By Roselyn Fauth
Stafford Street, Timaru, circa 1905, Dunedin, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014426) - No Known Copyright Restrictions
I was doom-scrolling on Facebook when I saw a Timaru Herald article about the Farmers building going on the market. I love this beautiful old Farmers building and the store itself, so after a quick panic, I read on through the article and was relieved to see Farmers had signed a new five-year lease. That’s pretty exciting — and it made me wonder who will be next to care for one of my favourite CBD buildings.
I’d learned about this place before, but it had been a while, so I decided to refresh my memory with a few side quests along the way. The result? Drapers, coronations, murders, fires… and a whole lot of Timaru history wrapped up inside one iconic building...
Before it became Farmers, this place was known as Thomson’s Coronation Buildings, officially opened on 2 January 1903.
It all began with Thomas Thomson (c.1855–1935), a Scottish-born draper who emigrated to New Zealand in 1874. He and his brother James Porteous Thomson (1858–1950) founded T & J Thomson Drapers in 1883, setting up shop on Stafford Street. Thomas was the driving force behind the Timaru store, while James later moved north to Napier to open his own drapery in 1888. Their business reflected the optimism of a growing colonial town — part hard work, part faith in the future.
By 1902, Timaru was booming, and Thomas decided to build a department store fit for a new century. He named it in honour of King Edward VII’s coronation and commissioned local architect James S. Turnbull to design it. The result was a proud Edwardian landmark, crowned with the words “Coronation Buildings 1902.”
Thomas became one of Timaru’s most respected businessmen, guiding the store through growth, fire, and rebuilding. When he died in March 1935, his funeral drew a large and solemn crowd — the Timaru Herald described the line of cars following the hearse as exceptionally long, with hundreds standing in silent tribute as the procession passed. The Mayor, the Harbour Board, and members of the Borough Council attended, along with business and professional leaders. The municipal flag was flown at half-mast — a mark of how deeply he’d become woven into the fabric of the town he helped build. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD19350330.2.28
James Porteous Thomson (1858–1950) was born in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, on 24 October 1858, the son of James Thomson and Lilias Porteous. He arrived in New Zealand aboard the Garrone in 1885 and soon joined his brother Thomas in Timaru, where the pair established T & J Thomson Drapers. Before this, James had managed the fancy department at Messrs S. H. Carter & Co in Dunedin, gaining valuable retail experience. After a few years in Timaru, he moved north and opened his own drapery business on Emerson Street in Napier in 1888. James became active in civic and social life, serving as Captain of the Napier Rifles, a member of the Napier Highland Society, President of the Napier Bowling Club (1904), and Director of the Starr-Bowkett Building Society. He married Catherine Newman in Christchurch in 1885, and together they had two children, Lilias Porteous Weadon and William Newman Thomson. After Catherine’s death in 1917, he later married Barbara Edith Scott in Napier in 1919. James died in Napier on 8 February 1950, aged 91. https://knowledgebank.org.nz/person/james-porteous-thomson-1858-1950/
Charles Edward Thomson (1902–1992) was the son of Thomas Thomson, founder of Thomson’s Drapery and the man behind the Coronation Buildings. Born in New Zealand on 12 June 1902, Charles grew up immersed in the family business on Stafford Street. When his father died in 1935, he took over the store, guiding it through the changing retail landscape of mid-century Timaru. In 1961, after nearly six decades of family ownership, he sold the business to Hay’s Department Store, paving the way for the next era of retail. Charles then turned his energy toward public service and became Mayor of Timaru from 1962 to 1965, following Muriel Hilton (1959–62) and preceding Durham Robert Dowell (1965–71). Known for his steady leadership and civic pride, Charles helped steer Timaru through a time of modernisation and urban renewal. He died on 10 May 1992, aged 89, and was cremated at the South Canterbury Crematorium (formerly Salisbury Park). His life closed a remarkable three-generation link between the Thomson family and the heart of Timaru’s main street.
The story of the Coronation Buildings is also a family story that stretched across three generations.
Charles Edward Thomson (1902–1992) was born to Thomas Thomson (1855–1935) and Elizabeth Saunders Robinson Thomson (1878–1929). Charles married Mona Olive Kemp Thomson (1906–1991) in 1931, and together they continued the family’s civic and community-minded legacy in Timaru.
Charles was one of eight surviving siblings in a large and close family. His sisters were Katherine Moran Thomson (1899–1947), Lilias Frances Thomson Holdgate (1904–1996), Lucy Elizabeth Thomson (1908–2001), and Jessica Agnes Thomson Pitts-Brown (1909–2002). His brothers included Archibald James Thomson (1907–1991), Major Frederick Sleigh Roberts Thomson (1912–1943), Private John William Thomson (1919–1943), and Richard Thomas Thomson (d. 1959).
