Step back in time

An inspiring and magical place, The Monastery has nearly a century of colourful history that has seen it swing back and forth between a family home and a retreat for wellness or reflection.

Originally built in 1906 for the Primrose family, the house was named Dalmeny after a Scottish manor house of the same name.  Built by Frederick Mulcock, the house was originally on a 27-acre property at what is now the corner of Peachgrove Road and Insoll Avenue in Hamilton.  It is believed that the original fireplaces and archways in the house came from the Old Government House and were gifted to the Primroses by Sir George Grey.

Fred and Janet Mason owned the property from 1946 until 1952, and the house became known as Peace Haven.  Already at retiring age when they brought the property, the Masons ran Peace Haven as a wellness retreat in the years after World War II.  More was learnt about Peace Haven in a 1982 interview with Mrs Millie Koretz, a Czechoslovakian woman who visited Peace Haven often and came to know the Masons.

“It was called Peace Haven where people came to stay, for a few days or a week, just once or often…It was a very spiritual, Christian place, but of no particular religious denomination…Mrs Mason was a very spiritual person.  She would welcome anyone who needed help, counselling or just rest, peace and acceptance.”

The Catholic Church bought the house from the Masons in 1952 and in 1956 priests from the Passionist Order came to Hamilton from Australia, turning the house into a tranquil place for retreats. It is at this point that the house became known as The Monastery. It is believed that some alterations took place at this time to construct a chapel and confessional in what was the drawing room.

Once the Passionists returned to Australia in 1988, the Catholic Church sold the building to an Auckland developer who, in 1990, sold it to a Hamilton couple, Dr Ross Lawrenson and Beverley Sweetman.  At this point the building was very run down, and the sale rescued the house from demolition by a mere week.  That same year the couple moved the house, in five parts , to its current site - a 10-acre section on Newell Road overlooking the Waikato River.

Robert and Diana Scott bought The Monastery in 1993 and extensively developed the grounds.  As well as being their family home, the Scotts ran The Monastery as a well-known and highly regarded country retreat for 10 years.

Now owned and operated under a charitable trust structure, The Monastery has been developed as a discreet wellness retreat for women experiencing stress, burnout, depression and the effects of trauma.  It has undergone extensive renovation and redecoration and every care has been taken to remain true to the early style of the building.