Family Business

Architect, craftsman, builder and keen photographer James Walter Chapman-Taylor captured this charming image of his daughters on the building site of Wilkinson’s Castle at Pukearuhe. Flora (left) and Ella are seated on what would become the living room fireplace.

Chapman-Taylor started construction of Wilkinson’s Castle in 1929 for general store owner and Member of Parliament, Charles Anderson Wilkinson. Completed in 1930, it is a magnificent example of the Arts and Crafts architectural style that advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship.  Chapman-Taylor’s use of large pūriri and rātā logs and local stone in the building’s construction adhered closely to the Arts and Craft aesthetic.