Our client’s brief was to design a three-bedroom home on their 47 ha Northland site showcasing the magnificent views of rolling farmland, protected bush and the expansive ocean encompassing Waipu Cove, the Hen and Chickens and Sail Rock.
In 2010, the client approached Salmond Reed Architects to design a sympathetic double-storey verandah on the seaside front of this well-known Northland establishment. In 2017 construction took place. Great things sometimes do take time.
The Duke of Marlborough began its life in 1827 as “Johnny Johnston’s Grog Shop”. The owner Johnny Johnston was an ex-convict come good, he became fluent in Te Reo and was very well regarded with the local Maori.
Fast forward to today and the Duke is a thriving hospitality enterprise having recently completed Stage 1 of a two-stage building redevelopment.
Stage 1 saw the removal of a tired, prosaic single-storey covered deck and the construction of a much grander and elegantly proportioned double-storey verandah. A feature of this is the gable-ended form clearly marking the central entrance into the hotel.
Stage 2 is a larger project, including the addition of some 13 guest rooms and associated services to the rear of the site and will be completed for the 2018/19 summer season.
