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LARNACH
CASTLE
Ghosts,
Guests and Gardens
by
Toni Dabbs
It was built between
1871 and 1876 for Australian born merchant, banker and politician William J.M.
Larnach, his heiress wife Eliza Jane and their six children. No expense was
spared. Top quality materials were acquired — marble from Italy, glass from
Venice, tiles from England — then punted across the harbor and dragged up the
1,000-foot hill by ox-drawn sleds. Glass enclosed
Colonial style verandas wrap around the first two floors of the Gothic Revival
stone castle. Inside are the only Georgia hanging staircase in the southern
hemisphere, a priceless Venetian glass wall, ornately carved plaster ceilings
and many other noteworthy features. Amid all this
finery, though, ghosts are believed to wander. Both the first and
second Mrs. Larnachs, who were half-sisters, died in the castle at age 38. The
first Mrs. Larnach died alone of apoplexy, all other members of the family
being away at the time. She is said to make her presence felt near the bedroom
in which she died. The Larnachs' daughter
Katie is said to haunt the ballroom, built to celebrate her 21st birthday in
1886. She died just a few years later of typhoid. The specter of
Larnach himself might linger in the castle. In 1898, after learning of an
affair between his young third wife and one of his sons from his first
marriage, he ended his life by shooting himself in the head. Some guests are
relieved to learn that their rooms aren't actually in the castle, says Sophie
Barker, whose family currently owns the property and who admits to having had
her own eerie experiences in the castle. Guests are accommodated in the
separate Larnach Lodge, built in 1982, which has 12 individually decorated
rooms with panoramic views of the harbor. Breakfast is available in the
adjacent converted stable, but guests may arrange to have dinner in the castle
dining room.
Contact
Larnach Castle, PO
Box 1350, Dunedin, New Zealand, phone 011-64-3-476-1616, fax 011-64-3-476-1574,
e-mail larnach@larnachcastle.co.nz
Photos courtesy of
Larnach Castle |
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TM
Larnach Castle is a
most unusual hotel. The only castle in New Zealand, it is the centerpiece of a
35-acre property atop a hill midway along the Otago Peninsula, eight miles from
the city of Dunedin on the east cost of the country's South Island.
While lodge guests receive complimentary admission to the castle,
casual visitors must pay an entrance fee. Many visitors drop by just to stroll
through the extensive garden, which is the personal creation of Margaret
Barker, Sophie's mother. Margaret also maintains a plant nursery where she
grows plants for restocking the grounds and for sale. For those wanting
refreshment, the ballroom now contains tearooms serving a light lunch plus
morning and afternoon tea.