Newspaper Article 1999 – Tiffens leave farm after 140 years

Tiffens leave farm after 140 years

A 140-year association with Elmshill, Elsthorpe, ended for its founding family with the sale of the property two months ago.

Elmshill, then 404 hectares, was taken up by F.J. Tiffen, brother of early Napier settler H.S. Tiffen in 1859.

Elmshill’s owner, F.J. Tiffen’s great grandson Tony Tiffen was the fourth generation to farm the property, but says the rural downturn prompted the sale.

Elmshill homestead was built in the 1860s of pit sawn totara from the back of the farm, and has been lived in by family members ever since.

The station grew to 3700 hectares by the 1870s, but was later auctioned in the 1890s with two Tiffen brothers buying some 1600 hectares and splitting it into two blocks.

The 395 hectares sold by Mr Tiffen in February to Ivan Grieve, Poukawa, was the last of the original land.

Mr Tiffen said he was disapppointed [disappointed] that a fifth generation had been unable to continue farming at Elmshill, but there were many records and mementos among the family.

Other family members commemorated the sale of Elmshill last week with a memorium [memoriam] notice to Priscilla Lucy Ada Feickhert, formerly Miss Tiffen.

Mrs Feickhert, Mr Tiffen’s aunt, spent most of her life at Elmshill.