Four Winds Farm: A Historic Homestead in Ōtūmoetai, Tauranga

Four Winds Farm, located at 39 Lemon Grove in the suburb of Ōtūmoetai, Tauranga, was a farmhouse built in 1932. Designed by Sylvia Knowles née Scott-Snell and constructed by local builders Tonkin & Carswell of Elizabeth Street, the house served as a simple single-story farmhouse and cost £1,467 17s 6d to build. Its location meant it was wind-swept, necessitating the growing of a shelterbelt to make it more tolerable. 

From a photocopied album  (1932-1937) by Denis Knowles

A 16-acre lemon orchard was planted the same year the property was built, and a copper beech tree at the entrance became a local landmark. Four Winds Farm was named after the book Four Winds Farm by Mrs. Molesworth, published in 1887. The farmhouse held personal significance as the birthplace of Martin Knowles in 1932. His mother , Sylvia Knowles was a descendant of the Fell family, early settlers who arrived in New Zealand aboard the Lord Auckland in 1842. The Fell family were prominent figures in the settlement of Nelson and the Bay of Plenty region.

Over the years, the house underwent expansions, including the addition of a second story, while the original orchard land was subdivided for residential development. The house has been at times a knitting business, a doctor's surgery and a convalescent home.