New lease of life for old home at Leithfield

Press, 31 January 1989, Page 34

New lease of life for old home at Leithfield

A Christchurch travel consultant, Elizabeth Tobin, has successfully converted Harleston, one of North Canterbury’s old homesteads, into an intimate bed and breakfast establishment without changing its nineteenth-century character. Guests can stay in rooms redecorated to look much as they were when the house was new 127 years ago. Solid stone walls more than 600 mm thick keep the rooms cool in the summer but retain their heat during the crisp months of winter. Harleston, home to four generations of the Ashworth family, was built in 1862 with rock quarried from the Tevlotdale Hills, near Waipara. Ms Tobin bought the property in 1986 to fulfill, a long-held dream. “I wanted something which I could treat as a lifestyle as well as a business,” she said. “I have worked on its slowly over the last couple of years, taking care to change as little as possible.” She can now accommodate up to five guests in three rooms — twin, double, and single — and is ‘currently refurbishing two more rooms on the lower level. The homestead is situated on 11 acres of land. Ms Tobin’s future plan calls for an orchard, croquet lawn tennis court and, possibly, a swimming pool. "Guests enjoy the peace of the countryside,” she said. “The beach is only 20 minutes away and it offers safe swimming without a soul in sight.” Ms Tobin charges $35 per person a night — a price that includes a choice of either a light city breakfast or a more substantial country-style meal. Although most of her guests have been New Zealanders, she is now promoting Harleston overseas.