Cabragh House
Encyclopedia
Cabragh House is a late Victorian
, timber
house at 48 Weka Street in Nelson, New Zealand
built circa 1897. It is an historic site for exemplarising late Victorian furnishings and provincial New Zealand vernacular architecture. The neighbouring Amber House
, the former site of the Cabragh House School, is pending registration as a New Zealand Historic Place
Street (part sections of Section 258 and 260 and, later, Section 262. These sections already held two dwellings (now numbered 46 and 48) but then known as 36 and 38 Weka Street respectively. Originally, it seems, the larger two-storey house at 36 was the dwelling and residence of Mr Hornsby and his daughters (known as the Misses Hornsby. Then the single storey house at 38 was used as a private boarding and day school for girls and "little" boys, as indicated by the 1910 Electoral Register.
According to a Prize Day speech delivered by the Principal in the Druids Hall on 10 December 1917 and reported in The Colonist the next day, The school was founded in 1906. However, this is in conflict with an article in the same newspaper that appeared on 21 August 1905 that indicates an opening date of 15 September 1905. Between 1909 and 1917 Cabragh House School was heavily promoted in local almanacs, street directories and the Post & Telegraph New Zealand Directory.
Although this Hornsby land transfer was registered in 1901, it is probable that both buildings existed before this time. The Architectural design of both Cabragh House and the adjoining Amber House
indicates a date of construction for both houses somewhere between 1895 and 1905. To support this contention, an original photograph, principally of the two-storey house then at 36 Weka Street, has printed on its reverse “CABRAGH House school & home, Weka Street, Nelson NZ. Late 1890s school started & staffed by Hornsby sisters Charlotte (Lizzy), Ruth & Janetta”. Municipal drain layer plans and sheets also indicate a probable date of erection for both houses in early 1897.
The private school business was successful in provincial Nelson - especially for people with the right qualifications. An advertisement in the Nelson Streets Directory indicates that Miss Jannetta M Hornsby B.A., N.Z.U., A.R.C.M. (London) also had rooms at 50 Trafalgar Street as a teacher of pianoforte, theory, singing, elocution and languages as well as being Principal of Cabragh House School.
However, a search of the deeds reveals that none of the sisters Hornsby ever owned legal title to either the School or Dwelling House located at either 36 or 38 Weka Street.
In February 1908, John Hornsby mortgaged 38 Weka Street for government advances for unknown purposes. The money could have been put towards improvements for both structures. Such improvements may have included a two-storey porch and bracket
ed awnings added to Amber House sometime between 1906 and 1920. In 1918, Amber House (renumbered from 36 to 46 Weka Street) was used exclusively as classrooms and boarding accommodation and Cabragh House (renumbered from 38 to 48 Weka Street) became a residence.
was known as Cabragh House School during the first decades of the twentieth century, not to be confused with the dwelling known as the Cabragh House next door.
On 28 April 1919 John Hornsby died at his residence in Weka Street, aged 85 years.
The Obituary in The Colonist the next day included the following: "Prior to coming to New Zealand about 25 years ago, he held several important positions on the Irish railways. Although he never took much interest in civic affairs, he was a keen advocate of the through freights system, on the subject of which he contributed several valuable articles. His daughters conducted the Cabragh House School successfully for many years."
In October of that year a Certificate of Addendum was issued. The Public Trustee
conveyed a portion of the property for private sale. Now the renumbered 46 and 48 Weka Street were passed to daughter Charlotte, who sold it to Henry Canning in 1928.
The last listing for Cabragh House School in Lucas's Nelson Almanac is for 1927 and there is no entry for the School in the 1928 Post Office Directory. Certainly by 1928 Cabragh House School was no longer operating as a school, its scholastic function and commercial viability having been rendered superfluous by the steady growth of, what is now called, Nelson Central School
.
or other Gaelic
roots due to the Hornsby's Irish origins and may be an unorthodox spelling of Gabragh meaning an area of rough grazing.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
house at 48 Weka Street in Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
built circa 1897. It is an historic site for exemplarising late Victorian furnishings and provincial New Zealand vernacular architecture. The neighbouring Amber House
Amber House
Amber House is one of the older two storey villas in New Zealand's third founded city of Nelson in the top of the South Island at 46 Weka Street....
, the former site of the Cabragh House School, is pending registration as a New Zealand Historic Place
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is a non-profit trust that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand...
Location
Satellite imagery clearly shows how land reclamation to the North of Cabragh House has moved the shoreline considerably northwards from when the house was originally built on the shores of the Nelson Inlet.Ownership History
According to provincial records, on 7 August 1901, John Pearson Hornsby, a Nelson accountant, purchased land in WekaWeka
The Weka or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand, where four subspecies are recognized. Weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit...
