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Afternoon  Tea  at  Kaingahou,  642  Pioneer  Highway  Palmerston  North  

 Saturday  9  May  2015  at  2  pm  

 Kaingahou was built for Dietlev Monrad, grandson of Bishop Monrad, on his retirement from the family farm. It has been restored, first by Bodil and Gunner Petersen and then by the present owners, Alison & Jason Kinghorn. It is now an event venue. Alison will show us over the house and talk about its history and construction, there will be a talk on the Monrads in New Zealand, and Margaret Tate will talk about the Monrad women. Afternoon tea will be provided. Price $20 for afternoon tea and the tour. You may pay on the day but please RSVP as we need to give Alison some idea of numbers. Reply by 5 May to 06 3591308 or scrivens@ihug.co.nz For further information about the house, go to our website, http://www.historicmanawatuhorowhenua.org.nz/Records/Kaingahou.pdf

HISTORIC PLACES MANAWATU-HOROWHENUA INC

NEWSLETTER SEVEN, APRIL 2015

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From  the  Chair   This  prolonged  summer  weather  seems  to  have  somewhat  taken  our  attention.  But  with  autumn  close-­‐by,  our  committee  is  starting  to  plan  our  activities  for  the  forthcoming  year.    Firstly,  we  have  the  opportunity  for  a  guided  tour,  talk  and  afternoon  tea  at  Kaingahou.  Well  worth  your  attendance,  and  supporting  the  future  of  this  most  elegant  homestead.    After  more  than  thirty  years  there  has  been  resolution  on  the  Hoffman  kiln  in  Palmerston  North.  But  the  repair  work  will  be  just  the  beginning  of  deciding  how  best  to  use  the  kiln  site.  We  will  definitely  seek  to  ensure  there  is  an  informed  voice  for  heritage  on  the  proposed  Community  Trust  that  will  take  over  its  care.      This  year  and  last  has  seen  the  review  of  local  District  Plans  which  set  the  policies  for  historic  places  in  Manawatu-­‐Horowhenua.  The  problems  of  earthquake-­‐prone  older  heritage  buildings  will  be  a  bone  of  contention.  We  have  commented  already  on  the  Palmerston  North  plan  and  Horowhenua’s  review  comes  up  this  year.  Practice  makes  perfect!     Cindy  Lilburn   Mt  Vernon  trip  Apologies  for  not  rescheduling  the  Mt  Vernon  trip  for  early  this  year.  The  events  subcommittee  (Cindy,  Pat  and  me)  have  had  a  few  problems.  Cindy  has  a  fulltime,  full  on  job  at  Te  Manawa  and  I  broke  my  shoulder  early  in  December.  It  has  taken  a  long  time  for  the  ligaments  to  heal  and  Pat  has  been  rather  busy  as  general  factotum  in  the  Scrivens  household.  We  hope  to  run  the  trip  later  in  the  year  (Spring)  or  whenever  suits  Richard  Harding.  Thank  you  to  all  the  people  who  emailed  me  to  say  that  they  liked  the  idea,  but  late  November  was  not  a  good  time.  

Cushla  Scrivens    

Architects’  Register  Report    

Call  for  help    

  Some  years  ago  Pamela  Phillips  created  a  register  of  the  work  of  pre-­‐war  architects  in  Palmerston  North,  including  that  of  architect  Robin  Hood.  This  register  has  been  well-­‐used  by  members  of  the  public  and  is  accessible  at  the  City  Archives,  on  the  2nd  floor  of  the  Library.     In  2014  a  small  group  was  formed  with  the  purpose  of  updating  this  register,  to  cover  the  period  1945  to  1975.  We  have  listed  local  architects  working  in  this  era,  and  are  now  working  to  identify  the  buildings  they  designed.  In  the  future  the  register  will  be  updated  for  the  period  1975  to  2000.    Unlike  the  earlier  work  which  was  done  on  hard-­‐copy  paper,  this  new  work  will  be  computer-­‐based  and  managed  by  the  City  Archivist.     Work  is  underway,  but  it  is  a  large  task  that  requires  searching  the  individual  records  of  architectural  practices  of  the  period.  The  group  works  in  teams  of  two,  for  a  couple  of  hours  at  a  session.     Any  HPHM  members  willing  to  assist  in  this  work  should  contact  our  secretary  for  further  information.  Email  scrivens@ihug.co.nz.    

