Alice Bartley and Stephen Gilbert

This is the last of our posts on the children of Robert Bartley and Esther Kerby.

Today we are with Alice Bartley who was born at home in Chapel St, Auckland on 21 February 1858. We know very little about Alice herself. It is likely she met Stephen through his family relationship to her brother in law. Their families also shared adherence to the Wesleyan faith.

The Gilbert family travelled to New Zealand on the same ship as their cousins, the Rountree family. (Stephen Gilbert Rountree later married Julia Bartley). Their intention was to take up land north of Auckland. Parents, James and Eliza Gilbert, travelled with four daughters and three sons, one of whom was Stephen. Their ship SS Portland set a record time from Gravesend to Auckland. 181 passengers arrived in New Zealand on 22 July 1863, after leaving port on 31 April of that year.

The Gilberts did not farm their land for long. Their property, around the Waikiekie/ Matakohe area was rough country with poor access. These settlements around Port Albert and the western side south of Whangarei were originally established by immigrants with shared religious and cultural values. Many prospective settlers in this area made a second, more informed decision, about their likelihood of success once they had first hand experience of the conditions.  Instead of farming the Gilbert family moved to Auckland. James worked a few years for the 'New Zealander' before establishing a drapery in Parnell.

Stephen's first employer was the manufacturing pharmacist J. N. Manning. He continued his apprenticeship when the business was sold, working under the new owner James Sharland.
By 1879, when he married Alice Bartley, he was qualified and ready to his set up his own premises.

Ak Star 4 June 1881

The Gilbert Pharmacy opened at 223 Queen St in May 1881. The following year he moved to a better position at the other end of Queen St.

Ak Star 3 June 1882

  He continued to trade there until the business moved to K Rd in 1907. The new pharmacy was in Probert's Buildings on a good corner site which is recognisable today.

A 1909 view of the pharmacy. Image SGGSC 7-A4756

Alice and Stephen had one daughter, Flora who was born in 1882. She later married Reginald Hooton.

Stephen predeceased Alice. He died in 1938, at Epsom, Auckland. Alice followed almost ten years later in 1947.






Research by M W Bartley

Queen Victoria School for Girls, Parnell, Auckland by Edward Bartley

Entrance with foundation stone, Queen Victoria School for Maori Girls, Parnell, Auckland. Image BFA 2003

Through our heritage built environment we can reach the ideals and aspirations of our forebears. Sometimes it takes quite a leap. 

This is certainly the case when looking at educational buildings. The culture of 19^th and early 20^th century education is so far from our views today.

At an Anglican Diocesan Synod in October 1900 Rev Hare Maihi proposed the establishment of a school for Maori girls in Auckland. This proposal was unanimously approved. [i] In February 1901 the Synod conceived and discussed of the building of such a school as a permanent memorial to Queen Victoria.[ii] The suggestion was subsequently approved and a target for fundraising set at £10,000, to be solicited from the whole community. [iii]

A model for the school already existed in Napier. Hukarere School was founded ‘to give Christian education to Maori and half-caste girls and to train them to be good and useful women.’ When established in 1875 it was the only Protestant residential school for Maori girls in the country.[iv]

From its inception Queen Victoria's was to be a boarding school, drawing students from all around the region. It was intended to supplement the facilities in Napier, expanding the opportunity for higher education to include those centres of Maori population such as Tauranga and Whakatane. 

The discussion around the enterprise did not focus on the academic potential of young Maori women, but upon the ‘europeanising’ of a generation. For Sir Apirana Ngata, speaking at a conference of students of Te Aute Maori Boys’ College, the European concept of the Home as a civilising and educating social structure for future generations was the key benefit of higher schooling for Maori girls.[v] The special character of the school as a Christian establishment carried expectations of the inculcation of a ‘moral tone’ which was considered as a desirable influence on this rising generation of young mothers-to-be.

The site for the school was in Glanville Terrace, Parnell, opposite the existing St Stephen’s Maori Boys’ School. This land was a gift of Ngati Whatua. Given the royal associations of the project, the ceremony of laying the foundation stone was timed to coincide with the visit of the Duke of Cornwall and York with his Duchess in June 1901.[vi]

At this stage there were still insufficient funds to begin the building process. Edward Bartley began the design process, in his capacity as Diocesan Architect. Tenders were called In June 1902, after which the design was reworked to bring it more into line with the financial resources available. The intended capacity was for sixty boarders. This was halved and the plans altered so as to leave room on the site for an additional wing as and when funds became available. Tenders were then re-advertised in September of that year. This time J Davis’ tender of £2131 was accepted.[vii]

There was immense good will for the project from the majority of the community  with fundraising being undertaken as far south as Masterton and Wairarapa.. A stylish bazaar was held on the grounds behind Government House in March 1903. Well attended and hugely successful, this event met the cost of furnishing the school, but not more. 

The enterprise was always cash strapped. The school’s continued reliance on public generosity was stressed at the opening ceremony in May 1903.[viii]

Somehow Queen Victoria School survived until 2001, dogged by financial constraints all the way. Her sibling school of St Stephen’s had closed the previous year. 