Both Frederick and John William were killed in action during the Second World War. Their names, along with those of other local servicemen, are remembered in the South Canterbury rolls of honour. From drapers to department-store pioneers, and from business leaders to soldiers and mayors, the Thomson family’s lives are woven into our towns history.
I wonder if Lilias Frances Thomson Holdgate was connected to the Priest and Holdgate business that used to be in the Timaru Royal Arcade.
In a zoomed in Te Papa collection photo, you can spy the signwriting for the Royal arcade tenants. The largest name, at the top reads Priest and Holdgate, Ironmongers. Timaru New Zealand by Muir and Moodie Te Papa C014369. The Holdgate name runs deep in Timaru retail. Edward Holdgate and William Priest set up Priest & Holdgate as hardware and ironmongery merchants in 1879, trading out of the Royal Arcade off Stafford Street. The firm was a fixture of the arcade for decades, still operating mid-century, with sources noting the partnership continued until 1950. You can even spot their sign in early photographs of Stafford Street around 1900, and the Stafford Street corner premises later became known as Holdgate House at 196 Stafford Street. Several of Edward’s sons worked in the business, learning specialised trades on site such as locksmithing, gunsmithing and sheet-metal work — the classic pathway from family shop to skilled local employment. The firm also carried modern fittings of the day; local histories note they were agents for decorative pressed-metal ceilings, and a 1906 south-side extension added more shopfronts along the arcade. All of this gives useful context for Lilias Frances Thomson, who married into the Holdgate family — a neat reminder of how Timaru’s retail and civic families often intertwined across the Royal Arcade and main street.
Side quest: Coronation Day in Timaru
When King Edward VII was crowned in 1902, the whole Empire celebrated, and Timaru joined in with gusto. The Post Office was festooned with bunting, brass bands marched through town, and prizes were given for the best-decorated carts and bicycles. Shops sold coronation lanterns and fireworks, and that night the main street glowed with light. Māori performers took part in the festivities too. It must have been quite a sight — and it feels fitting that one of Timaru’s grandest buildings still carries the King’s name from that same year.
Side quest: Was it too far north?
When Thomas Thomson chose the site, not everyone thought it was a good idea. Most shops were further south, near the port and the Landing Service. The northern stretch of Stafford Street, where the Coronation Buildings stand, was seen as the edge of town. But Thomas had vision. His elegant new store drew people north, and soon other traders followed. Within a few years, the focus of the main street had shifted. In many ways, Thomson didn’t just open a shop — he helped move the centre of Timaru.
Side quest: What was a drapery store?
Before ready-made clothing, drapers were the heart of local shopping. They sold fabric by the yard, ribbons, lace, gloves, hats, and linens. The shop would have smelled of new cloth and starch. Assistants unrolled fabric with a snap, measured by hand, and tied parcels with string.
Thomson Bros Drapers would have been bright, busy, and sociable — a place where people came not only to shop but to chat and share news.
Side quest: Meet the architect — James S. Turnbull
James S. Turnbull (1864–1947) was born in Timaru, the son of businessman and politician Richard Turnbull. He trained as an architect in Melbourne before returning home in the 1890s to open his own practice. His work shaped much of South Canterbury’s skyline: Chalmers Church (1903–04), Job Brown’s Beehive Stores in Temuka (1901–02), and later, with his partner Percy Watts Rule, the Temuka Library (1926–27) and St Mary’s Hall (1928–29).
Turnbull was known for balancing practicality with elegance. He used brick and plaster in ways that made even commercial buildings feel gracious. When fire damaged the Coronation Buildings in 1908, he personally oversaw the repairs. He was later made a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects for his contribution to the craft.
Side quest: The architecture itself
Stand across the street and look up. The central pediment still bears “Coronation Buildings 1902.” The oriel windows curve gently out from the upper storey, and I love how the plasterwork adds to the buildings rhythm.
I think this is a fantastic example of Edwardian commercial classicism. It feels confident, balanced, and full of pride. Built in brick and cement plaster by Werry and Hunt, who also constructed Hay’s Buildings nearby, it remains one of the finest examples of its kind in the city, perhaps in the country.
The building has been updated and restored several times — after the 1908 fire, again with veranda changes mid-century, and once more in 1997 when the veranda on posts was reinstated and the façade strengthened. Through every change, it has kept its character.
