Cheslyn Rise Homestead

The homestead was built for Mr W.G. Adkin received favourable comments in the local press.

In The Manawatu Farmer of 20 January 1899, upon its completion, Cheslyn Rise was described in some detail - photos inserted from Kete Horowhenua collection online [click on an image to get a larger view]:

MR ADKIN’S NEW RESIDENCE, AT LEVIN

Upon a knoll, down Queen street, west of Levin, a large two-storey resi­dence has been erected for Mr W. G. Adkin - a gentleman well known to Wellington citizens and to country settlers, owing to his connection with the prosperous firm of Warnock and Adkin, drapers, &c. A few years since Mr Adkin secured 300 acres of excellent land close to Levin, and, it being well watered, and pleasantly situated, he looked forward to the time when he would retire from the din and rush of business to the quiet of a country seat. With this object in view Mr Adkin steadily worked towards it; he improved the land, and not long since he commenced to build a residence which, in many respects, has not its superior on this coast.

Mr Adkin's place is a mile and a half from the town of Levin, and on Wednesday our representative went to have a look at the building. But the building is not the only attraction. The natural surroundings and the outlook are charming. Standing on the knoll on which the house is built one looks around on a rich green flat skirted with native bush. Here and there are the residences of other settlers. About a mile [unclear …] the hills commence to rise one range behind the other until the lofty Tararuas stand out distinct against the, sky, Mount Waiopehu being boldly prominent. To the east, part of the town of Levin is discernable [sic]; while north and south a panorama of hill and dale and native bush pleases the eye. From the balcony of the house the view is more extensive. The whole country around is spread out to view. Away to the north are to be seen the mountain tops of Ruapahu [sic] and Tongairiro [sic], and to the west the Horowhenua Lake. On every hand the outlook is full of beauty and grandeur. But we must descend and go through the house.

The main entrances are two. That on the front proper opens into a hall 8ft wide and 30ft long, and, from the hall, rises a large and easy staircase. The drawing room on the left is exquisitely finished, and the view from the oriel window (of five sides) commands many points of the compass. The sit­ting room is another splendid apart­ment, and here the view is also charm­ing. The dining room, 20ft by 17½ft, and the children's room, are also entered from the hall, and the four rooms are splendidly finished with superb papers, and paneled, and corniced. The mantles are in picked wood. The dining room is furnished with a serviette door. This room opens on to a passage 6ft wide, which leads to what will be a large lawn through outer doors, similar to those at the front entry. Here a pretty portico gives this side of the building at the end of the balcony a striking appearance. From the passage just men­tioned the kitchen is approached, and this is furnished with a fine range by Scott Brothers, of Christchurch, a large dresser is built in the recess, and hot and cold water taps are ready to hand. Passing into the large scullery and wash house combined we find those conveni­ences so much appreciated by house­wives - an open fireplace for drying and airing clothes, a copper, also tubs, and an earthenware sink, which is connected with a pipe drain. At the, rear is an open shed, 25ft by 15ft, to be used for general household purposes. Close to is a brick dairy, delightfully cool, and over it and the back verandah adjoining are water tanks, with a capacity of 1600 gallons.

From the back verandah there are three entrances to the house—one to the main hall, one to the side passage, and one to a lavatory, which is supplied with hot and cold water and conveniences for changing or cleaning boots, &c. From the lavatory springs another staircase, to take the rough traffic from the main stairway and hall. On the landing of this stair is a small passage leading to the servant's bedroom, and a spacious bathroom and lavatory, with hot and cold water.

The landing of the main stair is very spacious and has a fine effect on coming up the stairway. From the landing there is access to six bedrooms and when we describe one we describe the whole. They are high and spacious, and beau­tifully finished. The principal one deserves special notice, as it has the other oriel window. It is fitted with a fine wardrobe and a tiled fireplace and hearth.

From this and another room access is gained to the balcony through a lifting panel under one of the sashes. The bal­cony gives a promenade 72ft long on the south and west side of the building, and the view is an expansive and glorious one.