The range of educational options in a changing world undoubtedly contributed in the drop in enrolments -back to the 60 girls envisaged in 1901. One hundred years later such a small role was no longer a viable proposition, placing an untenable pressure on families to meet the ever increasing fees. 

Image Jubilee booklet, Queen Victoria School Jubilee June 1953 p 59

The school is remembered with great fondness by past students and their families as a Spartan but happy place. It fulfilled its purpose well and in the early twentieth century was held in high esteem as an educational provider and  training establishment for community leaders.

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[i] NZ Herald 12 Oct 1900 page 6 col 6

[ii] Ibid 12 Feb 1901 page 6

[iii] Ibid 20 Feb 1901 page 3

[iv] Ibid 21 May 1901 page 3

[v] Ibid 13 May 1901 page 6

[vi] Ibid 13 June 1901 page 5 col. 6, page 6 col. 6

[vii] Ibid 30 Sept 1902 page 4 col. 8

[viii] Ibid 23 May 1903 page 6 col 1 & 2

Auckland, New Zealand in 1852

Part 2 of 4, P J Hogan's Lithograph of Auckland in 1852

Can we imagine what Auckland was like for those early settler families like the Hannkens, the Ottos and the Bartleys? 

The town was already changed out of all recognition just thirty years after Fred Hannken settled his family in Queen St.

 

The following extract from the Auckland Weekly News helps us form a picture. It describes the town of Auckland in those early years.

"In our present issue we give the first of a series of four views of Auckland in 1852 from the pencil of the late Mr P. J. Hogan, of Parnell and which were subsequently lithographed in London and published at the old New Zealander office, Shortland Street. These sketches recall to the memory of many Auckland residents reminiscences of the olden times. 

In that thirty years times have changed and men have changed with them....Even the physical features of the harbour of Auckland are altered, through the changes which the growth of the commerce of the port and the railway system have brought about.

...At this period the town was practically comprised in a line drawn from Princes St down ‘Generals Hill’ at the road past the Northern Club was called, up Victoria Street to Hobson St, thence to the sea and along the beach to Soldier’s Point (Fort Britomart) and thence to the point of commencement. 

The portion west and south of Hobson St was best known as ‘Chapel Hill’ which in the olden days was protected by Ligar’s Redoubt situated on an allotment opposite the Scotia Hotel, Hobson St and the eastern entrenchments of which disappeared when the allotments were lit in building sections by the Board of Education. 

South and west of these boundary lines were only a few scattered houses in the various streets with considerable patches of scrub and tea tree. Hobson St, south of Victoria St, had scarcely a house on it, while Pitt St and Karangahappe Rd to the Windmill simply existed on the map. 

Upper Queen St was a footpath leading through tangled fern across a deep gully while Upper Symonds St and Khyber Pass Rd were only about to be formed by working parties of the 58^th Regiment. 

The principal outlet to the country and by which the whole traffic passed being Parnell, Newton and the whole of the district west of Hobson St, Freeman’s Bay and Ponsonby lay in a state of nature, with here and there a settler’s residence in the expanse of fern. Mr Probert in Newton and Mr Cox in Cook St and Freeman’s Bay were pioneers of civilisation in these benighted districts.

As for aristocratic Ponsonby it was less known that Kikowhakerere. Its rival, Parnell or to speak by the card ‘Mechanic’s Hill’ was then, as now, the sanctuary of Government officials and had a strong ecclesiastical flavour about it. A few houses were clustered on St Barnabas Point, while Bull’s grocery, Tom Johnson’s Windsor Castle, Mr Vidal’s, Mr Elliott’s and Dr Pollen’s dwellings were the leading features of the Parnell main road, Colonel Hulme and Major Mafaou, near the top of the hill, forming the outlying posts in that direction, while from the road southward to the Domain the gun-brown tern reigned supreme.

... In Mechanics Bay (Waipapa) at that date, the tide laved the sandy beach of the Strand, lined from end to end with native canoes, whose owners, at their tents on the beach, at the native hostelry, drove a brisk trade in produce and kept the bay jocund with song and jest and dance alike, on the beach and in the raupo huts on the hill above the bridge.

Auckland Weekly News 11 October 1884 Supplement page 1 and 3

Blind Institute Parnell Auckland

In 1909 Edward Bartley was aged 70. He was at last enjoying a particularly buoyant economic climate for architects. Not since the early 1880's had Auckland seen such a level of public works and new construction in the commercial area of the city. This reflected a more general confidence in the economy as a whole and Aucklanders enjoyed a higher standard of living in 1908- 1914 than they were to achieve for quite some time afterwards.

The brick building Edward designed for the Royal Institute for the Blind in Parnell is familiar in Auckland. Less well known is the fact that Edward's relationship with the Institute, both personally and professionally, preceded that building by many years.

In 1890 the Jubilee celebrations in Auckland had been completed with a surplus of  £155. It was suggested that this surplus should be used to establish an Institute for the Blind. 

