Green *1931–38: The house is owned by three sisters named Miller *1938–81: The house is owned by a couple named Patterson. They reside here for over 40 years, and make several alterations to the property, including lowering the ceiling of the dining room and replacing the front steps with a ramp suitable for a wheelchair. *1981–90: Mr and Mrs Dickson owned the property. They extend it at the rear, creating a new kitchen, bathroom, and laundry. *1990–92: Fletcher Challenge purchases the house and restore it and the garden, with the help of teams from

and

Dunedin Botanic Garden The Dunedin Botanic Garden (known in local slang as the "Botans", "Botang", Botanic or Botanical Gardens) is located at the northern end of central Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. The garden is close to the University of Otago and one ...

. The house is opened to the public in October 1992 by Sir James Fletcher, the son of the builder.Fletcher House
" ''Otago-peninsula.co.nz''. Retrieved 7 November 2020.

References

Otago Peninsula Buildings and structures in Dunedin NZHPT Category II listings in Otago Historic house museums in New Zealand Museums in Dunedin Houses completed in 1909 1909 in New Zealand {{NewZealand-struct-stub