Before leaving the house we must not forget to say that the whole of the fireplaces are tiled on the face and angle, and most of them have hearthstones to match, which gives them a most attrac­tive appearance. Convenience and com­fort has been thoroughly studied in every room.

At the rear of the house we find, at a safe distance, a building which is to con­tain a large acetylene gas generator, which, should occasion require, will supply thirty burners. Then we come to a two-roomed cottage for a married couple; a workshop and store, and a long building which will be fitted up as harness room, trap shed, stables, and a cow shed.

The water supply is excellent. Ano­ther tank is to be added to those already in position, and a well supplies, by pres­sure, 800 gallons. Thus a constant sup­ply of 2000 gallons will be always avail­able. The water is conveyed to the stock yard, fowl yard, and to a section (the only one) that is not supplied by a creek. Mr H. Bennett. of Wellington, is not only, the builder, but the designer of the house and all connected with it, and Mr Adkin tells us that he is thoroughly satisfied, and more than satisfied, with the way in which Mr Bennett has done the work entrusted to him. To every detail he has given the closest attention, and the building stands as a monument to his skill as a builder and designer. Most of the wood used in finishing was cut on the property, taken to Prouse Bro­thers’ mill tor dressing, and then re­turned to the building. We may men­tion that Mr Evans, of Wellington, has the sub contract for the painting.

When the grounds are tastefully laid out, and the trees that are now in the nursery transplanted to their respective places, Mr Adkin will have all that the heart can wish. We hope that Mr and Mrs Adkin and family may live long to enjoy the comforts and sweet influences of their new home.

Ten years later The Horowhenua Chronicle ran an article on Cheslyn Rise:

CHESLYN RISE

New Zealand has for a long time occupied a premier position in the agricultural countries of the world, and within recent years, owing to its natural productiveness, and backed by an enterprising and persevering farming community and a progressive government, the country, from an agricultural point of view, has advanced "by leaps and bounds." Possibly no district has come to the front more rapidly and with more abiding evidences of permanent success than Levin, and this may be mainly attributed to the fact that it has attracted to its countryside some of the most stable elements in the agricultural communities not only of the Dominion, but of the Old Country beside. Prominent among the men who, by dint of hard, unremitting toil, working laboriously day in and day out, have achieved success may be mentioned without fear of criticism, Mr W. G. Adkin, of Cheslyn Rise, Levin.

