Know your town

Manufacturing enterprises
Did you know that Waihinga/Martinborough had four abattoirs or slaughterhouses? The first was established before 1890 situated in George Harris’s barn in Weld Street and is now part of Victoria Read’s house. Others included one operate in Waihinga by butchers Lawrence and Thomas Tulloch. A second by Tom Moodie on a section on Princess Street opposite the Martinborough Estate winery. His butcher’s shop was situated where Thunderpants shop now stands. A third was C.S. Skill’s slaughterhouse in Kitchener Street, now part of Palliser Vineyard and the fourth was J.D Rowlands on East Coast Road – now part of Shane Hartnell’s property. Rowland’s butcher shop was in Dublin Street.

Also established in 1890 was a flax mill on Tullochs ‘Halford’ property. This later at Wall’s of ‘Mahaki’.
By 1904 commercial activity was bubbling along with a furnat J Bennet establishing a furniture factory at what is number 27 Strasbourge Street and the town’s brick works being established. This was operated by J Manning and situated over the Huangarua bridge just before Martin’s hill. On the East side of the Huangarua was a tannery near what is now Teagle’s property.
Vincent’s Cordials operated at number 16 New York street where it produced bottles of carbonated water in a variety of flavours. This was later re-located to Featherston .
Radium boot polish began to be produced at McLeod’s Boot and Shoe factory from 1910, this had previously been produced in the Hutt Valley by Matt McLeod. The polish had a very good reputation and was distributed all over New Zealand. Unfortunately the factory burned down in on the fourth of November 1913.
A later addition to the manufacturing scene was the 1930s concrete works established by J Pickard at number 84 Jellicoe Street.

Photo caption(s?) Meat being delivered to Mrs Henry McMaster
(B) An old Radium boot polish outfit tin