Gully, John, 1819-1888 :[Colonial home, Nelson Region, ca 1870]

A single and double storied house in a garden setting with a hill behind. A curved drive leads to the house which has a verandah on the left and a steeply-gabled two storied section on the right with carved barge boards. Further to the right is a gabled brick building. There is also a dovecot in the foreground garden, half hidden by a tall tree. In the left background the roof of a further building can be seen. In the left middle ground a gardener is working with a hoe.

Identity of house not found for certain. Sources checked include photofiles of Turnbull Library Pictures, Tyree Collection, published histories of Nelson, Historic Buildings of New Zealand: South Island (Methuen, 1983). The Nelson region seems the most likely location because Gully lived there for a long time.

May show Wakatu Lodge, the first house built by Alfred Fell for himself in 1843, not far from Fell's later house, Sunnyside, built in 1854. It was at the foot of the Grampian Hills, at Brookstream. The house was reputedly the first brick house built in Nelson. It had high ornamented gables like this house

Other Titles - Early New Zealand colonial homestead [auctioneer's title]

Inscriptions: Recto - bottom right - J. Gully [in brushpoint]; Backing board verso - Phone 2807 Marton, Mrs J. B. Shand, Bonny Glen, Marton [in pen and ink, presumably the name of a previous owner]

Quantity: 1 watercolour(s).

Physical Description: Watercolour with scraping out, 310 x 470 mm (irregular)

Provenance: Inscription on backing board suggests that the watercolour was once owned by a Mrs J. B. Shand of Marton.

Watercolour was badly damaged on acquisition by the Library, with severe fading, surface damage and some missing paint.