The object of the proposed institution was to provide basic education and instruction in a craft or skill to enable the blind to earn their own living. The example of the Liverpool Blind Asylum was held up as a model. In 1891 the Institute moved to property at the Parnell end of Manukau Rd which was altered to suit.

Additional ground beside the school was purchased. This allowed the executive to agree to construct a school room, gymnasium, male dormitory and new sanitary areas for the rapidly growing student body now in residence.

 Edward prepared plans for these additions.  The gymnasium and the larger workshop were deferred for the time being but the decision was made to proceed with the other new buildings, along with the suggested fire precautions and improved water supply.

The additions were opened in August 1892 and featured wide verandahs on the whole of the north side of each block. The boys’ dormitory was considered  generous - a room 32 x 55 feett was divided internally into four rooms, each with four beds.

 About this time the Institute Executive was attacked via Letters to the Editor accusing the gentlemen concerned of self  promotion and cynical charitable gesturing.

Edward felt strongly enough to reply swiftly in an angry defence of the organisation and the aims of the Institute: 

NZ Herald 25 August 1892

By 1898 the school had outgrown the existing buildings. Fire safety was still a major concern. The Auckland members of the Legislative Council were canvassed to approach the Premier for £5000 to erect the main block required. While this lobbying was under way the inevitable happened. 

On 7 October 1898 fire broke out at the Blind Institute. Starting in the outbuildings the fire was contained before it reached the main block, mainly due to the availability of town supply water at key points on the premises. Edward’s first designs for a two storey brick building date from this time. 

It was not until 1905 that plans for a masonry building could be realised. A Government subsidy of £2500, along with a further bequest, enabled Edward's design to be accepted. The foundation stone was laid in 1907. The building was opened in May 1909. 

Construction was of brick, primarily as a fire precaution, but also because the material suited the style the Institute required. The building featured a number of technical innovations. Most notable was the first floor construction, where steel and concrete slab were used, with a more traditional tongue & groove timber top surface. A verandah surrounded both floors on all sides and the verandah doors incorporated another new device whereby the doors were hung on the inside but opened to the outside, allowing full use of all the verandah space without obstruction in the doorway.

 Inside the concrete stairways were adorned with very decorative cast iron railings. These balustrades were much admired at the time of the opening in 1909, and continue to be regarded as fine examples of the use of this type of decorative work. 

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[i] NZH 17 September 1901

See also New Zealand Herald 10 July 1890 p 5 col 5 & 6; 8 Oct 1898 p 5 col 1; 11 Nov 1898 p 6 col 4; 17 Sept 1901 p 5 col 2; 25 Oct 1901 p 5 col 5; 9 Jan 1903 p 7 col 1; 9 Sept 1905 p 5 col 1; 4 Oct 1905 p 6 col 4 & p 4 col 6; 22 Mar 1906 p 6 col 3; 16 Aug 1906 p 8 col 6;3 Oct 1906 p 8 col 8; 17 Nov 1906 p 5 col 6; 2 May 1907 p 6 col 2; 16 July 1907 p 7 col 2

Architecture of Edward Bartley

 Each Southern Hemisphere Spring Auckland New Zealand holds a heritage festival. Recognition of our built heritage is an important part of the event.

Bartley Family Archive holds a strong collection for those interested in colonial architecture. Here we share some of those images as our contribution to the Heritage Festival 2013.

All of the buildings illustrated below are associated with Edward BARTLEY (1839-1919).

Edward was born in St Helier, Jersey and emigrated to New Zealand as part of the family group led by his eldest brother Robert BARTLEY.

During his long career Edward served as architect to the Anglican Church, the Auckland Savings Bank and to the Auckland Hospital Board. By the time he was asked to supervise the construction of St Matthew’s in the City in 1901 he had already designed more than twenty churches for various denominations.

To Aucklanders his most familiar designs are the Jewish Synagogue in Princes st, St John’s Ponsonby, ASB building Queen St and the Blind Institute building in Parnell. All of these surviving buildings are designated Category One by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

The geographical spread of his designs extends from Whangarei to Cambridge. He also fostered the next generation of notable New Zealand architects – both Gerard Jones and M.K.Draffin were articled to him.

In addition, his early involvement with the Eight Hour Movement, industrial and technical education, the Society of Arts, the Museum Institute and the Devonport Borough Council are just some of his contributions to the growth and development of the Auckland region.

ASB Queen St Cross Section

ASB Queen St Front Elevation

Sailors Home Auckland

ASB Devonport Auckland

ASB Devonport Auckland

ASB Devonport Auckland

Holy Trinity Devonport Auckland

Pitt St Theatre Auckland, now the Mercury **endangered**

Mr Wharfe's House Devonport Auckland

Mr Wharfe's House Devonport Auckland

Mr Wharfe's House Devonport Auckland

Costley Home Auckland

Whangarei Hospital

Blind Institute Parnell

St John's Ponsonby

Waiting Rooms Victoria Wharf Devonport

Wesleyan Church Waiuku