Know your town

Adam Wright

Adam wright erected the building next to the Martinborough Hotel and is now known as the Petite Hotel. He was born in Belfast Ireland in 1868 and as a young came to settle in Greytown where he set up a hairdressing business. In 1900 He married Lizzie Picot  who was born in New Castle on Tyne in 1876. They had three children, Bob, Joan and Thelma. Adam was a keen bowler setting up the Greytown Bowling Club.

He subsequently sold the hairdressing business and moved to Martinborough where he purchased the section beside the Martinborough Hotel  and in 1905 built the two storey shop and dwelling. It was all was lighted by Acetylene gas. The building was awarded the School of Architecture Award for Excellence as ‘an Archetype New Zealand Vernacular Building’.

The dwelling was upstairs with the bottom divided into two parts each with large display windows. On one side was the  hairdresser and tobacconist with a door through to a billiard room at the rear. Most kinds of tobacco were on offer along with pipes and other smoker’s requisites. The second shop sold toiletries and fancy goods plus stationary, along with sports and fishing gear. 

Adam Wright was very active in  community. In 1909 he initiated the founding  of the Martinborough Bowling Club.  The Club’s original pavilion was erected in October the following year, by builder D Murray.  

Adam was also a member of the Freemasons. The Masonic Hall. Waihenga Lodge No 150 was built in 1907 by W Benton and Son.  He also

served as a Steward of the Martinborough Coursing Club. 

Those indeed were busy times for the fledgling town, a newspaper reported that 2,500 head of cattle had been gathered at Martinborough for drovers to drive across the Rimutaka  Hill to the Ngahauranga  Freezing Works. And firewood was in short supply, a small amount of Rata, Maire and Matai was advertised as available at thirty shillings a chord (2019 = $270.)   

After forty years in business Adam retired selling to Mr McFadden, who then on sold it in 1953 to Buster Lake. It was later run by S&P Arthur then Mrs J Ball. The building is now owned by the Peppers Group with the up stairs  hotel rooms and the below shops The Grocers and a gift shop.

Mate Higginson