OUTBREAK OF FIRE

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 75, 29 March 1934, Page 11

OUTBREAK OF FIRE

HISTORIC HOUSE DAMAGED

MISS MANSFIELD'S HOME

A well-known "Wellington landmark, I the former home at 47 Ktzherbert Terrace of Sir Harold Beaueharnp, was severely damaged by fire last evening. TII6 Fire. Brigade was responsible for a; fine save which not only prevented the; building being gutted, but also removed a real danger to neighbouring buildings. Apart from being a link with the Wellington of. more than fifty yearg .'iigo,... <jNuniber 47" ,iias, important literary associations in that -it was the home of the. late ,-Kathcrine- Mansfield, the^New Zealand authoress, and daughter of Sir. Harold Beauehamp, . -The building was handed over to the Public Trustee by Sir Harold in: 1922, with the idea of the rent accumulatinginto a fund, of £10,0.00 for the purchase of pictures for tho Art Gallery. It was later bought by.the Railway Department for' £625p and used as a hostel fcr railway trainees. Subsequently it ■ti&s the headquarters of the Educatibn Department's '.-.correspondence school, and then it was taken over by the State Forest Service to.house the head office staff, ■which, at present occupy it. . ' TANNED BY WIND. The central fire station received a call at 8.48 p.m. from an automatic exchange telephone, and another message was received about tho same time from the box at the corner of Murphy and Molesworth Streets. Two engines arrived after about two minutes. It was found that the-fire'already had a strong hold on the back portion of- the building where the outbreak had apparently occurred on <the ground' floor. Despite a strong wind and the fact that the old timbers: burned Very easily,' the brigadesmen. had charge within about ten minutes. Dense clouds of smoke made their task difficult, but- two leads ■of hoo> were run out: and•• the powerfulstreams of water conquered the flames. It was necessary to force an entrance to the: building, as it was unoccupied at the time. There was nothing to show how the fire originated. Most of the- damage was done in. the rear part: of the building, where the rooms suffered severely. The staircase and some of the rooms oh the first floor were also damaged, but the ; front portion, including, the room in' which Katherine Mansfield did. some of her work, was practically, -unaffected, except by smoke.' Tho contents of the building were not insured and, although it is understood. that the building was covered, particulars are not available.