HOUSE DESTROYED

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 271, 15 November 1937, Page 10

HOUSE DESTROYED

HISTORIC HOMESTEAD.

OWNER'S HEAVY LOSS. \ I'UAJVITUJIE AH D J nisi eii.f-Tnay (From Our Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday. The well - known Mid-Canterbury homestead Longbeach, where the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Northumberland and several Governors-General have stayed as guests of the Grigg family, was destroyed by fire ■ this afternoon. Situated about 16 miles from Ashburton, the building had 33 rooms and was an imposing two-storey brick structure built in the old English style.

The history of the homestead was closely connected with the development of the estate by Mr. John Grigg, grandfather of the present owner, Mr. J. H. Grigg. The bricks used in the construction of the property, about 50 years ago, were made at the homestead.

In addition to the building, Valuable antique furniture more than 100 years old, allow trophies won by the Longhead) stud and Mrs. Grigg's valuable collection of jewellery were destroyed.

There was nobody in the building at the time of the outbreak, which was discovered about 3 p.m. by one of the station hands, who sounded the Are alarm on the property. Many of the employees rushed to the building and found that the fire had a good hold in the top storey. They helped Mr. Origg remove most of the contents of the drawing room, including sporting trophies and a number of paintings. Some of the articles in the smoking room were also saved.

The Allenton Fire Brigade was advised of the outbreak, and 45 minutes later members of the brigade were running out leads of hose from the lake in front of the house to fight the fire, which was fanned by a strong wind.

For more than three hours firemen and station hands tried to put the fire out, but the building was reduced to a smouldering ruin.