The Kerr Taylor Story
Allan Kerr Taylor, the founder of Alberton was born in India in 1832 and educated in Scotland. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1848 where Allan’s father, William Taylor had purchased some land in what was known as West Tamaki, near Auckland. There Allan joined two of his brothers and another three were to follow. At merely 16 years of age, Allan was able to purchase his own parcel of land, 270 acres around Mt Albert which was soon increased to 622 acres to create the estate Allan called Alberton. While this was partly subdivided by 1860, Alberton still remained a large estate near the emerging city of Auckland. Allan returned to England and married his first wife Martha in 1862. The heart of Alberton House was built for their return to New Zealand in 1863 and only later extended to its current grandeur. Sadly Martha passed away in 1864 shortly after the birth of their second child. Neither child survived. In 1865 Allan remarried to Sophia Davis with whom he had ten children: four sons and six daughters.
Allan and Sophia developed Alberton into the centre of hospitality for the Auckland social élite. While the family hosted and fêted many wealthy families, by the time of Allan’s death in 1890 the estate struggled financially. Nevertheless, Alberton survived, albeit greatly reduced in size. In this fine stately home Muriel, Allan and Sophia’s youngest daughter, was to live out her life with two of her unwed older sisters. Two of her six sisters died during their childhood and the remaining sister Violet, closest to Muriel in age, practically eloped to marry Edward Gilmore and settled in England. Sophia took control of running the estate together with one son Hector (who suffered from epilepsy) and the three remaining daughters (Winifred, Milfred, and Muriel). The industrious women maintained Alberton in succession until it was bequeathed to the Historic Places Trust after Muriel’s death in 1972.
Muriel Kerr Taylor was a little over three years old when her father died suddenly of a cerebral haemorrhage. Aside from her brother, Hector (who died when Muriel was 26), Muriel grew up around independent and industrious women, keen supporters of the NZ women’s suffrage movement. The Kerr Taylors were known to be very generous supporters of their community, particularly centred around St Luke’s Anglican Church, and there is ample evidence that Muriel continued this legacy of benevolence. The contribution Muriel made to St Luke’s church to establish a housing settlement for senior citizens is just one such act of generosity, the gifting of Alberton to the Historic Places Trust another. The St Luke’s eldercare development was never realised but the donation was wisely invested and now continues to support the Mt Albert community through our Kerr Taylor Foundation.
