Visitors to Tauranga’s historic Brain Watkins House can expect something truly different this summer, said Tauranga Historical Society president Julie Green.

“If people have been before, they’ll find there’s something different,” Green said. “And if they’ve always meant to come – like everyone says – now’s the time to do it.”

The idea for a summer season display grew out of last weekend’s Behind Closed Doors event, where the society showcased rarely seen items from the house’s extensive collection.

Green said nearly 70% of event participants stopped in at the Cameron Rd property as part of their trail.

“It was very successful,” she said. “We had so much fun setting it up, and people’s comments were so positive, we thought: ‘Let’s not pack this all away straight after the event – let’s build on the work we’ve done and have a little summer season with these things on display.’”

Full of stories

Built in 1881 by Joseph Brain, the Brain Watkins House is a rare surviving example of a kauri villa near Tauranga’s city centre. Registered as a Category II Historic Place, it remained occupied by the same family for nearly a century and still holds most of its original contents. The collection offers a vivid insight into the lives of a middle-class European family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Stories are woven through every room – from the horse given shelter in the hall during the Tarawera eruption to the late-life wedding of Elva Brain, who married her childhood friend Willie Watkins at age 72.

The wedding scene celebrating Elva Brain’s wedding to Willie Watkins. Photo / David Hall

One of this season’s key displays is a reconstructed wedding scene celebrating Elva’s marriage.

“Elva’s wedding dress is one she already owned and repurposed for her wedding in 1964,” Green said. “It’s still here, and it’s gorgeous.”

Personal connection

Green’s connection to the property runs deep. She recalls nursing Elva in Tauranga Hospital during her training years, only later realising she was caring for the woman who lived in the historic villa she’d admired since childhood.

“I used to walk home from school, see that beautiful, tiled path that leads up to the front door,” she said. “When I met her in hospital, she told me she didn’t know what would happen to the house because the Historic Places Trust didn’t want it.”

Brain Watkins House. Photo: John Borren

Elva eventually gifted property to the Tauranga Historical Society in 1979, determined to protect it from the commercial development that had transformed surrounding properties into offices and car yards. Today, the society manages, preserves and displays the house with the help of volunteers.

For Green, who grew up at The Elms on Mission St, becoming president of the society feels “like a full-circle thing”.

Summer displays and tours

Alongside the wedding scene, the summer display includes period linen, china and clothing. Guided tours are offered so visitors can hear the stories behind the objects and the people who lived there.

One of the mannequins on display at Brain Watkins House. Photo / David Hall

During Behind Closed Doors, the society also provided refreshments in the hall behind the house – a service they are happy to offer again.

“We’d gladly host other groups who want to enjoy the garden and the house,” Green said.

Brain Watkins House is open to the public from 2pm-4pm on Sundays. Admission is $5 per adult and children gain free entry. Private tours are available on request. The Tauranga Historical Society meets on the first Sunday of each month at 2pm in the hall behind the house. Meetings are advertised on Village Radio and all are welcome.