Don  Irvine  

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THE HOFFMAN KILN

The future of Palmerston North's historic Hoffman Kiln has been secured in a deal that will see the Heritage Order, which was over the whole site, reduced to the area of the kiln and immediate surroundings. A health centre will be built on the balance of the Featherston St site. After many years of concern and negotiation, it is great that an agreement has been reached with the owners, the City Council and Heritage New Zealand. The superstructure of the kiln was so severely damaged in the high winds last October that it had to be demolished.

The kiln after the storm, October 2014 Essential conservation and restoration work – specifically stabilisation and re-roofing – has now commenced. Heritage NZ has granted $30,000 from the National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund for the work. The kiln is an important industrial site in Palmerston North, and Historic Places Manawatu Horowhenua has been advocating for its preservation for decades. Jim Lundy, one of the stalwarts of the move to preserve the kiln, wrote in his book on the kiln, Nine Thousand Bricks a Day that: “The brick industry played an important part in shaping the industrial landscape of Manawatu and the Hoffman Kiln as the largest kiln in the region, had a unique role to play in that development.”

Work on the roof of the kiln, March 26 2015 So where to now? It is anticipated that the kiln will be vested in a Community Trust that will take responsibility for it and be able to seek support and funding for the long-term development of the site. An early priority will be re-pointing of the external faces of the Kiln structure. Local Architect Colin Campbell who is handling the restoration work considers that the interior bricks are best left untouched. Having been fired to 1000° each week for 50 years the faces of the vault bricks are very brittle and easily knocked off. There are several large areas where these faces have fallen off. It appears that the office building is an earthquake risk, and once the Kiln is secure the Office building may be demolished and any useful bricks stored within the Kiln for security. This will be a project where volunteer support will no doubt be appreciated. David Chapple

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Big  Plans  for  Kimberley  Hospital    Those  travelling  south  to  Wellington  lately  may  have  noticed  the  old  Kimberley  Hospital  site  near  Levin  now  has  new  buildings  at  its  entrance.  Developer  Wayne  Bishop  will  be  turning  the  property  into  a  retirement  village  to  be  known  as  the  Speldhurst  Estate,  and  the  new  homes  along  the  frontage  are  a  sample  of  what  is  to  come.         Our  committee  visited  Kimberley  last  year  to  discuss  the  development  plans  with  Wayne  Bishop  and  view  what  historic  features  might  remain.       The  property  was  initially  acquired  by  the  government  in  1906  as  a  Training  Farm  for  destitute  and  delinquent  boys  [the  institution  later  moved  to  the  sea  side  of  the  State  Highway  and  was  known  as  Weraroa].       In  the  Second  World  War  it  was  requisitioned  as  an  Air  Force  training  base.  Numerous  temporary  wooden  barracks  were  added  to  the  site  and  these  became  the  basis  of  its  post-­‐war  career  as  the  Kimberley  Hospital  for  disabled  children.  More  custom-­‐built  dormitory  villas  were  constructed  in  the  1960s  and  1970s  at  the  far  end  of  the  site  before  the  hospital  was  finally  closed  in  2006  and  residents  moved  out  into  the  community.     We  found  that  Kimberley  still  has  a  mix  of  original  buildings,  mostly  from  its  army  and  hospital  days.  In  particular  there  is  the  1900s  era  Guy  homestead  now  much  altered  and  used  as  a  WAAF  social  centre  during  the  Second  World  War,  the  utilitarian  war-­‐time  chapel  and  the  ‘60s  styled  brick  patients’  villas.      

