Change In Ownership At Springfield

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30895, 30 October 1965, Page 8

Change In Ownership At Springfield

Another notable Canterbury property of earlier days has also recently changed hands. It is Springfield, near Methven, in MidCanterbury.

In earlier days when it was in the hands of Duncan Cameron, one of whose daughters was the mother of Mr Duncan Sandys, Foreign Minister in the last Conservative Government in Britain, it comprised 18,000 acres of good agricultural land. Now the land that goes with the fine old Springfield homestead, still largely in first class shape, totals 625 acres and this has been sold by Mr A. W. Taylor, a coal merchant of Christchurch, who has held Springfield for the last 24 years, to Mr R. B. Maw, of Methven, for a price reported to be “close to £loo.ooo.’’ Mr Maw takes possession towards the end of next month.

. When Mr Gould died in 1889, Cameron bought the property of 18,000 acres for £65,000. Cameron farmed on a grand scale. The annual agricultural programme averaged about 4000 acres. In 1894, according to Acland, he grew 5500 acres of wheat which was said to be a record for any property in Australasia. In the administrative headquarters of the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association at the show grounds at Ashburton there are photographs of 23 reapers and binders cutting wheat on Springfield and of 112 draught horses going to work. Mr Cameron did pioneer work on the property in demonstrating the feasibility of water races to carry water for stock in this sort of country, now such a vital feature of the Mid-Canterbury landscape. Before his death in 1908 he had started to sell off his holding. John Brown in his “History of Ashburton” has calculated that proceeds amounted to something like £284,000. The most recent owner took over from the estate of the late Mr F. W. Ruddenklau and the property is still of the same size—62s acres. Mr has

A Scot, Mr Duncan Cameron was engaged by Mr George Gould to manage Springfield when the latter took the property over in 1869. Mr Gould intended to sell Springfield as soon as he could, but Cameron persuaded him to keep it, offering to go into , partnership with him, and Cameron put hi all his savings totalling £l7OO and so, according to Acland in “The Early Canterbury Runs,” laid the foundation for one of the largest fortunes ever made out of in Canterbury.

been growing about 125 acres of wheat, 40 acres of peas, 50 acres of barley and has had about 40 acres shut up for meadow hay. He has lately been running all dry sheep—about 2000 wether hoggets. These have been bought in the autumn about March and after shearing have been sold from about Christmas onwards until the end of January, almost exclusively to the retail trade in Christchurch. Mr Cameron built a fine homestead on the Methven road; This was erected in three parts and the two foremost sections are still in very sound order, according to Mr Taylor, with kauri timber having been used in their construction. Drapes of 50 years ago and more are still hanging in the rooms and wallpapers of earlier days have also stood the test of time. The swimming pool used in Cameron days is still in use. The stable used to quarter the carriage horses, with grooms’ quarters at each end, is still standing. The stalls have been pulled out to enable hay to be accommodated more easily. The shearing shed is also still in use. John Brown says that at one time it had stands for 16 blade shearers. Lately one half of it has been used for a granary with the other part serving as a four-stand shearing shed. There is still a tall mill shed and the blacksmith’s shop. The old cookhouse was destroyed by fire during Mr Taylor's period at Sjfingfield.