Melrose House

About this place

Melrose House is a heritage-listed Victorian house at 26 Brougham Street, Nelson South, set in park-like grounds a short walk from the Nelson CBD. Designed by architect John Scotland and built of heart rimu, the house carries a Category 1 classification with Heritage New Zealand. Tenders to build were sought in 1879 and the original owners, the Watts family, were living there by 1881. In 1944 the property was gifted to the Women's Division Farmers Union for use as a rest home for country women, and in 1974 the Nelson City Council formally accepted the gift of the house and gardens. The Melrose House Society (the Colonel Noel Percy Adams Trust) now looks after the interior and promotes its use, while the City Council maintains the exterior and gardens.

Meeting and event spaces

The house is hired room by room or as a whole, and is used for meetings, workshops, presentations, celebrations and private functions.

• Drawing Room and Parlour - the Drawing Room seats up to 80 theatre style; together the two rooms take 50 seated at tables or 100 for a cocktail or wine-and-cheese format. The Parlour also works as a breakout room, a smaller meeting space, or the catering area.
• The Boardroom (upstairs) - a high-ceilinged room with a historic boardroom table seating 12, plus room for additional tables or seating in the alcove.
• The Library (upstairs) - an intimate breakout space with table seating for up to six, and room for extra chairs. The Boardroom and Library are often hired together so breakouts run alongside the main session.
• Whole-house hire is available for a full day (9am to 6pm), excluding the portion occupied by the Melrose Café and a private upstairs apartment.

Practical detail

The gardens and lawns give delegates somewhere to go at breaks and can be used for outdoor elements of an event. Free wifi is provided and there is an Ethernet port in the Boardroom; a data projector, screen and PA with microphone are available at additional cost. On-site parking is available and the central location suits attendees arriving from across the city.

Catering is handled on site by the Melrose Café, which is licensed and is the venue's catering provider, so menus can be arranged directly alongside the room booking.

For conference organisers, Melrose House suits smaller committee meetings, board sessions, workshops, training days and conference-related social functions rather than large plenary conferences. Bookings are managed by the Melrose House Society.