The building at 30 Elizabeth St, Timaru, extending back to 72 Grey Rd, stands as a remarkable testament to the various incarnations a commercial building can go through.

This fine, two-storey brick structure is a prime example of Edwardian commercial architecture.

Its arched windows, substantial keystones, cornices, and scroll-decorated parapets project a formal, civic presence of stability and prosperity, anchoring the intersection.

Completed in 1910, as proclaimed by the date stone on the corner parapet, the building’s history is rich and varied.

In 1911, it housed a grocer owned by J.S. Cavanagh. From 1914 to 1955, it primarily served as a general store, sharing its premises with multiple other businesses, including a butcher, painters, a chauffeur, and a bookbinder.

The 1960s saw the building transformed into a hair salon, while the 1970s brought a dairy. In the 1980s and 1990s, it became Bago’s second-hand sporting goods store.

Following this period, it was home to the Aurora Paint Centre, and today, it hosts Goldfinger's hair salon.

Today, the area is predominantly residential, making 30 Elizabeth St stand out as an unusual landmark.

However, when the building was constructed, Elizabeth St was a modest yet active part of the town, less significant than Stafford St and a mix of residences, small businesses, and light industry.

Despite this, the building would have appeared ambitious and aspirational, comparable to other commercial buildings nearby, such as 70 and 97 Church St, which remain as vestiges of the area’s former character.

Andrew Paul Wood

Andrew Paul Wood

​The word “postmodernism” often gets bandied about without much understanding of what it means.

In the architectural context it was a movement that arose with American architects like Robert Venturi and Philip Johnson in the late 1970s.

It was a response to a perception that modernist buildings were too machine-like and lacked a human dimension.

What the postmodern architects did was return to the past.

They looked at historical forms, particularly to the classical tradition and, to a lesser extent, the gothic, and reinterpreted it with modern pragmatism and materials.

They also observed the way architects from Michelangelo to Edwin Lutyens threw out the rule book and playfully experimented with what went where.

As a movement, postmodernism was a spent force by the 2000s, but Timaru does boast one or two examples.

The main building of Ara (the former Aoraki Polytechnic) on Arthur St is essentially inspired by the classical Palladian style of architecture, with a central porch with stylised columns and pediment, and wings on either side.

The modern façade of the Theatre Royal is also postmodern, loosely echoing the Victorian classicism of the earlier structure, but deconstructing the entrance into something lighter and more open.

The classical details have been stripped back or exist more as ornament than as something structural.

​In 1864, the people of Timaru asked the Canterbury Provincial Government to reserve unsold land from Government Town, the settlement that formed the basis of the southern part of Timaru.

Of that land, some was put aside by surveyor Samuel Hewlings for botanic gardens, and three years later it was placed in the care of the Borough of Timaru Park Commissioners, with planting beginning the following year.

Much of this planting was carried out by convicts from the old Timaru Gaol.

Many of the plants were donated by Timaruvians, invited by advertisements in The Timaru Herald. Fetes were organised to raise money for further development.

In 1872, £200 was allocated for a ranger’s cottage. The first glasshouse was built in 1905, and the splendid Arts and Crafts style Band Rotunda was added in 1912 to commemorate the Coronation of George V.

The great Scottish poet Robert Burns was hugely popular in Aotearoa from the colonial period into the 20th century, and in 1913 a somewhat lumpen marble statue of him was donated by the former mayor James Craigie (after whom Craigie Ave is named) and installed in the Gardens.

The tennis courts and bowling green were established by 1916, but the biggest change came in 1938 when land was subdivided for Timaru Hospital.

The Gardens have never stopped evolving. The Shakespeare Trail and Grahame Paterson Conservatory came in 1988, and in 2014 Timaru Botanic Gardens were made a Garden of National Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust.

Andrew Paul Wood

​Timaru’s Russell Square is an oasis of green surrounded on all sides by houses.

The most prominent building on the square is a magnificent five-bedroom house.

The transom window over the front door is etched with the name “The Manse” and “1879”, identifying the house’s function and year of completion.

A “manse” is a house of a Presbyterian minister, from the Latin mansus, meaning “dwelling” and the ecclesiastical definition goes back to the 16th century.

