The story of Arles Historical Homestead begins in about 1870, when English surgeon Morgan Grace bought a large tract of land in Whanganui from John Fleetwood. The 665²m house that stands there today was built by his son William, extending on his father's 1880's house. Built in high Edwardian style, construction cost the princely sum of about £4000.00. Arles was named after the province in France, to which the Grace family had fled to avoid religious prosecution. On returning to Ireland they named their home estate Arles, and Morgan Grace then brought the name out to New Zealand. Along with the house, William Grace also built a gardeners' cottage and stables. The former was shifted up river and the latter has since been converted into stand-alone accomodation (pictured). Both father and son contributed to the magnificent gardens, and here one finds the awesome South Queensland kauri that is listed in Burstall and Sale's "Great Trees of New Zealand". The property remained in the Grace family until 1975.