[Enlarge to full screen for best results] On approaching Pahiatua (small town New Zealand) from the north looking on the left side hidden by big Macrocarpas was the remains of what was once an elegant residence known as The Grange one of Pahiatuas oldest houses dating back to the early 1880s. In its day it was the meeting place of the elite of Pahiatuas society. The Corporation of the City of Wellington, who owned the 1600 acres from the Borough to the Makuri Road leased this property to Pahiatua Auctioneer & successful business man David Crewe in 1885. David was a popular man and was responsible for building 3 of the local hotels, 2 in Pahiatua known as the Commercial Hotel and the Club Hotel and the Mangatainoka Dudley Arms Hotel which he named after his home town of Dudley back in England. He also built a boarding house and other buildings in Town. He lived in The Grange with his wife Caroline and two children Caroline-Amelia & Jonas. Tragedy struck the Crewe family in this house, Caroline died there age just 48 in 1896 then their 18 year old daughter Caroline-Amelia died less than a year later in 1897. David Crewe who was a 9 times Mayor of Pahiatua, re married a few years after his first wife passed away, his second wife was Emily Mary who became the new Mayoress of Pahiatua. They often travelled back to England for holidays and at times mixed with high society like New Zealand High Commission Garden parties in London and Government functions in Wellington. He put himself forward in 3 general elections for the Pahiatua seat in 1899, 1904 & 1908 but failed to get elected. Around this time Davids son Jonas was married & had moved out to his own home in Pahiatua. The house The Grange was mentioned in the Pahiatua Herald in 1910 when it was sold by David Crewe to a Mr John Fox, he would later challenge David Crewe for the Mayoralty in 1912. It seemed tragedy was never far away from the Crewe family because at age 59 and while still Mayor David Crewe died on the 10th of November 1913, his son Jonas by now a councillor was voted in unopposed as Pahiatuas interim Mayor then at the next election was voted in again my the people & went on to win every election that he stood for after that. There were family problems when David Crewes widow Emily took court action against her step son Jonas and George Smith executors & trustees of David Crewes will over what she claimed were unfair dealings even though both Jonas and Emily were both sole benefactors, the judge said there was a long list of claims, most of which were dismissed. J.D.C (Jonas David Candy) Crewe died in 1947 age 70, his wife Lucy-Elizabeth died 9 years before him in 1938 age 58, they had one son named William who married local girl Marie Harvey, but tragically William died on the 7th of August 1952 at only 40 years old. His step grand mother Emily (second wife of the original David Crewe) died 6 days later age 85 and is buried in an unmarked grave away from the family plot. Williams & Maries son was called David Harvey Crewe (great grandson of the original David Crewe). David Harvey Crewe is better know to most New Zealanders as Harvey Crewe who was murdered in 1970 along with his wife Jeannette in their farmhouse in Pukekawa, The victims of New Zealands most famous whodunnit murder mysteries. The Grange ownership was briefly transferred to a Mr Eugene F. Lelievre and later the same month in 1917 to Albert Dallow Donald who had a Motor garage in town.Donalds renovated and re piled the house. Donalds bought up their family in this house and lived there for about 30 happy years. Visitors attending either David Crewes mayoral receptions or other functions later with the Donalds would approach The Grange by the long curving driveway which was bordered by ornamental shrubs, which for many decades after that became a long leafy tunnel. The lawns and tennis courts were often the venue of garden parties and on one occasion a theatrical party staged its production in the grounds. The corner section was surveyed off to enable a house to be built for his son Bill when he married his wife Bobbie in 1935. A.D. lived there until the late 1940s when the old house was sold to Tom Murphy who farmed the land around the house. Unfortunately Murphys let the house slip into disrepair over the years and by the late 1950s had the good fortune to came into an inheritance, they built a large luxurious 2 story family home right next door to the old house. They virtually walked out of one house into another leaving lots behind. For the next 50 years or so the old house was abandoned. This video dates from 1991 when the house was basically used as a rubbish tip by its previous occupants who now lived next door. The house was demolished about 2001 and now nothing remains of The Grange...except this short video clip and a few photos and memories. (Portion of this info was from Henry Angelinis Main Street memories first published in 1992).
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:15:48 +0000
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