The Manse on Russell Sq was the residence for the ministers of the former Trinity Church, established in 1864 on Barnard St.

The design is a modest colonial vernacular take on the Victorian Italianate style, which mainly manifests in the details of the window casings, and the corner quoins looking like stone blockwork.

One of the more notable residents of The Manse was the Reverend William Gillies (1837-1908) who migrated from Scotland to the Otago colony with his parents in 1852.

He returned to Scotland to train for ministry, then returned to Aotearoa in 1864, first being appointed to Taieri and then to Timaru in 1875.

Gillies was prominent in the prohibition movement, and an ecclesiastical lawyer, being influential in the drawing up of the Church Property Act and managing the legal affairs of the Presbyterian Church.

He died of a heart attack at the Te Awamutu train station en route from Auckland to the General Assembly in Dunedin, while he was trying to procure a cup of tea for his wife.

Karen Rolleston

I am always happy to sit at a red traffic light when headed to town so I can look across and admire the smart brick house sitting on the corner opposite.

However, it wasn’t until it was painted and detailed just four years ago that it really stood out.

The clever and motivated homeowners that purchased then have detailed their house beautifully with dark charcoal trims and accessories which accentuate the warmth of the red brick and let them stand out as a feature.

The home is built in a mid-century style and while it is the paint job that draws your eye you then start to appreciate its other features.

The wooden joinery was replaced many years ago with steel, the metal balustrades are original as are the porch supports. All look wonderful highlighted in the charcoal paint.

A nice design detail is that the corner bricks are rounded. They give the appearance of full bricks turning the corner, eliminating visible seams and softening the edges.

A skilled brick layer was once at work here and the corner bricks match the size and thickness of the flat wall bricks perfectly.

With garage parking below and wide steps leading up to the entrance terrace the garden has been thoughtfully planted with a selection of easy care plants and flowering shrubs which will add to its character over the years.

This house next door is similar in style and was constructed after this one on the subdivided section.

Both are a great example of the homes being built in Timaru around the 1960s. This style of house responds well to modernisation and upgrading.

As an interesting note on Timaru history, the site these houses were built on was where our first Whare Nana maternity home was established in 1909.

It was set up in the stone house that once occupied this site. After only two years the practice grew and proved its worth to the community.

It was transferred, in 1911, to a new purpose built building in Bidwill St. Back then most maternity and private surgical hospitals were converted houses rather than custom built hospitals.

The combination of the right house with the right owners makes this add up to a match made in heaven!

Andrew Paul Wood

​Timaru would not exist as we know it without its breakwaters, making safe a harbour that had been plagued by shipwrecks and creating Caroline Bay.

Work began on the 700m southern breakwater in 1878.

In 1870, during the beginning of Julius Vogel’s public works programme, John Blackett (1818-1893) was appointed acting chief engineer for New Zealand and eventually assumed responsibility for the colony’s marine engineering.

It was Blackett’s responsibility to give a final report to the colonial government on the completed southern breakwater, which he did in 1880.

His conclusions were damning, with the suggestion that the breakwater was dangerous and should be destroyed.

Such was the civic indignation in the town that several hundred Timaruvians converged to burn Blackett in effigy. The papers reported:

“The figure rigged out for the occasion was first paraded through the main streets, the crowd hooting and hissing it all the way.

“After this uncomplimentary and humiliating treatment had been indulged in for fully an hour, the representative of this obnoxious gentleman was taken to the outward end of the breakwater, where amidst renewed and unmistakable contempt, it was blown up in the most approved style and its remains scattered broadcast over the surface of the bay, a fervent hope being expressed that the relics might rest there in piece.”

Harsh for someone described by Te Ara: The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand as “a hard- working and modest man, who made a substantial contribution to the infrastructures of the province of Nelson and the developing colony of New Zealand”.

​Karen Rolleston

Driving south from Saint Andrews you will pass a sign pointing to the Otaio Cemetery.

A short drive down this road and a left turn at the T junction will bring you to this little burial ground.