The  Guy  Homestead     After  our  guided  tour,  our  committee  was  happy  to  endorse  Wayne’s  plans  for  the  Speldhurst  Estate.  The  old  hospital  site  already  comes  fully  equipped  with  its  own  infrastructure,  a  wealth  of  buildings  and  amenities.  As  he  commented,  it  seemed  a  shame  to  return  the  site  to  farmland.  Wayne’s  aim  is  to  retain  and  re-­‐use  many  of  the  buildings.      

The  former  chapel  and  social  room  are  being  restored     The  Guy  homestead  with  adjacent  former  bowling  green  will  become  the  new  home  of  the  Levin  Croquet  Club,  and  old  army  buildings  may  become  a  Trades  Academy.  Hopefully  with  the  addition  of  retirement  homes  it  will  see  a  renewed  life  for  the  old  property.    Cindy  Lilburn      

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Former  NZ  Rugby  Museum  Building    

   

The  Breeders’  Club,  later  the  NZ  Rugby  Museum,  showing  the  Waldegrave  Street  end  of  the  building.  This  door  has  since  been  bricked-­up.  Note  the  decorative  original  asbestos  cement  slate  roof  -­  which  has  since  been  replaced  with  corrugated  iron  -­  and  also  the  contrasting  paintwork  under  the  gable  ends.  Photo  about  1920  (PN  City  Library:  Ap2)  

 On  Monday  March  23  2015,  the  Palmerston  North  City  Council  voted  to  demolish  the  former  Rugby  Museum  building.  It  is  an  earthquake  risk  and  not  seen  by  the  council  as  worthy  of  keeping.  It  is  not  registered  on  the  District  Plan.       The  building  was  originally  built  for  the  Breeders’  Club  in  1920,  with  subscriptions  from  the  various  breed  societies.  It  was  seen  as  complementary  to  the  Manawatu  &  West  Coast  A&P  Society  whose  headquarters  were  at  the  Showgrounds.  The  plans  and  specifications  were  drawn  up  by  the  Caretaker,  Mr  George  Francis  Parker.  Mr  Parker  had  arrived  from  England  with  a  young  family  and  was  with  the  Association  from  1916  to  1932.  The  Dominion  reported:  “The  improvements  made  in  the  showgrounds  include  the  erection  of  very  fine  brick  buildings  as  a  Breeders’  Club,  which  in  addition  to  several  smaller  rooms  has  two  rooms  about  40  feet  by  22  feet  each,  which  will  be  used  for  meetings  in  connection  with  the  various  breed  societies  of  stock.”  It  was  used  by  the  Breeders’  Club  up  until  1957  when  it  was  sold  to  the  Kairanga  County  Council.    It  was  their  main  office  from  1959  to  1989.     The  building  played  a  very  significant  role  in  the  aftermath  of  the  Hawkes  Bay  earthquake  as  the  records  office  where  clerks  dealt  with  keeping  track  of  the  thousands  of  people  from  Hawkes  Bay  who  had  been  distributed  around  the  region,  with  4,500  refugees  being  housed  at  the  showgrounds  alone.  In  1945  it  also  briefly  saw  service  as  emergency  accommodation  (as  two  flats)  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  large  transit  camp  at  Hokowhitu.  It  is  likely  that  the  building  was  also  used  by  the  Defence  Force  during  the  WWII  period,  including  during  the  establishment  of  the  Maori  Battalion  that  was  formed  at  the  showgrounds.     The  NZ  Rugby  Museum  moved  into  the  building  in  February  1991.  It  was  upgraded  at  that  time.  The  museum  moved  to  Te  Manawa  in  2011  and  the  building  has  been  empty  since  then.       Buildings  like  this  pose  problems  for  local  bodies.  This  building  has  considerable  historical  value,  as  outlined  above.  However,  it  is  not  of  great  architectural  significance.  Palmerston  North  City  Council,  with  limited  resources  for  earthquake  strengthening,  has  had  to  make  decisions  about  which  buildings  to  support  and  which  to  demolish.  This  one  unfortumately  is  to  be  demolished.  However,  it  is  hoped  that  the  bricks  will  be  saved  for  repairing  other  buildings  including  the  Hoffman  Kiln.    

Thanks  to  local  historian  Val  Burr  for  this  information