This large two-storey house in Pātea (12 Lincoln Street) was built in 1880/81 for Captain Charles Allen Wray. He had been appointed Resident Magistrate for Pātea and Hāwera in 1877. He moved to Timaru in 1888, returned to England in 1909 and died at Bournemoth in 1920. The house was built by Mr Fred Searling (Patea Mail 9 October 1880), the architect is unknown.
Following Wray's departure in 1888 Beaconsfield was occupied by Mr H.F.Christie, manager of the Bank of Australasia. The house was then rented by Dr. G.G.Gillo. According to an article by Mrs W.Crawford, published in The Patea Mail in 1981, later owners included May E. Palmer (1901), Annie Death (1911), Mr Edward Frederick Henry Hemingway (1917) and Daniel Quickenden (1941).
In 1983 it was bought by Pātea farmer, Jim Baker. In 1986 it was reported that the restoration project was taking longer than expected.
Beaconsfield featured in Kelvin Day's "Of passing interest" series (TDN 13 December 2014) and is listed in the Patea Heritage Inventory (2003).
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