It is not a large cemetery but is rather beautifully located on the coast; a hedge these days stands between the green fields and the shoreline. Perhaps reflecting the broader connection between the community and the sea with many of the early settlers who lived and died in the Otaio area relying on the nearby waters for transportation, fishing and trade.

The Otaio region in South Canterbury has an interesting history. Originally inhabited by Māori, in the mid-19th century the area saw an influx of European settlers who were primarily attracted by the fertile land and the potential for agriculture.

Many set up home here and established farms and rural communities.

Otaio Cemetery was established in the late 19th century in response to the need for a final resting place for many of these early settlers and their families.

It is a testament to the lives and contributions of those who helped build the community, with many graves dating back to this period, it includes some rather impressive memorial stones.

It has been well maintained over the years by the Waimate District Council who is responsible for the general upkeep including the mowing of lawn areas, tending common garden areas, and ensuring the overall tidiness of the cemetery while families of the deceased are encouraged to look after their plots, headstones and monuments.

Still in use today, it is non-denominational, it continues to serve the local community as a place of rest for their loved ones.

The entrance to the Otaio Cemetery is guarded by some old cabbage trees, it sits along a rather windswept area of coastline and on a still day it is a serene and picturesque setting.

The sound of the waves and the coastal breeze adding to the tranquillity of the cemetery.

Andrew Paul Wood

​The story behind Timaru’s North St highlights its historical importance.
Timaru’s North Street has many sites of historical interest.

The eastern end is rich in old commercial buildings, and the California-style bungalows that became popular in New Zealand from around 1913 onwards.

At the port end, the contaminated red brick Chrome Platers Ltd. Building, formerly the Old Mill nightclub, dates to 1883.

There is the classical 1910 building on the corner of Stafford St, and the Courthouse, designed by colonial architect W. H. Clayton, built in 1877-78, and the 1879 Queens Hotel designed by Frederick Marchant.

But why “North” St. It runs through the middle of town. The answer is that prior to 1869, Timaru was not one town, but two.

Except for the Great South Rd, and the awkward intersection at Woodlands Rd near the lovely 1912 Methodist Church Hall, no roads cross North St.

In 1856 the Canterbury provincial government (until 1876 the provinces had their own legislative bodies) had foreseen Timaru becoming the main town in South Canterbury and dispatched surveyor Samuel Hewlings to draw up what became known as “Government Town”.

Government Town extended from Pātītī Point to its northern boundary, North St. It was expected that this would be the town with a port north of Pātītī.

This was not to be. The Rhodes brothers had already freeholded 50 hectares of land north of Government Town.

The brothers had surveyor E. H. Lough lay out a rival plan, “Rhodes Town”, based on old bullock tracks. Because it lay immediately inland from the boat landings where the bluestone Landing Service Building was built in the 1870s, it gazumped Government Town as future Timaru’s commercial centre.

​Karen Rolleston

​Over the winter months, you cannot help but notice the breathtaking views of the snow-covered ranges and Southern Alps that we enjoy as we crest the hilly tops in Timaru and travel around our surrounding countryside. They are impossible to miss.

There are 45 named mountains in our region. The highest and the most prominent is Mt D’Archiac, which stands 2850 metres tall.

In the far distance lies the Mackenzie Country, and from Timaru we can see some of the Southern Alps, which extend for 500km down the spine of the South Island/Te Waipounamu.

The tallest mountain in the whole of the Southern Alps is Aoraki/Mt Cook, with its three summits: Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak. The high peak stands at 3724m tall.

These mountains are visible all year round, of course, but in winter, with their snowy covering, they stand out and seem far closer than they do over the summer months.

As spring takes hold, we know to expect some dramatic swings in weather including our infamous nor’wester winds.

Born in the heart of the mountains, this warm wind accelerates down the great valleys east of the Main Divide and roars out across the plains, signalling the beginning of the end to our winter season.

Also at this time of year, spring is in full force. Over the past few weeks, a parade of beautiful and uplifting blossom trees has been unfolding throughout the town. It is so enjoyable to see.

For a few short weeks there is also still plenty of snow to be seen on those faraway mountains. The juxtaposition of blossom and snow in the same view is worthy of appreciation.

