... The verandah has an unusual curvilinear fretwork which curiously foreshadows the Flaming Line of Art Nouveau thirty years later."

The Redwood family, Henry Senior and his wife, eight children and son-in-law, Joseph Ward, arrived in Nelson on the "George Fyfe" in 1842 and took up a large tract of land on the Waimea Plains. At first the lived in a 60 foot long tent before building a two storied mud brick house, which they called Stafford Place, to celebrate their home country of Staffordshire in England where they were tenant farmers.

As they became more affluent they built the present Stafford Place in 1866, a two storied gabled wooden homestead alongside the original mud brick 'peasy' house. Built of native timbers on brick piles the house remains straight and true to this day. However, Mrs Redwood, elderly by then, found it 'too grand' and stayed in her cosy cottage, keeping the 'big house' for guests. Possibly New Zealand's first 'homestay'?

The Redwood's youngest son, Francis, became New Zealand's first Catholic Archbishop and his brother, Henry Jnr, became known as the 'Father of New Zealand Turf' for his success as a racehorse trainer and breeder. Their son-in-law, Joseph Ward, went on to become a successful Marlborough farmer and Member of Parliament.

Bob Livingston's great grandparents also settled here in 1842 and were neighbours to the Redwoods. Bob's great grandmother, Janet, worked for the Redwoods in the 1850's, so he has a strong emotional attachment to Stafford Place.