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The First Private Railway Siding at Papanui. Tenders were accepted for the construction of the railway from Addington to Papanui in September 1870. The line was built out through the west of the town (Christchurch) to tap the passenger traffic of the relatively well-settled north-west areas. Specifications issued in 1871 provided for the stationmaster to reside at the Harewood Road gatehouse, to act as gate-keeper there. Gates were sited at level crossings, which could be closed against road traffic when trains were due, or against rail traffic. Each gate carried a red lamp, to be flashed at approaching traffic when the gate was closed. It was just to the west of this Harewood Road crossing that Messrs Rountree and Co., grain and produce merchants, had their store. Increasing business compelled them to enlarge their already spacious store to accommodate the immense quantities of grain that they handled during the season. By October 1882, so much produce was being handled at the store that it was necessary to apply to the Railways Department for a siding next to the Papanui Station. The assistant engineer, James Burnett, replied on the 25 th November, saying he had no objection to a siding if points are taken off as far north as possible. The siding was to be positioned on a piece of land the Railways had recently purchased from George Harper who owned the neighbouring property that later became the Sanitarium Health Food site. The application, granted on the 11 th January 1883, was signed by Walter W. Johnston, Minister of Public Works. The detailed estimate for the siding was; 8.75 chain of rail = 175 Points = 30 Gate and fence = 15 Total 220. 2
from Archives New Zealand, Wellington. 3
from Archives New Zealand, Wellington. 4
On the 8 th February 1883, the N.Z. Railways Works Dept. informed the engineer, Please note that the undermentioned siding is complete and ready for traffic. At this siding they had a 12 ton weighbridge, thereby checking all goods in and out. In one season, over 60,000 sacks of potatoes passed over their siding for shipment. Rountree & Co. had their offices in Cashel Street and were connected by private wire with their store, as well as with the Telephone Exchange. 5 Star 2 April, 1883
Star 22 September 1884 On the 12 th August 1887, it was noted that the Papanui siding had been transferred to Messrs Kruse & Borgfeldt. What part Kruse had in the business is not known but, most likely he was just a financial partner, as his name does not appear to be associated with the business. John Borgfeldt lived on the North Road next to Diedrich Kruse, just north of where St. Bedes is today. His occupation was given as farmer. In May 1889, an application was made to transfer the siding from Kruse and Borgfeldt to John Borgfeldt. In January 1893, John was advised by the Railways in Wellington that his right to the siding had expired and if he wanted to renew it: the rental will be 25 per annum from 1 st of February. By 1914, something had to be done to improve movements at the siding and at the station, so it was decided to lease a portion of the Railway Reserve in the name of George Borgfeldt, a son of John Borgfeldt, who is carrying on the business. 6
From Archives New Zealand, Wellington. 7
1909ad. reproduced in the Papanui Herald 8
In 1916 George sold the business to Frank Drury who had the blacksmith s shop where the Memorial Hall was later built. Frank was assisted by his son, Frank junior, who had no love of blacksmithing; so the business was bought for him to manage. At the time of this 1916 changeover, wood sold for the equivalent of $1.60 a cord and coal for $4 a ton. Chaff was the big seller at 37c a bag, and the dray drivers used to queue up in the mornings for chaff for their horses like cars would at a petrol station. The coal side of the business expanded after World War 2 when coal became more freely available. Prior to the 1930s, much of the coal was imported from Australia. 9
On the 7 th March 1918, Frank Drury drew up a Partnership Deed with his son Frank Leslie for the business, which was to be called F. Drury & Son. At this time the business consisted of the coal yard, and the store was used for the storage of produce for wholesale merchants. Storage was charged on a time and tonnage basis. The 12 ton weighbridge was eventually lifted out from the siding and set up on the street frontage by the store and was used by the horse drays coming to the railway. In later years the weighbridge became too expensive to maintain, plus the traffic using it had dwindled, so it was removed, and the store of F. Drury & Son Ltd was able to be extended. 10