David McBride

The November 16-22 edition of the New Zealand Listener features a beautifully illustrated review of a new book devoted to unique Maori jewellery, 600 pages in length.

The authors are named as Deidre Brown, Ngarino Ellis, and the late Jonathan Mane-Wheoki.

Upon the suggestion of forming a Civic Trust in Timaru in the 1980s Mane-Wheoki gave keen support.

Holding a senior position at the University of Canterbury, he was quick to visit Timaru and contribute his impressive knowledge of the architectural heritage on display.

He led a walking tour through the town centre, followed the next day by a similar event within the Wai-iti Rd basin devoted to residential buildings. He was a man of action; alongside his university role, he restored significant Māori buildings to their correct locations where each one truly belonged.

His untimely death was deeply mourned; softened somewhat by his lasting contribution to the arts, architecture, and music.

One could not underestimate the enthusiasm of Mane-Wheoki in forming the Timaru Civic Trust, pointing out the unique flavour of our Timaru buildings.

The review within the Listener provides several gems extracted from the book, Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art.

Included are selected artworks by Sydney Parkinson the illustrator aboard James Cook’s first voyage to New Zealand.

On a visit to the exact replica of the Endeavour, one could only be amazed at the cramped conditions provided to this young artist. What skill!

​David McBride

Some citizens might argue that in this electronic age, the traditional facility known as a public library – a storehouse of printed books – is an anachronism.

However, there are several attributes.

The Timaru Public Library sits upon a key site within the CBD. This aspect begs the question – is available land in such short supply that demolition of the library is suggested by an informal section of the community?

Under discussion is this special triangle of land, with a passive but endearing presence on all sides.

It’s fair to say the library carried technical difficulties from day one.

A cheeky critic might suggest the building had its long term maintenance work carried out before it was commissioned.

However, the building did become the key element of the precinct. Surely the architects at Warren and Mahoney nestled the library in to its natural basin to allow clear views of the beautiful St Mary’s and its much loved tower, not to mention the elegance of Chalmers Church to the nor-west, as the above photo shows.

There are many keen admirers of the sculptural quality of the library itself, moving away from a rectilinear box, which would have been a more prosaic piece of architecture.

The accessible car park adjacent is plain, yes but offset by the green area to the north where the ever-smiling character Tranquillity is surrounded by her plane tree guardians.

The library caters for many parts of the community – some retired citizens read newspapers each day while children are well looked after by their reservoir of books and their sunny courtyard to the north.

So one finds that this temple with its sculptural form provides much more than just a store for books across many hobbies and disciplines.

Catastrophic events do become history.

The severe losses resulting from the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-11 will pass into memory.

But many of the building owners badly affected are justified in feeling angst.

For many years, the populace was told that improvements in structural design would prevent such severe damage to recent buildings because they were constructed to higher design standards.

This photo of George St in Timaru shows how urban texture is enhanced when younger buildings are mixed with older heritage fabric.

More than a few structural engineers have pointed out that the older unreinforced masonry buildings in the Christchurch central business district performed better than expected, while many newer buildings suffered damage, much to the disappointment of engineers.

Throughout the 20th century, national construction standards in New Zealand were improved after each significant earthquake.

Seemingly, the revised structural design standards have not been completely adequate.

​David McBride of the Timaru Civic Trust

Timaru Civic Trust Karen Rolleston

After hearing concerns from some that this building was to be demolished, which it is not, we thought we’d repeat the article about this handsome and solid bluestone building.

Located on Timaru’s Stafford St it is one of the most historically significant structures in the town, originally built in 1874 as offices for the Gladstone Board of Works.

The board functioned here for nine years allowing South Cantabrians to manage their own local projects until the provincial system of government ended and the central government took over all public works.

Over the years it has been used by the Lands and Survey Department and later the Ministry of Works.

Mr Thomas Roberts was the architect responsible for designing the then proposed new offices for the board of works and he oversaw the tender and building process. Several tenders were presented and the lowest one, submitted by builder Thomas Machin in the amount of £1215 was the one accepted.

During construction, it was reported that “The Board of Works office is getting on famously, and is developing itself into a much handsomer and more commodious building than might have been expected for the money’’.

