Another glimpse into the history of 186 the Terrace

 

So far, in my exploration of the history of 186 the Terrace, I have found that the house named "Fern Glen"  was built for the artist/apothecary Charles Decimus Barraud in 1849.  By 1860, this would have been the view from his front garden. Quite a change from what we see now.

Sometime in the early 1880s, Fern Glen was bought by a flamboyant entrepreneur named Hamilton Gilmer.

Here he is, on the left, alongside his four brothers -- Henry, Samuel, Robert and John.

Hamilton Gilmer was born in County Monaghan, Ireland, on April 2, 1848. On April 25, 1871, he married Elizabeth, who had been born on March 24, 1840, in the same county.  Then they migrated to the West Coast of New Zealand, where Hamilton joined his brothers in setting up a chain of hotels.

As I am sure you know, it was Gold Rush time, followed by mining for coal.  Where the miners hoped to make a fortune out of the ground, the Gilmers were set on making a fortune out of "liquid gold", by selling grog to the miners.

It worked. The first Gilmer hotel in Greymouth was on Mawhera Quay, and while it was just one of 26 hotels, it succeeded brilliantly.  Other hotels were built in Cobden, Westport, Reefton, Charleston and Nelson.

Meantime, Elizabeth Gilmer was busy having babies.  The first was Dorothea, born in Greymouth in January 1873. Then came Hamilton junior, born in the same town in August 1874. Still they were there when Samuel was born June 1876, then Knox (who eventually married Elizabeth May Seddon) in August 1878, and finally Florence Elizabeth (about whom you will read a lot more), in September 1880.

It was then that Hamilton and Elizabeth moved with their family to Wellington, as Annie, the last child on record, was born in Wellington in September 1882.

And so they settled in Fern Glen, while Hamilton Gilmer became a presence in the town, building hotels, and taking part in public affairs.   He was a friend and confidante of Richard John Seddon.  And today his name lives on in the city, memorialised in the city street directory.

Hamilton Gilmer died in 1919, which we will see was a significant year for 186 the Terrace.  The family is buried in Bolton Cemetery.