HISTORIC PROPERTY.

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 15, 19 January 1933, Page 11

HISTORIC PROPERTY.

PLEA FOR PRESERVATION

TAURANGA MISSION ' .STATION

'A. strong plea for the preservation of the mission station on "The Elms'*" property, on the northern portion, of the | town peninsula, was made by Colonel G-. P. C. Campbell,.Controller and Audi-tor-General, during his visit to Tauranga this week (states the. "N.Z. HeraldV). iit is 40; years since Mr. Campbell last visited Tauranga. ; • ,

Mr. Campbell said that 40 years.ago there were no buildings.on The Camp. It was an entrenched area and had been used originally for military purposes. Now, however, almost the whole of the rarea was occupied by a fine." class of residence. There was, however, pnejwr''tion of The .Camp which remained inj tact, namely, the Monmonth Eedoubt. He- suggested that it-would be a good thing if some particulars showing the date of construction of tha redoubt, the names of regiments stationed there and purposes for. w.hich the ' redoubt was erected, were placed at the entrance to the redoubt. Every endeavour should be made •(jo preserve the redoubt in. its original form.

"You have at your door," he continued, "one of the/most'beautiful and historic- spots in the Dominion, the mission. .station at 'The"Elms,'.which was established about a century ago by Archdeacon Brown;: This -spot appears to me to stand in the same, relative position to the settlement of this district as does the "Waitangi estate, recently purchased and presented to the nation by Lord and Lady Bledisloe, to the settlement of the Dominion..

would appear.that eventually this [beautiful spot should be acquired as a public park for the use of the people of iTauranga for all time. Since. I" was here last a considerable portion-of the mission station area has been sold and [it seems a pity that it should be possible that the remainder of the property should be disposed of privately. "Already I notice that' the original chapel has been transferred from the spot where it served for mission purposes nearly a century ago. Fortunately the bell has still been preserved by the owner and this in itself- is a relic of great historical value. Tho other mission buildings, however, are in an -excellent state of preservation and are still being occupied." -