Heritage

PARTINGTON'S MILL

View circa 1880 east up Mill lane with Lewis Eady house on right.

From it’s founding in 1840 until 1864 Auckland was the Capital of the new Colony of New Zealand. For the first few decades the urban area of the town extended little beyond where the Town Hall stands today.

There were small hamlets at Panmure, Howick and Onehunga with all three being active ports but the isthmus of Auckland was largely empty farmland. In those days the Greenwoods Corner/GreenLane/Epsom area was notable for fields of wheat, as the soil was free draining and devoid of trees.

In 1847 the newly arrived Charles Partington ventured into partnership with John Bycroft and together they took over the Epsom Mill that stood in St Andrews Road. The partnership lasted until December 1849 and in May 1850, for £200, Partington purchased land in Symonds Street and commenced the construction of “the new Windmill” at a cost of £2000. In August 1851 the first flour was advertised for sale.

The Mill stood on the Karangahape Ridge on the outskirts of town. The windmill’s rotating top enabled the sails to gather the prevailing wind from the Waitakere ranges in the west or the occasional breeze up from the harbour. The height of the structure, it's distinctive shape and prominent position made it quite a land mark and throughout its life it was used as a navigation device by shipping.

View up Queen Street circa 1852 showing Windmill on the Karangahape road ridge.

In 1851 steam flour milling equipment was installed and it was renamed the Victoria Flour Mills and Steam Biscuit Factory. During the Land Wars of the 1860s Partington secured a lucrative contract to supply government troops with biscuits but in the late 1860s he extended his business interests with another mill at Riverhead and also got involved in gold mining in the Coromandel.

By 1873 the biscuit making machinery had been relocated to the Riverhead mill and much of the land around the Symonds Street mill was sold off as building sites.Charles Partington died in 1877, apparently leaving his family affairs in disarray. His sons continued in the business and Joseph Partington took over the Symonds Street mill.

View of Grafton Bridge being finished in 1910, with Partington's Windmill in background standing without its sails.

By 1910 the windmill was devoid of its sails and stood over an increasingly urban landscape just yards from asphalted streets with electric trams and motorcars.

In 1911 Joseph travelled to England and there purchased a windmill and had the machinery, stones, cap and sails shipped back to Auckland. A gas engine was installed to supplement wind power but by 1916 it was found necessary to add 15 feet to the height of tower due to the increased height of the buildings now surrounding the mill.

The Windmill after 1916 when it was increased in height.

In 1924 terrible gales damaged the sails and in 1931 the mill was gutted by fire but it was restored and continued to grind grain shipped in from far outside Auckland, the wheat fields of Epsom having long disappeared. The Epsom Windmill is remembered in the name of ‘Windmill Rd’.

Mid-20th century map showing Partington Street [formerly Mill Lane]

In 1936, the Metropolitan Fire Board was searching for the site of a new Central Fire Station and considered the mill site as eminently suitable. Joseph Partington announced that he had made out his will to bequeath the Windmill to the City Council for “the free enjoyment of the Citizens of Auckland for ever” but when he died in 1941 no will could be located and the site was eventually sold on behalf of the beneficiaries.

The Windmill Preservation Society.

A Preservation Society was formed to save this greatly loved landmark, but its members were unable to raise sufficient money to purchase the building and preserve it for posterity.

In May 1950, exactly 100 years after it had been built and amid a great deal of controversy, Partington’s Windmill was sadly demolished

Although the Preservation Society was unsuccessful it left a lasting legacy. From the efforts of its members can probably be traced the creation of the Heritage movement in New Zealand as we know it today including The Museum of Transport & Technology, Howick Historical Village and the NZ Historic Places Trust.

Millstone from Partington's Mill at the Howick Historic Village.

The entire block between Liverpool Street and Symonds Street was redeveloped around 1980 when all the buildings were demolished and several large buildings arose, including the Sheraton Hotel [now the Langham Hotel].

From aerial photos taken in the 1940s it would appear that the brick tower of Partington’s Windmill was situated in what is now the courtyard to the west of the Hotel development. Access to the centre of the block still follows the course of the old Mill Lane.

In 2005 a formal ceremony was held at the Langham Hotel to herald them as new owners and the re-naming of the hotel. This included a major acknowledgment in film and living diorama of the history of the site. The Langham has kept the Partington legacy alive through the names of its restaurants; 'Partington’s Restaurant' and "The Steam Biscuit Factory".

LANGHAM HOTEL

Langham has a legendary hotel heritage dating back to 1865 when the Langham Hotel in London originally opened as Europe’s first Grand Hotel. For 140 years, this flagship hotel has been at the forefront of sophisticated and gracious hospitality. Today, all Langham Hotels worldwide inherit the same philosophy that reflects elegance, continuous innovation and genuine hospitality creating a truly unique hotel experience.

Langham Hotels International (LHI) features six properties with over 2,700 rooms in five gateway cities across the four continents, namely, London, Boston, Hong Kong (2), Melbourne and Auckland. In each city Langham Hotels is associated with the prestigious “The Leading Hotels of the World” group which represents some of the world’s finest luxury hotels. LHI is wholly owned by Great Eagle Holdings Limited, a publicly listed company (HKSE: 41) which was founded in 1963 and was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972.