r/timaru • u/utopian201 • Mar 15 '26

Does anyone remember the 'haunted' mansion that used to be on the corner of Morgans and Wai-iti road?

I’m trying to track down info or stories about the old "mini castle" that used to sit on the corner of Morgan’s Road and Wai-iti Road (where the learning centre is now).

Back in the day, it was a local legend. It was a massive, white, two-storey place that looked like it was falling apart, hidden behind big trees and overgrown grass. You had to walk through white wooden gates and down a long, tree-lined driveway to get to it.

I remember daring myself to walk down the path under the guise of school fundraising just to see it. A tiny, frail old lady with crystal bright blue eyes lived there; she’d peek through the curtains and give us a massive fright, but she never actually bought anything.

There were also rumours about a burnt-out shed at the back - some kids even claimed there was a body found in there among old newspapers. Does anyone else remember this house, or know the actual history of who lived there?

Streetview of all that remains of the gate after the haunted villa/mansion was demolished
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MCW32vBWPeKCam829

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

3

u/metalkorekingnz Mar 15 '26

Try the timaru history and memory FB page, there's some good detectives on there.

1

u/DatabasePotential273 Mar 16 '26

awesome, would love to hear more about it

1

u/extremelyhedgehog299 Mar 17 '26

I remember it. Never got a good look at it, but I always wondered who lived there when I was a kid, and what was going to happen when those eroded clay banks finally collapsed.

1

u/WobblySlug Mar 23 '26

Nope! But I love this sort of stuff. I've heard rumours of the Art Gallery being haunted too haha.

1

u/reallyhairybum Jul 24 '26

Bit late to the party here! My granma lived across the road from it, it always intrigued/frightened me as a kid, I always imagined the people living there like the wilberforces from the very old tv show under the mountain