History
The house and its wonderful collection of historical documents and memorabilia have so many tales to tell, but perhaps it's best to begin with the story of the Carlyon family itself, five generations of which have lived and worked here since the mid 19th century.
In 1856, Eton scholar and veteran of the Crimean war, Major George Gwavas Carlyon, left his family home of Tregrehan (pronouced tre-grain), Cornwall and, with his wife Mary, set sail for New Zealand.
After initially settling in the Hutt Valley, the major brought his family to Hawke's Bay and bought Gwavas Station, then part of the lands owned by CJ Pharazyn, and began the development that would see this property eventually become one of the most important sheep and cattle runs in the Hawke's Bay.
George and Mary had five children, two daughters and three sons. Arthur Spry Gwavas Carlyon (A.S.G) who was the second eldest son continued to farm Gwavas while Jovy, the eldest son moved back to run Tregrehan. A.S.G laid out gardens in the 1880s and built the present day homestead, the third to be built on the property, in 1890.
A.S.G married Kathleen Hill from Fernhill and they had three children. Their son Rupert (Captain Ernest Tristrem Rupert Carlyon), returned from service to manage the farm after the First World War, but later went back to Tregrehan following the death of his mother in 1936. Captain Carlyon died in England during World War Two from complications of injuries suffered during the First World War.
Following Kathleen’s death in 1936 the house was empty until 1941 when A.S.G and Kathleen's daughter Olga who had married Herbert Hudson, a teacher at Christ's College, moved back from Christchurch. Olga and Herbert's only son, Michael and his wife Carola managed the station from the late 1950's up until the early 1990's and still live on the property in the original 1858 homestead; their daughter Phyllida is your host.
After Olga died in 1962 the house was unoccupied until Olga’s granddaughter Phyllida and her husband Stuart Gibson did extensive renovations over several years and moved in in February 2008. Today Phyllida, with husband Stuart and their two children, Hannah and Freddie, manage and maintain the historic family home and garden for guests to enjoy the truly unique experience that is Gwavas Garden Homestead.