DEIRDRE ROELANTS: LANDMARK BUILDINGS
Carlile House The derelict building still standing (just!) at 84 Richmond Road is a sad sight indeed even though it has a Category 1 listing on the Historic Places register. The once imposing building was erected with funds from Edward Costley’s large bequest that stipulated his fortune should be used to benefit charitable institutions in Auckland. The Costley Training Institution Act of 1885 allowed for the founding of a new facility to cater for children of “ages fit to be apprentice” who had suffered destitution or parental neglect. The large Richmond Road site was selected for the new institution and Auckland architect, Robert Jones Roberts was commissioned to design the building, probably because he was a preacher in the Congregational Church of which several trustees, including Captain William Daldy also belonged. The building is of a Classical-Italianate style much favoured for non-conformist places of worship and civic or public edifices. Elaborate detailing included stone quoins, arched window openings, pediments and corbelled eaves, generally associated with early commercial premises and the grand villas owned by wealthy professionals and merchants. Costley’s desire to give orphans and destitute children advantages which could not be provided from public funds resulted in an increasing number of similar structures highlighting Auckland’s transition from a colonial frontier settlement to an established urban centre. The contract was awarded to builder Thomas Colebrook who put in the lowest tender, saving the trustees an estimated £500 and employed a number of artisans in need of work.
controlled. Carpentry skills were taught, and in 1891 a large workshop was erected in brick, housing a wood turning lathe and a blacksmith forge. A gymnasium was constructed at the rear of the property and gymnastic displays were staged for visitors and dignitaries at community events.
The residential institution was completed in 1886 and stood behind a low brick wall with decorative cast iron railings similar to those fronting homes of the well to do.The two storyed building’s H-shaped plan let in light and fresh air in sharp contrast to a number of government and catholic industrial schools of bleak design or in buildings originally erected for other uses. The symmetrical facade ended in slightly projecting wings enclosing a central portico. The kitchen and storerooms were set in the rear wing on the ground floor as well as a sitting room with a library recess and manager’s quarters. Stairways were at either end of a hall that ran along the front of the building on both floors. Upstairs were six bedrooms and an infirmary.
Times change and after the Costley Institute closed at the end of 1908 the place served for two decades as the Richmond Road Children’s Home, an Anglican institution. When the Child Welfare Act of 1927 introduced more stringent controls, the home was closed and the property offered unsuccessfully for sale. Following the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake, the building briefly housed Hukarere Maori Girls’ School. From 1935 to 1969 it was the headquarters and training school of the Church Army, an Anglican evangelical outreach mission undertaking social work in slums. During this time it was renamed Carlile House after its founder, William Carlile. After the Church Army moved out it became a remand home for boys.
In 1886, Mrs Rebecca Hodge left the Costley Institute £672 to be invested for the benefit of girls who were boarded out with reputable families but the Costley trustees mainly focussed on boys of good character and most likely to be of credit to the Institution. Order, discipline and habit formation were an essential part of the programme. The boys assisted with housework and gardening, attended church and corporal punishment was strictly
Carlile House was purchased by the Tongan Community Development Company and a modern church built to commemorate Queen Salote. The main building became run down and vandalised as lack of funds prevented its reuse. Deterioration worsened due to broken windows and the state of the roof. Its dilapidation and uncertain future is a matter of ongoing public concern. (DEIRDRE ROELANTS) F PN
RACHAEL TE AOTONGA: LEYS INSTITUTE LIBRARY NEWS Thanks very much for your patience while our magnificent building has been receiving a little TLC. The library is now open again, with the builders making the finishing touches in the lecture hall. While the majority of work has taken place upstairs, the library has not been forgotten with this upgrade. You will see some changes during the next couple of months - we are delighted to be receiving some nice new furniture to spruce the place up. At the same time, we have taken the opportunity to reconfigure the shelving with the aim of making the space less cluttered, providing more comfortable seating areas and highlighting the heritage characteristics of the building. Another feature of this refurbishment is our new local history room. Have you ever noticed the office with the ornate glass door off the main library? Plans are afoot to promote treasures in our local history collection in this special room dedicated especially to the heritage of Ponsonby and surrounding suburbs. A computer will be installed in the room also if you wish to peacefully browse the Auckland Libraries’ digital images collection and other significant databases, or even add your own personal images of the area onto a special history website. Watch this space.
All our regular programmes, including Book Group, Wriggle and Rhyme, Rhyme-time and Story-time will be resuming as usual this month. If you haven’t joined in on any of these popular free programmes, now is the time! Everyone is welcome, please contact us or check the Auckland Libraries’ website for details. We also host a French conversation group every Monday at 12 noon-1pm. The group is for intermediate and advanced French language speakers. The sessions include reviewing new books, French language courses and magazines from the Auckland Libraries’ collections. On this note, if learning another language is a hobby you wish to pursue, we can help you with language course CDs, books and magazines in a wide range of languages. We have a collection of books in Te Reo, French and Spanish here at Leys. We can also call in books in other languages from other Auckland libraries at your request. There’s a lot happening at the library over the next few months, so please do come and check out all the activity! On behalf of the Leys staff, we hope to see our friendly PN community back in the library again soon. (RACHAEL TE AOTONGA) F LEYS INSTITUTE, 20 St Marys Road, T: 09 374 1315, www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz
26 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2016
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