From reading The Timaru Herald reports from 1874, I understand Thomas Machin had to apply for a six-week extension for the completion of the work, his reason for having to ask being his “inability to get a sufficient number of carters and skilled labour’’.

This did not go down particularly well with the board but the architect, Mr Roberts, petitioned them on behalf of Mr Machin and he was granted his extension and not financially penalised for the delays.

It is one of the few remaining Timaru bluestone buildings in Timaru today. It is two-storey and rectangular in plan with a shallow hipped roof.

Additions were made to the rear of the building in the 1970s.

It achieved its Historic Places listing as a Category 1 building in 1980.

For a time it was the tallest building in town and Machin must have been proud of his creation. It’s gratifying to see one of our well-built old buildings surviving into this century having been successfully restored and cared for over the years.

Travelling around the older areas of Timaru you can still find some interesting old homes.
Our fashions and tastes were heavily influenced by English design and in some cities you can see the use of semi-detached dwellings.  In England the use of Terrace Housing, rows of 3 or more dwellings with shared walls on either side was common.
Terrace Housing was not popular in New Zealand.  They were seen as undesirable as they symbolised the congestion and sometimes, squalor, of city living in England that many of our settlers had left behind.  Here we had plenty of space available and the preference was for single houses built on their own quarter acre sections
A semi-detached dwelling is a single family duplex dwelling house that shares one common wall with the next house.  In New Zealand these houses started to appear from 1880 as land supplies tightened. The first semis were symmetrically designed and two-storey to maximise living space but still allow each family to have their own section.
This is an example of an early version of a town house.  This semi-detached house sits on Catherine Street which lies within the boundary of Government town which, along with Rhodes town, formed our earliest subdivisions. The dividing wall is clearly visible emerging up through the roofline. 
It was built around 1900 and can be described as Edwardian in style. The characteristics of this building were typical of the time in Timaru. You can see the box sash windows, solid red brick construction and rectangular plan. It features individual entrances on each side towards the rear.
Its roof is not as steeply pitched as a Victorian house would be.  It has relatively few embellishments and decorative features with only a few decorative panes around the door, simple block eve brackets. A feature is the gabled porch above each of the rectangular bay windows below.
I imagine it would have been a very smart address to live at, towering above the surrounding cottages and enjoying views over the bustling busy settlement.  The town green belt lay across the main road with views of the mountains in the distance.  Looking over a thriving neighbourhood with horse and carts rolling by and our first motor vehicles appearing on the scene. 
A town house indeed.
Karen Rolleston

Just an aside really,  not a building or local landmark mentioned in this article……just a friendly little reminder from the garden that the mood out there is lightening a bit.   
I do love a bit of winter, the skeleton trees,  the icy puddles, the rain on the roof but It’s been cold right?   Lovely to be snuggled up safe and warm inside preferably with people you like or a good book to read, or all rugged up and walking the dogs…. perfect.   Lots of snow on our horizons, the mountains surrounding us are looking fabulously smothered in the white stuff…. however that’s not the only type of ‘snow’ making an appearance.  In many of our gardens,  big and small,  young and old, those hardy little late winter warriors,  Snowdrops,  are making their way out into the world.   A reminder that winter doesn’t last forever, the sun will shine again and Spring in just around the corner. 
Early settlers imported them to decorate the land surrounding their homes, and they must have been freely available, as an article in the Otago Witness, August 1888, insists that "there is not a garden that should be without these delicate-looking flowers, either in town or country".
Flowering in late winter, a sign spring was on its way must have given the colonists relief that they'd made it through another New Zealand winter.
Snowdrops come under the family name Galanthus.  They are a Spring bulb and very easy to grow.   Plant your snowdrop bulbs under deciduous trees,   they will receive sufficient sunlight, since they bloom and begin storing nutrients before the leaves come out on trees.   Just leave them there and they will multiply and naturalise, making them an irresistible addition to the woodland garden.  
Obviously I am not the only Snowdrop enthusiast around Canterbury.  I see the annual SNOWDROP SUNDAY will be held at Terrace Station on Sunday 12th August  with visitors welcome between 11am and 3pm. Nice Idea for a Sunday drive.
Terrace Station and its 15 hectares of woodland gardens can be found at Hororata.  Follow signs from the Hororata roundabout – approx 5kms to site.  This year the snowdrops are a couple of weeks ahead of schedule but you will still see plenty as well as winter aconites and banks of hellebores, not forgetting the magnificent trees in their winter splendour.  If the day is fine, bring your picnic lunch.
Adults - $5.00 per head to the Terrace Station Charitable Trust.  Children – no charge Please note that dogs are not permitted.
Karen Rolleston
 
