Community Contributed

Block II of Town of Levin, Waiopehu Survey district

Block II is bounded by (clockwise from top of picture): York Street, Oxford Street, Essex Street and Bristol Street. - Formerly Horowhenua No. 2 block. Surveyed by A.E. Ashcroft and T.L. Humphries - December 1888.

Block	Section	Name	Date	Notes	Address in 2010
II	1	RD Worsfold	12 Aug 1891		17 York Street
II	2	JW Gower	27 Jun 1895		54 Bristol Street
II	3	Primary Education Endowment			52 Bristol Street 52B Bristol Street
II	4	Bridget O’Rorke	14 Nov 1894		50 Bristol Street 50A Bristol Street
II	5	Bridget O’Rorke	14 Nov 1894		48 Bristol Street
II	6	WW Smithson	20 Nov 1890		15 York Street
II	7	JW Gower	27 Jun 1895		12 Essex Street
II	8	JW Gower	17 Nov 1894		11 York Street
II	9	JW Gower	17 Nov 1894		10 Essex Street 1 Surrey Lane 3 Surrey Lane 5 Surrey Lane
II	10	Municipal Reserve			9 York Street 9A York Street
II	11	"			2 Surrey Lane 4 Surrey Lane 6 Surrey Lane 8 Surrey Lane
II	12	EB Ostler	12 Aug 1891		7 York Street 7A York Street
II	13	JW Gower	27 Jun 1895		6 Essex Street
II	14	G Hagerty	12 Aug 1891		5 York Street
II	15	GR McDonald	12 Aug 1891		327 Oxford Street 325 Oxford Street
II	16	Public Building		Wirokino Highway Board	317 Oxford Street 4 Essex Street

Notes:

WW Smithson was a Baker in Levin in 1891.

Emma Bignell Ostler (wife of William Henry Ostler).

According to the Dictionary of NZ Biography:

'In 1887, with her two youngest children at school overseas, Emma Ostler
moved with her daughter Helen to Waitohi Flat where Helen had obtained
a teaching position. Here Emma developed 'an acute attack of land-hunger'.

In 1888 they moved north to take part in the ballot for village settlement
sections at Levin, securing 20 acres with permanent water.

Together they cleared the land, gardened, fenced, and, observing how their
first one-roomed shelter was constructed, built their own additions.

Their property, Cashmere, when added to over the years, became a valuable
estate. During her years in Levin Emma revealed a shrewd business sense,
making her fortune in leases and real estate.

She is known to have annoyed the local county council by leasing a gravel
reserve for grazing then selling the gravel, and also by renting probably
the same land to horse trainers.'

JW Gower was Mayor of Foxton 1888-90.

Related Items