- The Queenstown retreat of late artist Peter Beadle, featuring a gallery and studio, is for sale.
- Beadle’s home, built with European-style architecture, includes extensive grounds near Lake Hayes.
- The property, marketed by NZ Sotheby’s, has a $4.38m RV and very private.
The Queenstown retreat of an internationally acclaimed artist has hit the market for sale.
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The private estate, built by the late Peter Beadle, one of New Zealand’s most prolific landscape painters, includes a gallery, studio, and extensive grounds at the north end of Lake Hayes.
Beadle, whose work hangs in galleries around the world as well as the lounges of Air New Zealand, died in 2021 aged 88. His composer wife, Jill, has since moved out of the home and decided to sell up.
Son Simon told OneRoof that Beadle started his career in the family signwriting business but soon moved onto painting to fulfil his dream. “Dad started his career in the 60s in Invercargill. He produced three books and became very successful,” he said.
Beadle and his wife commissioned Arrowtown architect Max Wilde to create their European-style home. Photo / Supplied
The property reflects the couple’s respect for nature, according to the listing. Photo / Supplied
“One of his best-known pieces would be Cathedral Peaks, which hangs in Lambeth Palace, in London. It was painted for the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
He said his parents had only two homes during their 61 years of marriage. The first was in Invercargill. They lived there for a long time, but by the late 1990s, they decided to move to Queenstown-Lakes and bought a 1.14ha plot of land at 547 Speargrass Flat Road.
They commissioned Arrowtown architect Max Wilde to create a unique home. “Peter and Jill wanted to capture the feeling of a European-style house with thick walls, heavy timber beams and wooden joinery,” Simon said.
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“They wanted a house that wasn’t your run-of-the-mill Kiwi house of the time. It really does look like an old European-style property, like in Austria where they’ve got those very thick walls.”
The home, dubbed Tavistock, was built with timber framework and Hebel block, then plastered on the outside, Simon said. Hardwood bridge beams from Southland were also used in the construction. “Dad did the paint finish on the plaster on the outside of the building using his artistic skills to make it look like a 300-year-old cottage.”
Unsurprisingly, the home was built with a studio and a gallery, which was open by appointment. “They didn’t have signs on the road saying, come on up. They were mainly dealing with international clients, people staying at Blanket Bay [Luxury Lodge] and those sorts of clients,” Simon said. “Some of the higher-end tour people used to love taking clients there because the estate has an amazing garden. Sometimes my mother would play piano for them, and of course, they’d also look at dad’s paintings.”
The property is nestled in stunning grounds, next door to the acclaimed Ayrburn enclave and Millbrook Resort. Photo / Supplied
Simon pointed out that the home is next door to the acclaimed Ayrburn food and wine precinct, which has multiple dining venues. “It’s extraordinary what they’ve done there,” he said. “And it’s right next door, so it’s just really cool. You can jump over the fence and you’re there.”
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Stephanie McMeeken, who is marketing the property with colleague Jason Drewett, told OneRoof that high-end homes in the area typically sold for more than their RV. “Property at the high end is always in good demand. And blue-chip property will always hold its value.”
She said that 547 Speargrass Flat Road, which has an RV of $4.38 million, was extremely private. “No one really knows what’s up that lovely winding driveway, which is really special.” She said the buyer could be local but equally could be an expat. “It could be any high net worth individual who wants something very special.”
- 547 Speargrass Flat Road, Speargrass Flat, Queenstown, is for sale, deadline closing July 29