Street (part sections of Section 258 and 260 and, later, Section 262. These sections already held two dwellings (now numbered 46 and 48) but then known as 36 and 38 Weka Street respectively. Originally, it seems, the larger two-storey house at 36 was the dwelling and residence of Mr Hornsby and his daughters (known as the Misses Hornsby. Then the single storey house at 38 was used as a private boarding and day school for girls and "little" boys, as indicated by the 1910 Electoral Register.
According to a Prize Day speech delivered by the Principal in the Druids Hall on 10 December 1917 and reported in The Colonist the next day, The school was founded in 1906. However, this is in conflict with an article in the same newspaper that appeared on 21 August 1905 that indicates an opening date of 15 September 1905. Between 1909 and 1917 Cabragh House School was heavily promoted in local almanacs, street directories and the Post & Telegraph New Zealand Directory.
Although this Hornsby land transfer was registered in 1901, it is probable that both buildings existed before this time. The Architectural design of both Cabragh House and the adjoining Amber House
Amber House
Amber House is one of the older two storey villas in New Zealand's third founded city of Nelson in the top of the South Island at 46 Weka Street....
indicates a date of construction for both houses somewhere between 1895 and 1905. To support this contention, an original photograph, principally of the two-storey house then at 36 Weka Street, has printed on its reverse “CABRAGH House school & home, Weka Street, Nelson NZ. Late 1890s school started & staffed by Hornsby sisters Charlotte (Lizzy), Ruth & Janetta”. Municipal drain layer plans and sheets also indicate a probable date of erection for both houses in early 1897.
The private school business was successful in provincial Nelson - especially for people with the right qualifications. An advertisement in the Nelson Streets Directory indicates that Miss Jannetta M Hornsby B.A., N.Z.U., A.R.C.M. (London) also had rooms at 50 Trafalgar Street as a teacher of pianoforte, theory, singing, elocution and languages as well as being Principal of Cabragh House School.
However, a search of the deeds reveals that none of the sisters Hornsby ever owned legal title to either the School or Dwelling House located at either 36 or 38 Weka Street.
In February 1908, John Hornsby mortgaged 38 Weka Street for government advances for unknown purposes. The money could have been put towards improvements for both structures. Such improvements may have included a two-storey porch and bracket
Bracket
Brackets are tall punctuation marks used in matched pairs within text, to set apart or interject other text. In the United States, "bracket" usually refers specifically to the "square" or "box" type.-List of types:...
ed awnings added to Amber House sometime between 1906 and 1920. In 1918, Amber House (renumbered from 36 to 46 Weka Street) was used exclusively as classrooms and boarding accommodation and Cabragh House (renumbered from 38 to 48 Weka Street) became a residence.
School
The Amber HouseAmber House
Amber House is one of the older two storey villas in New Zealand's third founded city of Nelson in the top of the South Island at 46 Weka Street....
was known as Cabragh House School during the first decades of the twentieth century, not to be confused with the dwelling known as the Cabragh House next door.
On 28 April 1919 John Hornsby died at his residence in Weka Street, aged 85 years.
The Obituary in The Colonist the next day included the following: "Prior to coming to New Zealand about 25 years ago, he held several important positions on the Irish railways. Although he never took much interest in civic affairs, he was a keen advocate of the through freights system, on the subject of which he contributed several valuable articles. His daughters conducted the Cabragh House School successfully for many years."
In October of that year a Certificate of Addendum was issued. The Public Trustee
Public Trustee (New Zealand)
The Public Trustee of New Zealand was a government appointed corporation sole providing Trustee services to those unwilling to use private services, or required by the courts or legislation to use the Public Trustee...
conveyed a portion of the property for private sale. Now the renumbered 46 and 48 Weka Street were passed to daughter Charlotte, who sold it to Henry Canning in 1928.
The last listing for Cabragh House School in Lucas's Nelson Almanac is for 1927 and there is no entry for the School in the 1928 Post Office Directory. Certainly by 1928 Cabragh House School was no longer operating as a school, its scholastic function and commercial viability having been rendered superfluous by the steady growth of, what is now called, Nelson Central School
Nelson Central School
Nelson Central School is a state primary contributing school located in the inner city of Nelson at the top of the South Island of New Zealand teaching children of both genders aged 5 to 11 years....
.
Etymology
The word Cabragh probably has IrishIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
or other Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
roots due to the Hornsby's Irish origins and may be an unorthodox spelling of Gabragh meaning an area of rough grazing.
External links
- Edwardian photos of Cabragh House School
- Nelson Central School
- Placenames in the north of Ireland
- New Zealand Historic Places Trust Pouhere Taonga Register
- New Zealand Architecture
- Original Acrylic Paintings, Watercolours and Pen & Ink Drawings of Colonial Architecture by Kathy Reilly, Golden Bay, New Zealand