Know your town

The purpose built shop on the corner of Ohio and Kitchener (then Waihenga) Streets

M N Hardie and Sons were Watchmakers and Jewellers in Featherston and Martinborough. Mark N Hardie Jnr was born in Paisley Scotland in 1892. He learned his trade from his father, also Mark N Hardie, then worked for a time for John Walker in Glasgow.

In 1902, at twenty years of age, Mark decided to emigrate to New Zealand. On the ship out the family met up with a Mr Skipage of Featherston who spoke highly of the Wairarapa. So he decided to settle in Featherston where he set up in business as M N Hardie and Sons.

On completing his schooling his son, also Mark, learned the trade with a Mr Forbes in Wanganui and then later with a Mr Palmer in Whangarei. Here he was a founding member of the local hockey team, he later also played hockey for Martinborough.

With the amalgamation of Waihenga and the Martinborough townships in 1905 it became clear that Martinborough was becoming a thriving town. Mrs Hardie wrote to her son pointing out that there could be an opening in the town for a watchmaker and jeweller.

The family found suitable premises, the two front rooms of the Oddfellow’s Hall, were available at twelve shillings and sixpence a week. However two other prospective jewellers were also interested so the family secured the rooms by paying two weeks in advance.

Enquiries on sections suitable for building their own premises continued until Mr James Orr decided to subdivide his land between the Martinborough Hotel and Ohio Street. Mark bought the corner section for thirty pounds (2014 = $5,060) on which Kings of Carterton built a shop and living quarters – in total just 28 sq feet.

Stock, which was shared between the Martinborough and Featherston shops, included along with watches and jewellery, silver plate and china. Gold bracelets and brooches sold for between three and five pounds, gold watches from seven to nine pounds (one pound = $162 in today’s’ money) .

Mark Hardie married Isabella Greenaway in 1909 and in 1914 bought out his father while retaining the name of M N Hardie and Sons as each of his three sons worked in the shop at some time.

Extensions were made to the building in 1931 and then it was completely remodelled in 1962.

In 1982 Mr Mark Hardie celebrated his hundredth birthday he still worked on clocks and walked over a kilometre to the shop from his Grey Street residence every day. He remembered only one spell in hospital and smiled at three military and insurance medical reports which had failed him each time. He died at the age of one hundred and four.

Mark was a J.P. a Martinborough Commissioner, Presbyterian Elder and member of the Gospel Hall Church.

Mate Higginson