The history of Earnscleugh Castle

In the heart of Central Otago stands Earnscleugh Castle, a striking Jacobethan manor with a past as rugged as the land around it. From Māori legends and gold rush wealth to rabbit plagues, feuds, and ambition, its story is as bold as the walls that remain today.

Māori legends and early settlers

Centuries ago, Māori lived across Otago, travelling the Clutha River and telling tales of Kopuwai, a giant whose stone-like remains still loom over Earnscleugh. By the 1860s, European settlers had established sheep runs here, their prosperity quickly threatened by a devastating rabbit invasion.

Spain’s folly

In 1902, local entrepreneur Stephen Spain took over the station, turning rabbit plagues into profit through canning. With his fortune, he commissioned architect Edmund Anscombe to design a grand homestead. Construction began in the 1920s, but the collapse of the rabbit trade and the Depression left the “castle” unfinished. Locals called it “Spain’s Folly”, a monument to ambition that outpaced reality.

Feuds and resilience

After Spain’s death in 1940, family disputes split the castle in two with a brick wall down the middle. Later owners farmed the land, battled rabbits, and kept the estate alive. In 1997, Heritage New Zealand recognised Earnscleugh Castle as a rare Category 1 historic place, securing its legacy.

A new beginning

In 2022, Ryan Sanders and Marco Creemers became the castle’s new custodians, working with Heritage New Zealand to restore its grandeur 100 years on. While renovations continue, the old coach house has been transformed into a luxurious three-bedroom retreat, now open for guests.

Today

Earnscleugh Castle is no longer just a relic of ambition. It is a living icon of Central Otago, shaped by legend, hardship, and bold dreams – and now ready to welcome a new generation of stories.