 

​When I visited the Timaru Botanic Gardens last year to take photos of the Robbie Burns statue I also took some of the colourful dahlia border that was still blooming profusely well into autumn. As we are settling in for the long lockdown ahead I thought it might be interesting to find out a little of the history about these beautiful and reliable garden performers.  They are such a cheerful summer/autumn addition to a home garden, blousy, bold and available in an amazing variety of colours as well as being easy peasy as to grow. Dahlias originated in the mountain regions of Mexico and Guatemala and they still thrive there today.  Before the time of the Aztecs not much is known about them but it is recorded that the Aztecs used parts of the dahlia for food and medicine. 
In the 1570’s King Phillip ll of Spain sent a botanist, Francisco Hernandez, to Mexico to study the natural resources of the country and he described plants that resembled dahlias at that time.  However it wasn’t until 1789 that plant parts were sent from the Botanical Garden at Mexico to the Royal gardens of Madrid in Spain. From there culture and propagation began and 3 new plant forms were grown. The genus was named after a Swedish botanist, Andreas Dahl.
Seed and plant parts from the dahlias were sent throughout Europe from the early 1800’s and hybridization work continued. Double forms and colour variations resulted and captured the imagination and passion of plant breeders throughout Europe.
Continued propagation and development of the earlier crosses resulted in the first modern dahlia hybrids being created around 1929. These new hybrids were easy to grown and hybridize so they quickly became very popular in European and American home gardens.
Throughout the 1800s and 1900s thousands of new forms were developed and all of these new dahlia forms were hybridized from at least two, possibly all three of the original Dahlia species sent from Mexico in 1789.
The dahlia we know today has one of the largest variations of form, colour and size of any flower grown and every year there are new varieties being developed and released constantly. It remains the National Flower of Mexico where its beauty, as well as usefulness, was first discovered by the Aztec Indians so long ago.
We have our very own local dahlia specialists, Alistair and Joan Davey.  Alistair was 13 years old when his great uncle gave him his first dahlia and that gift sparked a lifelong passion for these remarkable flowers. Have a look through his website, www.daveygardens.com and while away an hour or so plotting where you can perhaps squeeze one into your garden after this long winter ends.
Keep well and safe,  Karen Rolleston

​Some recent photos on Wuhootimaru’s Face Book page featuring an old cottage on the outskirts of Pleasant point piqued my interest and I decided it needed following up.
James and Ellen Keane were immigrants from County Kerry in Ireland. They arrived in New Zealand on the 1st July 1861 after travelling aboard the “Chrysolite” which departed Gravesend, London in April of the same year.  After landing in Lyttleton the Keanes spent 10 years living in Christchurch before they and their 5 children headed to their new home in South Canterbury.
This hard working couple managed to get together enough money to buy a piece of farmland and build a home for themselves and their family to live in.
The house they built is the substantial cob cottage that still stands on its original site to this day. This one is two storeyed with a large ground floor living room and an upper room or loft where the family all slept.  The covered wagon or schooner they travelled south in stood on their property near the cottage well into the 1940’s.
Cob cottages were well built and a favourite with our early settlers. Utilising the local soil and clay for the raw materials as well as labour and skills given by other community settlers it meant they were relatively cheap to construct.  A feature is their excellent thermal protection that makes them suitable for extremes of climate.
In terms of longevity, cob buildings have the potential to remain functional, with regular maintenance, for hundreds of years.  This one has been well tended by past and present landowners, sited along Keanes Rd just off the Point highway; it is fenced apart from the surrounding farmland and well protected from stock. The cob has been restored, the tin roof is in good order and it has spouting which all help keep Keane’s Cottage in the great state it remains in today.
Cob buildings were once a significant part of New Zealand's early history and census figures from 1845 recorded more than 40 per cent of building stock in the South Island was of earth construction. As times progressed and more building materials became available this percentage declined to the point where there are fewer than 200 earth dwellings in the South Island today.
Karen Rolleston

