75 Tinakori Road

75 Tinakori Road: "This marvel had come to the lane"

75 Tinakori Road is a core part of Katherine Mansfield’s legacy in Aotearoa New Zealand. It was a family home she was very fond of and the location of her initial writing successes. This exhibition will guide you through three stages of the house’s history: the family home, the world of Mansfield’s story ‘The Garden Party’, and the house as a casualty of the Wellington Urban Motorway.

This exhibition was inspired by Katherine Mansfield House & Garden’s recent acquisition of the front doorknob from 75 Tinakori Road. The title of the exhibition comes from ‘The Garden Party’ and is part of a longer internal monologue from the main character Laura, a young woman from a wealthy family. When she is thrust into a room with the body of a neighbouring workman who has died, she thinks:

“What did garden parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him? He was far from all those things. He was wonderful, beautiful. While they were laughing and while the band was playing, this marvel had come to the lane. Happy...happy... All is well, said that sleeping face. This is just as it should be. I am content.”

Curated by Eiréann Ruth Diggins.

Please note that our Exhibition Room is upstairs, you can find more information about accessibility at our historic house on our website.

 

Image: 75 Tinakori Road (later 133 Tinakori Road) photographed in 1968 prior to demolition. From the collection of Wellington City Libraries, 50006-443.