TIMARU IMPROVEMENTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1056, 18 January 1883, Page 3

TIMARU IMPROVEMENTS.

Messrs Peacock and Geaney have not: alone built for themselves the best, the most commodious, and the handsomest butcher's shop in the Southern hemisphere, but have also added an architectural ornament to Timaru. It is astonishing the progress this firm has made during the last few years. They started business as butchers in Timaru between four and five years ago. The trade was then over-supplied, and many doubted whether they would succeed. But they did succeed beyond expectation, and they owe their position to their own energy and business capabilities. 1 hey advertised more extensively than all the other butchers put together, they made great displays of meat on festive occasions, and lost no opportunity of putting their gcods before the public in the most attractive form. Mr T. Peacock has no equal perhaps outside the large cities in dressing meat. He has won prizes for it, and ho spired

neither pains nor labor in his own business, and win n Christmas and Foster and other festivals came round, the shop of Messrs Peacock and Geaney, though situated in a back street, was something to be seen, and was seen b\ almost every man, woman and child in the town. It wps no unusual thing to see the street in front of it blocked op altogether by people on these occasions, and it was in this way the firm brought itself into public prominence, <js well as by giving excellent value to the people for their ;nonpy Of course, all this would bo of no interest to our readers further tfean it contains a lesson. We always like to place examples of success attained by enterprise and energy before our readers with the view to arousing them to activity, and this must form our excuse for thus referring to the progress Messrs Peacock and Geaney have made. We owe them nothing, they are not advertisers in this paper, and therefore can have no object in thus referring to them further than we think it is good tor our readirs to have success acquired by enterprise and industry pointed out to them. As regards the building which they opened last Christmas Eve it is said of it by persons who have travelled the Australian Colonies, that they have seen nothing like it. It is a two-storey building, with an underground cellar, the dimensions of which is 30ft by Soft, and the walls of which are concrete. The basement storey is of local blue stone on a concrete foundation, and the upper storey is of brick stuccoed. The greater part of the lower storey is open, as is usually the case in butchers shops, and consequently the upper storey is kept up by cast-iron bresumers which rest on the cast iron and blue stone pillars, andthewindows in the shop are shut at night with patent revolving shutters. The building stands on the corner of Church street and Sophia street, and in the upper storey there are three windows facing each of these streets. These windows are surmounted with Grecian modelled hoods with ornamental trusses, bands, and scroll works, In the corner over the main door is a niche in which is a group of bullock's, sheep's, and pig's heads, a j shepherd's crook and other symbols of | the trade. The cornice is richly orna- J mented with trusses, dentils and other enriched mouldings, finis Ling at the ends in bold corbelles on which are sheep's heads, etc. At the angle is a pediment bearing the words ' Zealandia Butchery,' and on the blocking course is the name of the firm, 'Peacock and Geaney.' The lower storey is shaded by a large ornamental verandah. The i cellar is ten feet high with a brick J pitehed floor, and here is situated the water mo tor which drives the machinery. Access is obtained by a staircase leading down frcm the shop, and also by concrete steps from the back. A nine-inch drain connects it with the main fewer. The shop is 80ft by 30ft and 16ft high, the upper storey being supported by a cast-iron corinthian column, which is situated m a central position, and from which projects 18 gas jets, forming a candelabra that gives light to all around. The upper stoiey is one room Sift by 31ft, and is intended for the men employed by the firm to sleep in. Adjoining this is si two-storey dwelling house and offices, the facade of which is ornamented in keeping with the shop. It contains a kitchen, a sitting-room and four bed-rooms. At the back of the cellar is a coal cellar into which coal can be shot from the foctpath, and there is an eight stall stable and other buildings in the back yard. The whole is very complete, compactandcommodious, and reflects credit on the architect, Mr M. De H. Duval.