Broadgreen House exhibition reconnects art and history

Three newly-restored watercolours are reconnecting Broadgreen House with its past, forming the centrepiece of a new exhibition that rethinks what art looks like inside a historic home.

Beyond the Canvas: Art in all its forms has been curated by Nelson City Council curator heritage facilities, Melissa Morrison, alongside volunteer textiles technician Karen Richards.

Melissa says the exhibition goes beyond framed works.

“At Broadgreen House, you will discover that art is everywhere. It exists in the traditional forms of oil paintings, watercolours, decorative items, and portraiture. But it also thrives in unexpected places – in silver engraving, wallpaper design, textiles, music and literature.”

At the exhibition’s heart are three original watercolour paintings by Henry “Harry” Buckeridge Junior, the grandson of the property’s original owners, the Buxton family.

The three paintings include one of Broadgreen House, painted by Henry at the age of 84 from a photograph, one called Blue Lupins, and the third titled Ruby Bay.

Donated in 2025 by a member of his extended family, the works underwent careful conservation in Christchurch and are now displayed to museum standards in the house’s hallway.

“They are such important pieces. It is up there with being one of the greatest joys of being a curator of a historic house, to welcome an object home,” Melissa says.

The exhibition also revisits the legacy of former assistant curator Phyll Farrer, whose work documenting the house’s textile collection is given fresh attention. Over more than two decades, Phyll produced intricate ink-line drawings in place of photographs, creating a detailed visual record of textiles now considered nationally significant.

Nelson City councillor Mel Courtney, who attended the exhibition opening on 1 May, describes Broadgreen House as “deeply woven into Nelson’s story”.

“The house continues to connect us with our past in meaningful and often surprising ways.”

Mel says the exhibition encourages visitors to expand their understanding of art.

“In a place like Broadgreen, art is not confined to frames on walls. It lives in the patterns of wallpaper, the detail of textiles, the objects of everyday life, and even in the home’s atmosphere.

“This exhibition reminds us that art is not merely something we observe. It is something we live with.”

Built between 1852 and 1855, Broadgreen House is a Category 1 historic building recognised by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and remains one of the country’s most significant examples of early colonial cob construction.

Occupied by only two families until 1960, it entered public ownership before opening as a museum in 1968.

Today, its collection exceeds 6,000 items, including more than 3,000 nationally-significant textiles. Almost all have been donated by individuals and families with ties to Nelson and the wider region.

Beyond the Canvas: Art in all its forms runs until 31 December at Broadgreen House. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 11.30am to 3pm, and Sunday, 10.30am to 4pm. Entry is free for Nelson and Tasman residents.