The Disappearance of an Old and Picturesque Landmark.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12610, 21 July 1904, Page 3

The Disappearance of an Old and Picturesque Landmark.

On Saturday last the old colonial hospital was submitted to public auction ''to be removed within fourteen days." A well-known ' 'house breaker' secured, it is said, a bargain, and in a few days the familiar old building will have passed away to niako room, for a more spick anh span, smug, up-to-date villa ! Looking through my papers I find some old document* bearing on the past history of thus particular building or institution, which may be of interest to some oi the readers of the Herald. So, with your permission, Mr Editor, 1 will now give a few extracts from the^r now ancient despatches and reports.

Copy of a despatch from Governoi Grey to Karl Grey. To tho Right Hon. .Marl Grey, Secretary of State. My Lord, — 1 have tho honour to transmit, for your lordship's infornia tion, the copy of a very interesting report, from the year 1849, from Dr. Wilson, the medical gentleman in charge of fhe hospital which has been established for both races at this settlement, from which your lordship will see that four Europeans and 55 natives were admitted into the hospital in the course of the year, 56 of whom wete discharged, relieved oi cured ; that 570 out-patients were treated in the same period of time, and that 3*20 natives were vaccinated. 1 cannot close this despatch, without stating that tho whole management of the hospital reflects great credit upon Dr. Wilson, and that ho has zoaloi'sly and completely carried out the benevolent intentions of Her Majesty's Government, which led them to sanction the establishment of these institutions for the benefit of the native race. — 1 have, etc., G. GKEY. Taranaki, January 24 ih. I^jO.

To this despatch Earl Grey replied, under date July 18th, ISSO. expressing his great satisfaction at learning how beneficial the establishment of the hospital had proved to the natives and poorer class of settlers residing in it a vicinity, and also thanking Dr. Wilson for the creditable and efficient manner in which ho had discharged the duties entrusted to his care. ; Dr. Wilson's report is a very lengthy one, touching oa subjects quite outside the actual working of the hospital and is consequently of great interest and value to the student of the early history of Taranaki. We will only make extracts here and there, which bear directly on the hospital. The report is headed '"Colonial Hospital, New Plymouth, December, 1849, and the opening paragraph reads :— i ' 'As this paper forms the first annual report of the New Plymouth Hospital it may be considered requisite to preface its more immediate subjects with a few succinct topographical no- ! tices of the district." We leave this i and pass on to par. 29 :— "This, the New Plymouth Colonial Hospital, was erected by Government in the cotirse of last year (1848), and is substanti- ' ally and tastefully built on the Anglo1 Gothic style, of rimu or red pine. .It is particularly well situated on elevated ground a little above the : northern bank of a considerable stream called the Henui, and is well sheltered ] from all the more prevailing and cold I winds by a pretty clump of wood, j which fringes the level ground on I these quarters, as also densely clothes the sides of the dell through which ' the stream winds. It is thus made to , become, by amenity of site and stylo 'of architecture, one of the most proIrainently picturesque ornaments of the cattlemen*." The following paragraph tells us that the accommodation consists of three wards, a surgery or ' dispensary, a kitchen, bathroom, and jtwo small closets, with a lobby and passage, with one attic, which served .as a servant's room, upstairs. The j wards would accommodate 12 patients. I Every ward had a fire place and two (windows. The supply of water was from a well 50 feet deep m the rear of the hospital. The doctor here points 'out the risk and danger of fire and 'strongly advocates that several water butts° should be placed to receive the rain off the roof of the building, so I that water could be easily obtained m case of an outbreak of fire. lheso fears were expressed 55 years ago, but the fates were against destruction by firo. , , We see by these few extracts that tho building known as The Colonial Hospital." was built in 1848 by funds provided by the British Govenimmifc. primarily for tho benefit of the Maoris. The architect was Mr Thatcher, afterwards the Eev. Mr Thatcher and the first incumbent (I beheve) of St. Matthew's, Auckland Cltv * r Thatcher also designed St.^ Marys Church. The timber, excepting the flooring, which is Baltic pine *ac sawn by hand in close proximity to site of building, and now after a lapse ol 56 years this timber seems perfectly sound, showing what good judgment was used by thd old sawyers in the selection, of their timber- and also tho care exercised in selecting tho right season of the year in felling tho 'troos-tho winter, when all the , sap is i'down. One could go on reminiscing about the old place, but its doom has been pronounced by a progressive Council, and councillors of all shades of opinion were agreed that it should disappear as it had become an eyesore (?) to tho neighbourhood^ (Wo are sure that many of our readn-H will bo pleased to learn that the building i* after all to be preserved a well-known local gentleman, having, wo understand, purchased it for removal to his property, whore it w, 1 continue to be an ornament, as well a* an interesting link with the past.— Ed. T.H.)