Fairfield House, Nelson

Fairfield House in 48 Van Diemen Street, Nelson, New Zealand,^[1] is registered with Heritage New Zealand as a Category I structure. Originally built in 1849, today's house was constructed as a residence for Arthur Atkinson in 1872. It was at some stage owned by the Nelson College for Girls, who used it as a boarding house. After the 1929 Murchison earthquake, boarders from Nelson College also moved in, as their hostel got damaged.^[2] The house was given to Nelson City Council in 1979 and was threatened with demolition. A community group formed that had the objective of saving the house. Alan Stanton (1945–2014), a local toy-maker, moved into the derelict building as a squatter and started restoring it.^[3][4] Today, it is a community centre.^[5]

Fairfield House in 2012

Atkinson, who was the brother of Premier Harry Atkinson, had an observation tower built onto the house in 1883, as his hobby was astronomy.^[5] He was tasked by the Royal Society to observe the transit of Venus in 1882.^[2] The tower had at one point been demolished,^[5] but a replica has since been built.^[2]