THE FARM.
His farm is one of the best managed in the North Island, and his charming residence is picturesquely situated at the extreme end of Queen street—2 miles from the Post Office. Mr Adkin belongs to an old English agricultural family. His great grandfather, his grand father, and father, were all substantial farmers in one of England's prettiest counties—Leicester. He came to NW Zealand in 1882, with the express purpose of farming. But he did not engage in agriculture at once. As a matter of fact he started business in Wellington and confined himself for the first few years wholly and solely to his then avocation. Twenty-one years ago this week, the first sale of land for the block took place, and Mr Adkin was one who got a section in the first sale. As a start he acquired 100 acres, but by degrees bought other sections, and today he holds 545 acres of magnificent pasture land. Of course the country at the time presented an extremely different aspect from what it does to-day. Then it was covered with a very thick, dense hush, and some of the trees that had to be cleared ranged from four to eight feet in thickness. He started clearing the place, and arduous and trying as clearing work always is, he succeed in removing some most obstinate growth, and to-day, with the exception of a small area which is preserved for ornamentation, the estate is as free from bush as the best cultivated farm in the Old Country. Mr Adkin's specialty now is fattening lambs. He considers, in his case, it is the most profitable, and that in the process of time it is likely to be more profitable. He works on the most approved up-to-date lines, though he modestly admits that much of the success that has attended his efforts is the result of years of patient application and experience. For fattening purposes he simply lays down from 15 to 30 acres per annum of the best English grasses. But he is not stopping there. He is top-dressing this with chemical manures, and his experience in the matter has been eminently satisfactory. Farmers who have not experimented to any extent in this direction would do well to communicate with the owner of Cheslyn Rise; an interchange of ideas could not but be profitable to both parties. As a practical illustration of the success of what Mr Adkin is doing in the matter of top-dressing, it might be mentioned that in his opinion ten acres of well grassed top-dressed grazing land is of more value than 30 acres of the ordinary, old surface sown pastures. Mr Adkin has reduced his Romney flock of sheep for breeding purposes to 1000, as he is now devoting his attention particularly to fattening. He is enthusiastic over his system, from which he anticipates even greater results than he is already achieving. "But," he added in the course of an interview with a "Chronicle" representative, "we are only in the infancy of things yet, we have a lot to learn, and it is experience that tells." This season's wool has already been shipped to London, where a good market is promised. Mr Adkin thinks Levin a magnificent pasture growing country. This year farmers had a splendid season, the warm rains that fell earlier in the year giving the finishing touch to one of the best summers he has known. So far as the cultivating of roots is concerned, nothing to a large extent is attempted, though portion of the land produces a plentiful crop of swedes and rape for fattening purposes. At the rear of the house lies the woolshed. This is a large airy building, erected with all the latest improvements, and one, on passing through it, cannot but be struck with its extremely clean condition. Hard by is the concrete dip five feet six inches deep. No less than 10,000 sheep, belonging to the owner of Cheslyn and neighbours, have been immersed in it in one season alone. The estate also boasts of some first-class cattle branding yards, and sheep drafting yards, a repairing shop, a house for a married couple, and other conveniences to go to make up a well-appointed farm.

THE HOMESTEAD.
As has already been mentioned Cheslyn Rise and its gardens are most picturesquely situated. The house is reached by a drive a quarter of a mile in length from the main road, and is flanked on either side with a mixed avenue of trees with wide sweeps of verdant greem. Of stone-coloured body ground, picked out with dark olive, and with red roof, Cheslyn Rise stands out prominently, and from the lawns a magnificent panorama unfolds itself. On one side is the great range of mountains that sweep along from Wellington, and all around is a splendid pastoral country. Far away in the distance—l00 miles— towers up mighty Ruapehu, with its snowclad and in the serenity of the west one catches a glimpse of Mount Egmont. From the balconies seven distinct views of Horowhenua Lake may be seen, while wooded and well watered country fills the intervening space. Mr Adkin has had considerable experience in the cultivation of trees for purposes of ornamentation, and he has certainly succeeded in making Cheslyn Rise "a thing beautiful."

He specially recommends for dwarf ornamental trees the retinospera, which is a Japanese dwarf cypress tree. It grows in profusion on his lawns and in many varieties—gold and amber, and pale and dark green more particularly. He has planted specimens of Indian cedars, as well as the monkey puzzle, and paulonia imperialis. The pampas, which is just coming into its winter fronds, is very beautiful. Of the trees of larger growth there is the lawsoniana, which is about the finest for shelter and ornamentation. Another beautiful tree is the cryptomeria elegans. The best deciduous ones for planting, Mr Adkin avers, are the oriental plane and the sycamore, and those in his gardens are particularly fine specimens. In addition, he has an excellent display of weeping willows, oaks and palms, and he is growing for timber the thorny acacia. Cheslyn boasts of a fine apple orchard, a walnut orchard and a quince orchard, and a considerable area of beautiful native bush is preserved on the east side of the house. Altogether Cheslyn Rise from whatever point of view one may regard it, is an ideal farm, and men like its owner are a most valuable asset not only to Levin, but to New Zealand in general.

Fortunately George Leslie Adkin (son of W.G. Adkin was an avid photographer and left a legacy of photos of Cheslyn Rise - much of the collection is in Te Papa's collection. . .

Related Items

• Mr Adkin's new residence at Levin </ li>
• Cheslyn Rise article Horowhenua Chronicle 22 March 1910 </ li>