​Last week’s column was about the Eleanor Howard Tripp Memorial Library that stands on a prominent corner of Woodbury’s main road.  I received a copy of a newsletter that I thought was relevant in terms of the ongoing life of such treasured buildings within a community.
This Library was gifted to the community when it was completed in 1936 after Eleanor’s death.  It is cared for, funded and staffed by local volunteers and there are many ongoing costs involved in terms of maintenance and insurances.  Its existence relies on what can be raised from raffles and, perhaps, donations.
As well as working to maintain the library these volunteers do an amazing job in also caring for the section, gardens and the War Memorial that stands in front of the library. 
Coming up this year, on Saturday the 4th of April, there will be a book fair and boot sale to be held at the Woodbury Hall to help with fundraising.  It runs from 9am till 12 noon.  This would be an enjoyable outing, as well as supporting a great cause it would be a chance for those interested to have a look around the Hall and Domain, St Thomas’s Church and the Memorial Library at the same time.
The history room at the library is open on the first Sunday of each month between the hours of 11am to 2pm and would be an interesting place to while away a couple of hours. The building itself has a solar power unit installed to help reduce lighting costs.
As I mentioned in last week’s column, during her lifetime Eleanor began a library for the staff who worked at her home at Orari Gorge Station. Owing to a misinterpretation on my behalf I need to correct a mistake I made in last weeks column, the books from Eleanor’s station library are all catalogued and listed as part of a private family library at her home station. 
Karen Rolleston

​Dotted about our rural communities are dozens of tiny libraries and there is a rather beautiful example of one of these charming buildings in the settlement of Woodbury.
This small wooden building was built by the residents of Woodbury in memory of Miss Eleanor Howard Tripp of Orari Gorge Station.  It stands behind the war memorial positioned on a corner of the main road and is still in use today.  There are two rooms on the site; one is a library room, the other a history room.
Eleanor was a great reader and a believer in the value of education for all.  She started a library for the staff in one of the out building at her home at Orari Gorge Station.  This ran continuously for 100 years and the collection of books, which has been catalogued and listed with the Historic Places Trust, still exists in the Historic buildings that stand at the Station today.  
It is interesting to note that her sister, Katherine, known as Katie, started the Orari Gorge Station School around the same time.
Eleanor was highly respected in the district and took a prominent but unobtrusive part in social welfare and charitable work.  She was a long time committee member of St Saviour’s Orphanage and served in this role until the time of her death, after an illness of several months, at 69 years of age. 
She was also a Sunday School teacher and her pupils aided in the collection of the stones that went into the building of the St Thomas’s Church in Woodbury.  This lovely church was built as a memorial to her parents, Charles George Tripp and Ellen Shephard Tripp of whom she was the third daughter. She was also a granddaughter of Bishop Harper.
This beautiful memorial library sits quietly in its place, it tells a story of New Zealand’s past history and culture and is well worth a visit.  Built out of respect and admiration for the work done by this gentle woman, it remains well cared for by local volunteers.  Its hours of operation are listed on the notice board out front.
Karen Rolleston

