GOVERNMENT
HOUSE
WELLINGTON,
NEW ZEALAND
www.dreadnought-tiles.co.uk
BACKGROUND
Government House Wellington, the official
residence of the Governor General, is an
historic, 100 year old building in an award-
winning landscape and forms an important part
of New Zealand’s heritage.
Athfield Architects were engaged along with
a number of other consultants to provide an
analysis of the existing building fabric and
review its functionality. The result of this
analysis was a concept plan to meet the future
needs of Government House while retaining
and conserving the heritage features of the
building.
www.dreadnought-tiles.co.uk
CHALLENGE
The original roof tiles on the roof of Government
House were supplied in 1910, they were
manufactured in the UK by Tunstall Tileries of
Thomas Peake Limited, a North Staffordshire
manufacturer that ceased trading over 50 years
ago. A sample of these existing tiles from
the roof was sent to Dreadnought by Athfield
Architects, where it was established that the
tile was single cambered, made from Etruria
marl clay with a predominantly deep red colour.
However, the tiles also exhibited a limited
amount of subtle colour variation from tile to
tile and a bluer colouring around the tail and the
bottom of the sides of the tiles, a phenomenon
known as “picture framing”. This occurs
when the iron rich Etruria marl clay is exposed
to a mild reduction atmosphere in the kiln,
particularly in the areas where the tiles were
in contact with one another. It also confirmed
that the tiles were naturally coloured without
the use of any surface pigments or stains.
SOLUTION
To reproduce the original colouring of the roof
as closely as possible it was suggested that
a mix of Plum Red tiles together with a small
proportion of Brown Antique tiles would best
match the original appearance of the roof.
To test this on site a selection of samples
were sent to Wellington to establish the right
proportions of the mix. Following the creation
of this mock up a ratio of 80% Plum Red and
20% Brown Antique was settled on to introduce
the original subtle colour variation on the roof
and recreate a limited element of blue around
the tails of some of the tiles.
Dreadnought advised against the repeat of
the inappropriate use of fittings on the original
roof. Arris hips for a 35º roof pitch were
recommended and adopted for the re-roofing;
they provided the same visual roof profile, were
greatly more robust, and were easier and more
economical to fit.
RESULT
The painstaking specifcation by Athfield Architects and the high level of workmanship by the
main contractor and roofing contractor have yielded a refurbishment of exceptional quality
which is not only faithful to the buildings historical context but which has also introduced the
degree of structural upgrade required in many areas.
The refurbishment carefully balanced the responsibilities of reinforcing and celebrating the
heritage attributes of the house and grounds while incorporating a level of contemporary
amenity, and acknowledgement of contemporary cultural place and time in New Zealand.
With a 100 year design life this conservation project has successfully drawn on the strengths
and beauty of the existing spaces and structures of high profile building and introduced the
subtle interventions that will improve the experience and functionality of the environment for
both visitors to the house and grounds for generations to come.
www.refurbandrestore.co.uk - 61