F. Drury & Son acquired their first truck in the late 1920s or early 1930s. After this was damaged by fire, they purchased the Ford Model T lorry shown in the photo. In 1937 they replaced this with a Bedford. Bill Smallbone, who worked for Drury s for many years was used to driving the horse and dray. Apparently, when learning to drive the truck, he was heard giving the same commands to the truck as he did to the horses. 11
Frank s son, Les, worked in the business from 1945 until 1972 when it was sold to Thomas Brown. Frank s other son, Eric, and his daughter Muriel, also worked in the business at one time. A new building was erected, and the old F. Drury & Son building removed after it was damaged by fire. This building was subsequently sold to Charles Barltrop of All Trades Hardware Ltd., who currently runs the Christchurch Security Centre business from the site. In the 1980s Hirequip built on the site on which the coal yard had stood. The Hirequip premises now stand empty, awaiting the next chapter for this central Papanui property. 12
John William Rountree. John William Rountree came to New Zealand as a young man and went into the butchery business with his own shop. In June 1868 he sold this business to W. McKeever and J. Mann. Between then and July 1874, when he opened a new shop in North Colombo Street, he is thought to have been in Auckland. In 1886 when he became bankrupt, he said in evidence that after he had given up the butchery, he had gone to auctioneering, and then became a produce merchant living heavily on the produce business. The year he started as a grain and produce merchant is not clear. He lived in Mays Road in a 7-roomed house with two small paddocks as well as twenty acres which was leased. When St. Albans became a borough in December 1881 he was elected to the Borough Council, and was re-elected in September 1885. John died in April 1897 at the age of 59 and is buried at the Addington Cemetery with his wife Annie who died in October 1882 at the age of 42. 13
John Borgfeldt (1830-1915) John came out to New Zealand on the Egmont, arriving in Lyttelton on the 23 December 1856. He ploughed and sowed wheat on land in Cashel Street. He also worked for George Rhodes at Timaru, sawing timber. He went to the Gabriels Gully gold rush, where he was very successful. Returning to Christchurch, he bought 100 acres of land on the North Road near where St. Bedes now stands. He grew potatoes and other vegetables. This valuable block of land was sold in July 1903. John had married Gertrude Esselborn, another German immigrant, who had come to New Zealand at the age of 18 as a domestic servant on the Sebastopol They were living in Church Street, Papanui when John died in July 1915 at the age of 84. Gertrude died in August 1927 aged 82. They are buried at St. Paul s Cemetery, Papanui. 14
Frank Drury. (1872-1947) Frank, born in 1872 in Tonbridge, Kent, married Louisa Muggridge on the 9 th September 1893 in St. Peters Church, Southborough, Kent. They had 3 children: Frank Leslie (born 1894), Charles Edward (born & died 1898) and Gladys Louise (born1904). Frank worked as a blacksmith in Tonbridge. In late 1913, Frank, Louisa, Frank Leslie and Gladys travelled to New Zealand on board RMS Tainui, arriving in Lyttelton on the 23 rd December 1913. Frank purchased a home for the family on the corner of Matsons Avenue and Harewood Road, and also set up a blacksmiths forge in central Papanui. Although Frank was a craftsman, he could not find much specialty work, so shoeing horses became his main income. Louisa died in 1919 and is buried in the St. Paul s graveyard. Frank died in 1947 and is buried with Louisa. Frank Leslie Drury married Annie Louisa Mann and they moved to a new home built at 124 St. James Avenue, Papanui, just a short distance from the business. Frank and Annie had 3 children, David Leslie, Eric Frank and Muriel Stella. David Leslie (known as Les) was to spend much of his working life in the business. 15
Compiled by Christine Grant with special thanks to Beverley Hamlin (née Drury) for research information and photographs. Edited by Warren Hudson June August 2010 a PAPANUI HERITAGE GROUP Publication ISSN 1173-6909 20 (print) ISSN 2253-4830-20(online) 16