Located in Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand, the Katherine Mansfield House and Garden preserves the birthplace and childhood home of famed New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield, open to the public as a living history home museum for guided and self-guided tours. Born on October 14, 1888 in colonial New Zealand, Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp was the granddaughter of Parliamentary representative Arthur Beauchamp and the daughter of Bank of New Zealand chairman Harold Beauchamp.

History

Throughout her young life in colonial New Zealand, Beauchamp frequently wrote under the pen name Katherine Mansfield, printing stories in local school and ladies’ journal publications as early as 1898. After moving to London in 1903 to attend Queen’s College, Mansfield continued to publish as a professional writer and traveled throughout Europe through much of the first decade of the 20th century, which had a profound impact on her writing and worldview. In 1910, Mansfield submitted a story to the avant-garde magazine Rhythm that would eventually become her well-known piece “The Woman at the Store” and began a relationship with the magazine’s editor, John Middleton Murry, whom she married in 1918. Throughout her career, Mansfield was a contemporary of writers such as Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence and was known for her bohemian lifestyle and her depictions of life in provincial New Zealand, inspired by her upbringing. In 1917, Mansfield was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and after refusing treatment for the illness due to fears it would hinder her writing lifestyle, succumbed to a fatal pulmonary haemorrhage stemming from complications from the illness in 1923. Today, Mansfield is recognized as one of the foremost authors of New Zealand’s colonial period and is the namesake for a number of civic attractions and organizations within the country, including an annual national short story competition held in her honor.

The two-story Katherine Mansfield House and Garden was originally constructed in 1888 on land leased to Harold Beauchamp and served as the residence for Mansfield, her parents, her sisters Charlotte and Vera, her maternal aunts Kity and Bell, and her grandmother, Grannie Dryer. The home served as inspiration for many of Mansfield’s notable fiction works, including her novel The Aloe and her short stories “The Doll’s House” and “A Birthday.” The home was purchased by the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society in 1987 and resorted to its original colonial condition, determined through archaeological excavations and extensive research.

Attractions and Tours

Today, the Katherine Mansfield House and Garden is owned by the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society nonprofit organization, operated as a living history home museum open to the public for guided and self-guided tours. The two-story home measures a meager 30 feet by 40 feet, featuring four bedrooms, a nursery, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a drawing room, and a scullery and lean-to. Many of the home’s original design elements have been recovered or restored, including its bamboo-style banisters and its original wallpaper. The home is furnished with many of the Beauchamp family’s original belongings, including a number of items belonging to Mansfield as a young child, such as a tunic, tiki doll, photo frames, and jewelry items. A heritage garden is also located on the home’s grounds, showcasing native and international plantings popular to the New Zealand area during Mansfield’s lifetime.

The Katherine Mansfield House and Garden is open to the public for self-guided tours Tuesdays through Sundays during the morning and afternoon hours, with the exception of major national holidays. A visitor guide is offered for all tour participants, outlining the house’s rooms and contents. Visitor guides are available in English, French, Spanish, German, Portugese, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Special tour rates are available for seniors, students, and visitors with community services cards, with free admission offered for Birthplace Society members and children under 18. Guided tours may be scheduled for individual visitors and small groups, including school groups, by contacting the Society directly via phone or email for reservations. A gift shop on site also offers a variety of gifts and souvenirs, including book collections of Mansfield’s novels and short stories.

Ongoing Programs and Events

A variety of public special events are offered throughout the year by the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society, including art exhibitions and art and literature discussions focusing on female authors and artists. Storytime events for children under 5 are also held periodically at the house, offering a chance for young visitors to engage with literary works. An annual garden party and plant sale is also held yearly in December on the home’s grounds, coinciding with the area’s Thorndon Fair. Visitors may become members of the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society via an annual donation, which offers free house admission, a 10% discount on all gift shop items, a periodic newsletter, and invitations to members-only special events.

25 Tinakori Rd, Thorndon, Wellington 6011, New Zealand, Phone: +64-44-73-72-68

Plan Your Trip

Get Ready to Go!

Need some more help?


Read our Reservations & Travel Planning Tips guide.