A harbour romance

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What a story lies behind this Register of Marriage from 1860!

William Flower Blatchford arrived in Lyttleton in 1851 and was almost immediately employed by Samuel Manson as schoolteacher for the Manson and Gebbie children at the Head of the Bay. It seems as though the school itself was originally located in the Gebbie homestead of Greensland. Agnes, born in Scotland in 1840, was the oldest Manson child and it's unlikely that she had had any formal schooling until William’s arrival. Nine years later William and Agnes were married in the ‘Schoolhouse’ – which may, by then, have been a separate building on the north side of Gebbie’s Pass Road, opposite the yet-to-be-built St Peter’s.

In April 1861, William wrote of having

a nice little girl just 7 weeks old. She is a fine child and both mother and her are in good health, Thank God for it. She is to be baptised on Sunday next, and her name is to be Lydia Mary… I find that a wife adds to the cares of a man, but I am thankful to say we get on very well together.[1]

(What Agnes thought of married life we don’t know!)

A lovely accordion which belonged to William Flower Blatchford remains in the possession of the family.

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[1] Letter from W.F. Blatchford to J.N. Flower, April 10 1861. Collection of Linda McFarlane.

The Traveller's Rest

At one point there were three hotels in Governors Bay alone! Reading between the lines of old newspaper articles, three was two too many - there were bankruptcies, a suspicious fire and a number of 'rebirthings' before the Ocean View emerged as the sole accommodation house and watering hole.

The first 'hotel' was the 'Traveller's Rest', strategically situated at the junction of the bridle track to Lyttelton and 'Forster's Track' over the hill (precursor to Dyers Pass Rd but running up the other side of the valley). The building was close to the little bridge that is currently being repaired. There is one great photo of the Traveller's rest - but I can't publish it here until I purchase the right to reproduce the photo from the Alexander Turnbull Library.

Working at the Aotearoa Centre yesterday, I discovered the license conditions under which William Foster was required to operate. The list tells us a lot about life at the head of the harbour in the early 1860s, especially the emphasis on the welfare of animals who provided both livelihood and transport...

•  All the premises to be kept in good repair. To provide in his house, besides the tap room, or room answering as such, one public and one private sitting room.

• Not less than six beds for travellers, in not less than three separate bedrooms.

• To provide a shed sufficiently water-tight, and fit for the accommodation of at least four horses.

•  At all times to keep a proper supply of water for the house, and for horses and cattle, and to provide in a convenient position a proper trough for watering cattle.

• To keep at all times a proper supply of oats, and oaten or grass hay. Oats to be charged for to the travellers at not more than sixpence per quart, and to be always served out with the authorised quart measure.

• To keep a lamp burning with two burners from sunset to sunrise, giving sufficiently bright light, and being so lighted as to be conspicuous from a distance all round the house.

• To be sworn in and to act as a constable, especially when required by the Magistrates or Police.  

More about the store...

Governors Bay 1926

Now here's an interesting photo, especially in relation to an earlier post in which Murray Radcliffe commented on the original Governors Bay store. Here it is, on the left hand side of the road, quite a substantial building. Jones' Motors is on the right, where the store was later located and where She Cafe is now. 

There are some other intriguing features in this photo. On the left, above the store roof, I can see a framework which might be part of Tapley's cherry cages?? Someone might correct me on that - or confirm it. The jetties are interesting. The one in the distance at Sandy Bay Point would still have been in use. The Governors Bay jetty, on the right, had its final lengthening completed in 1927. Is it possible that they are actually working on it in this photo? Too indistinct to be sure...

Does anyone know who the two men in the foreground are?

Finally, my apologies. I've been trying to keep a record of where photos have come from - libraries, museums, locals... My record keeping hasn't always been the best and I can't acknowledge this one I'm afraid. If and when I can, I will!

Cathedral constructed with Allandale stone?

 
In 1865/66, the Hall Brothers of Governors Bay delivered 400 cubic meters of cut tufa stone to the site of the Christchurch Cathedral. The stone, said to look like chalk speckled with coal dust, was quarried in the Allandale valley on the property of Paul Hodgson. At this stage, it is not known if the stone was eventually used in the Cathedral as construction was halted for several years due to lack of funds. However, the stone was used in the first Christchurch Town Hall, St Johns on Latimer Square and the Trinity Congregational Church (later known as the Octagon). Samuel Hall built the stone cottage above the Lyttelton Road, and it's likely the Hall Brothers supplied stone for the bridge which is currently being repaired on the corner below. However, I know little more about the Hall Brothers other than Samuel made a mean parsnip wine (according to Frances Cresswell).

My name is Joseph Aldridge and I am looking for further information about the Hall Brothers. I can't find any mention of their descendants but would love to make contact with anyone who knows anything about them or anything more about their quarrying of Hodgson's Burnside Quarries. I can be contacted on wordsmith156@gmail.com.

NB: Joseph is currently writing a history of Living Springs and is researching Allandale history as part of that project.

Detective work

This is a section of a larger photo of Governors Bay. Sorry it's rather fuzzy. The photo is dated 1925. If we didn't have a date, how would we know? Murray Radcliffe pointed out the location of the original store (Miss Blakeaway's), below the Ocean View Hotel, where the Frame Reserve is now. Thanks Murray. I think the store burnt down (can someone confirm?). Later the store was rebuilt across the road where She Chocolat is now.

We also know that this photo can't have been taken before early 1925 because it features the newly built (completed late 1924) Cholmondeley Children's Home.

Mystery man

I love this photo. I think it's something to do with the intensity of the eyes - and that nice bushy beard. 

This is John Dyer. He arrived with his sister Mary Ann in 1851. Together, John and Charles Parsons (who was on the same voyage out), built the first European cottage and made the first garden in Governors Bay. Mary Ann ran a little school from their home. We now know their property as Waitahuna.

Mary Ann and Charles got married in 1855. (Ship-board romance!).

We remember John Dyer in 'Dyers' Pass' and 'Dyer's Pass Road'. The bay that curves round from the jetty to Sandy Bay was originally known as Dyer's Bay.

John Dyer was only 47 when he died -  crushed between a bullock and a gate.