Harrison Moments (History of Stoneycroft) – James Morgan and Nikki Kerr

Harrison Moments

Nikki Kerr: When an intriguing collection of photographs was delivered earlier this year to the Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank, a link to an unrecorded period of ownership [of ‘Stoneycroft’] became evident. This narrative now sets out to fill gaps in the record held by Heritage New Zealand. The ageing photo album of the Harrison family of Hastings became the impetus for piecing together the missing years of ‘Stoneycroft’s’ prominent past.

James Morgan: It transpires that William Creed Harrison and his wife, Jean Dalziel Harrison, née Bell, occupied ‘Stoneycroft’ during the years 1924 to 1942 along with their children James, Joan and Richard, later to become Sir Richard. William suffered a brain tumour that required specialised treatment overseas and during 1921 sailed with Jean to the UK [United Kingdom] and Canada for a period of two years. After his treatment William suffered the effects of a stroke and became partly paralysed on his left side. During their parents’ absence, James and Joan were cared for at ‘Turamoe’ by Jean’s sister, Esther, and her husband Archibald MacIntyre, along with their young children Duncan, Hamish and Sheila. Three other MacIntyres, Mary, Esther, Min and Rhoderick, were born later. Baby Richard Harrison, or Dick as he became known, was left in the care of a Mrs Aitchison who lived at Clive.

Upon their return from overseas, William and Jean Harrison very likely stayed at ‘Turamoe’ in Raukawa before taking over ‘Stoneycroft’ in 1924. ‘Turamoe’ had been inherited by Esther MacIntyre from her father, James Bell, who had owned other farms as well as twelve hundred acres at Twyford. ‘Turamoe’ was severely damaged in the 1931 earthquake, and rebuilt in a very different style using timber salvaged during the lean Depression years. The homestead is occupied today by Rhoderick and Jane MacIntyre.

Around 1919 William Harrison had sold a farm in Takapau. However, during the Great Depression the purchaser’s debt was not repaid, and some seventeen hundred acres were returned to William. Prior to the Second World War this farm was called ‘Tasma’. It was managed by James Harrison, known as Pod, and during the war it was managed by a man who worked for Duncan MacIntyre. When Pod and Dick returned from active service, ‘Tasma’, on the corner of Highway 50 and Paget Road, was divided into three blocks. Pod gained six hundred and forty acres of Tasma, Dick gained six hundred and fourteen acres, naming it ‘Springfield’, and their sister, Joan, received four hundred acres called ‘Otaha’.

Nikki: Around this period Margaret Agnes Kelly from Dunback, Otago, was a trainee Karitane nurse in Wanganui. Her good friend, Sheila MacIntyre, introduced Margaret to her cousin, Dick Harrison. Wedding bells rang on the 30th September 1948. They lived in small quarters at ‘Springfield’ until after the birth of their four children, when in 1954 they were able to build their own home.

James: Harrison and MacIntyre cousins regularly spent time together, often staying at each other’s homes. Grandmother, Jean Harrison, had a Christmas tradition where all families were expected to attend the festivities. Joan Harrison married Hugh Grigg at ‘Stoneycroft’ on 12th October 1940, one of several family occasions held there. The number of acres belonging to ‘Stoneycroft’ around this time is unknown, though an early map shows a larger property than it is today. It is unclear how William Harrison farmed the land or whether he had hired help as a result of his affliction. After William’s death at the age of fifty-five in 1939, Jean sold ‘Stoneycroft’. She moved to Havelock North in 1942. Mrs Edmonds, who bred racehorses purportedly, on the eastern side of ‘Stoneycroft’, then purchased the property. The outbuildings remaining today were likely used during this period.

Nikki: The property was sold to Dr and Mrs Diamond Allan Ballantyne in 1954. They were the last occupants until their deaths in 1984 and 2003 respectively. There were no children of their own. The Ballantynes had godchildren to whom they bequeathed many possessions. Some of these furnishings have been returned to ‘Stoneycroft’. Mrs Ballantyne loved to decorate the interior with beautiful pieces. She also made the curtains for her home. She was proud of magnolia trees and the rose gardens as well. Note the massive magnolia planted by earlier owners, still growing today in the front of the entrance to the house. Also note that the magnolia theme has been retained by the Hastings District Council which has lined the driveway with magnolias, thus creating a grand entrance to a grand homestead.

Nikki: Rhod MacIntyre, son of Esther and Archibald, has fond childhood memories of playing in the piles of leaves from the many well-established trees closely surrounding the house. Nowadays, Peter, Rhod and Jane’s son, is married to Clare Beamish, whose forebears also owned ‘Stoneycroft’ in the very early years.

James: Sir Richard Harrison was an elected National Party Member of Parliament from 1963 until 1984. He became Speaker of the House in 1978, receiving the distinction of a Knighthood in 1980. Sir Richard was probably instrumental in assisting Dr Ballantyne with the research into the heritage of ‘Stoneycroft’, and with subsequent correspondence with Historic Places Trust. Duncan MacIntyre, while a Member of Parliament and Minister of Agriculture, is also believed to have been of assistance in this respect. Sir Richard died in 2003, and is survived by his wife, Lady Margaret, and their four children William, Hugh, Mary and Robert.

Nikki: During the ownership of Dr Ballantyne and his wife, Joyce, the Harrison family were regular visitors to ‘Stoneycroft’. Joyce was elected Hastings’ first woman City Councillor. Jean Harrison was a patient of Dr Ballantyne when he set up practice after the war, and became a friend, perhaps through the ‘Stoneycroft’ connection. Later, Dick Harrison became a member of the Ballantyne Trust.

James: During 1970, a young kauri tree was planted by both families in the grounds of ‘Stoneycroft’. After this tree died, it was replaced twenty-seven years later in 1997, by another kauri which is growing steadily today, at least 10 metres high. The assumption is that Dr and Mrs Ballantyne, who both enjoyed their substantial grounds, wanted to preserve a piece of long-lasting history, thus choosing the kauri. No news clippings of either event have been uncovered, although photos taken at each occasion show several family members, including Esther MacIntyre, known as the Aunt, along with Dr and Mrs Ballantyne. And note the letter written by James ‘Pod’ Harrison to Mrs Ballantyne on 30th September 1997. It refers to the tree planting day. He mentions a rimu tree, though it is more than likely that he is referring to the kauri.

Nikki: So now we can set the record straight:

James: ‘Stoneycroft’ was built in 1874 or 75 by William Birch of Erewhon Station.

Nikki: It was bought by Beamish in 1893, then owned from 1919 by his daughter Fanny, wife of Barcroft, a doctor who practised in both Hastings and England.

James: Fanny sold to the Harrisons in 1924, who sold to Mrs Edmonds in 1942, who sold to the Ballantynes in 1954.

Nikki: Mrs Ballantyne shared her husband’s wish by placing an historic covenant on the house in 1995.