​St John’s Anglican Church on Wai-iti Rd in Highfield is not an old church but it is a handsome one.
Behind the church we see today stands the original red brick Sunday school building. Over the years this evolved to become the church. Even though it has been replaced it still enjoys a busy life as a church hall.
The new one was built in 1949 in a classic style. It was opened in November 1951. The square tower is a notable feature, topped with an iron cross and weather vane, this rises above the battlements and gives the church its English character. 
Constructed by local builders the concrete and plaster exterior walls have been recently painted in a discreet taupe with white detailing. The repeated crests around the top of the tower have been nicely highlighted and are another appealing feature.  They include the St John’s cross, St George’s Anglican cross and the Trinity shield.
The slate roof is also beautiful and makes you think the church is older than it is.
The interior of the church is traditional, quite simple compared to churches of previous eras.  The interior has a comfortable, friendly and practical feel to it. Nice and solid, it is decorated with white walls, blue carpet and tapestry hangings.  The ceiling is of dark wood and rises to the rafters high above the congregation.  The original pulpit, gifted by the Tonkin family, has been brought across from the old church as was the lovely old Christening font, gifted by the Mothers Union.
The stained glass windows are deceptively simple and add plenty of light.  At the front of the church you can find another of Gypsy Poulstons wonderful stained glass windows, this one was dedicated in 1976. Her husband Eddie Poulston sculpted the modern crucifix which compliments Gypsy’s window beautifully.
The church also has an organ, keyboard to one side with the pipes on the opposite wall and this was made by the South Island Organ Company here in Timaru.
Karen Rolleston

​The establishment of a settlement at Woodbury was well underway by 1880, most of the farmland around the area had been taken up and was being developed.  The population of the district was greater than it is today and the needs of the growing community needed to be acted upon.
There is no record of the election of the first Domain Board but minutes show their first meeting was held on March 2nd 1880 at the Woodbury Hotel.  At this meeting it was proposed that a generous amount of land be set aside to be used as an education reserve and recreational area for the community. 
In total some 55 hectares of unfenced treeless tussock land was earmarked for the project.   To raise the money required for development much of the land was leased out with some of it planted in trees. 
Over the years that followed the Board judiciously used the income from rents received to carry out their planned improvements and help with ongoing maintenance.  Although this was a slow process, in the long run it has proved a sustainable one and in recent years the Board has had sufficient income from these farm rentals and the sale of matured timber to carry out the necessary work renewing fences, piping a water supply, replanting of trees and the upgrading of its buildings as well as its sports facilities.
The charming tin clad Woodbury Hall we see today was built as a Coronation Library Hall in 1911. Trees were felled and the timber cut for use in building the hall with the surplus wood being on sold. The official opening was on December 14th the same year.   One of the first major items purchased was a grand piano which lasted till it was replaced with a more robust upright piano in 1963.
This rustic country Hall has had been enjoyed by many users and has had many additions approved and instigated by the Board as ongoing improvements over the years.  Power and lighting were installed in 1925 and a Ball was held to celebrate the switching on of the electricity.
It still remains well used by the local community and is available to be hired out for functions including country weddings and the like.
Karen Rolleston.
Most of my notes about the history came from the Woodbury Domain and Cemetery boards’ booklet.

​In the township of Woodbury, just a few kilometres from Geraldine, you will find a beautiful Anglican church nestled into a yard surrounded by some large trees and a lawn.  It is enclosed by a handsome stone and boulder wall with charming wooden gates along both road frontages.  Some recent pruning suggests there are not as many trees as there once were and this opens up views of the church nicely.
In November, 1877 a public meeting to consider the erection of a church was held and by March 1879, St Thomas's Church was completed and consecrated by the Bishop of Christchurch.  
Tripp is a familiar name in Woodbury.  A well-known pioneer family whose descendants came to New Zealand in 1855, they settled in the area and made their home at Orari Gorge Station.  Descendants of the family still live there today.
This original part of the church was constructed of wood on concrete foundations and its form reflects the Norman style of architecture commonly used in churches about Devon, England, where the Tripps emigrated from.
A chancel and tower were added in 1926 made of local stone and attached to the old wooden building.  The large tower was named as a memorial to Charles George and Ellen Shephard Tripp and the Nave, built in 1938, was named for his children, Charles Howard and Eleanor Howard Tripp. It was designed by Cecil Wood and completed by local builders, Herbert Cooling and Oswald Scott of Woodbury.
Oak for the carved furniture and for memorial tablets is from the Tripp homestead at Orari Gorge.  Building materials feature local stones and boulders, as do many of these local memorial churches. The roof is of purple hued Welsh slate. The church also features seven beautiful stained glass lancet windows.
Wonderful destination for a Sunday drive or to attend a service, I understand the church is open to be viewed by passers-by and friendly visitors alike.
Karen Rolleston