Side quest: The fire of 1908
Every old building has its scars, and the Coronation Buildings nearly lost their life just a few years after opening. In October 1908, a late-night blaze broke out in the upper floor of Thomson’s store. By the time the alarm sounded, flames were already licking through the roof, and smoke was pouring down Stafford Street.
The Temuka Leader reported that “a great crowd gathered as the sky above the main street glowed red.” Fire brigades fought hard to stop the flames spreading to the neighbouring buildings, forming bucket lines and hauling hoses up ladders. It was a race against time — and for a while, it looked as though the building might be completely lost.
But luck and solid craftsmanship were on Thomson’s side. The fire was contained, and much of the façade survived. Architect James S. Turnbull, who had designed the building just six years earlier, was called back to oversee the restoration. By early 1909, the Coronation Buildings were reborn — stronger, smarter, and ready to welcome shoppers once again.
The fire became part of the building’s story of endurance. It’s one of those moments that reminds us how much Timaru has rebuilt, reinvented, and carried on. Even now, if you stand in front of the façade, you might imagine the hiss of steam and water from that night, and the pride the community must have felt when the doors reopened a few months later.
Side quest: From Drapers to Department Stores
The Coronation Buildings have followed the whole story of shopping in Timaru.
1903–1961: Thomson Bros Drapers, run by Thomas and James, and later by Thomas’s son Charles Thomson, who went on to serve as Mayor of Timaru (1962–65).
1961–1982: Hay’s Department Store, part of a South Island chain known for modern window displays and a friendly, family atmosphere.
1982–Today: Farmers Trading Company, which expanded into the neighbouring 1910 building and continues to trade there today. Farmers recently renewed its lease, carrying on more than a century of retail life inside these walls.
Ownership has changed only a few times, but each new custodian has cared for the building and kept it alive.
Side quest: The unsolved murder of Constable James Dorgan
In the early hours of 27 August 1921, Constable James Dorgan was shot and killed in the alley behind the building while investigating a suspected burglary at the drapery store. He was 37, with a wife and three children.
When his colleagues returned with reinforcements, they found him mortally wounded. Despite an extensive investigation, no one was ever charged. His funeral brought the town to a standstill, and his death remains New Zealand’s only unsolved police murder. A small plaque near the alley still honours his service.
Side quest: The people behind it all
Thomas Thomson wasn’t just a shopkeeper — he was a builder of community. He learned his trade in Scotland, brought his skills to Timaru, and helped define the look of the main street. His family ran the business for almost sixty years before it became Hay’s and later Farmers. It is now listed by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (List No. 2057, Category 2) and protected in the Timaru District Plan (Item 34).
This place has seen it all: coronations, parades, fires, renovations, and generations of shoppers. It has been a witness to both celebration and sorrow.
Next time you walk down Stafford Street, stop and look up at the façade. Notice the craftsmanship, the pediment, and the oriel windows that have watched over more than a century of daily life. Find the small plaque for Constable Dorgan and think of all the people who have worked and shopped here across the decades.
there are so many stories in this facade and inside that connect us with those who came before. Buildings like this help us understand where we’ve come from and who we are. When we know our history, we can better shape our future.
Stafford Street, Timaru – c.1940s–1950s. Black and white souvenir photograph titled “Stafford St, Timaru N.Z. 4174” along the lower border. The image looks south along Stafford Street from the intersection of Church and Strathallan Streets, showing the Crown Hotel on the right and the Empire Hotel on the left in Timaru’s central business district. South Canterbury Museum Collection 2022/112.02
Side quest: Farmers today — the next chapter
The Farmers store we know today is part of the James Pascoe Group, one of New Zealand’s largest privately owned retail families. The group began with Pascoes the Jewellers, founded by James Pascoe in Auckland in 1906, and is still owned by the Norman family — proudly New Zealand owned and run. Over the years, the group has grown to include Farmers, Whitcoulls, and Stevens, operating more than 650 stores across New Zealand and Australia and employing over 11,000 people.
Farmers itself traces its beginnings back to about 1909, when visionary entrepreneur Robert Laidlaw founded a mail-order company called Laidlaw Leeds in Auckland. His idea was simple but powerful — to make good-quality goods accessible to families across New Zealand, no matter how far they lived from the cities. Laidlaw later merged with the Farmers Union Trading Company to create what became the Farmers Trading Company, a name that has since become part of the fabric of New Zealand life.
In 2009, Farmers celebrated its centenary, marking a hundred years of Kiwi retailing with the publication of Farmers: Your Store for 100 Years. The book captured everything from the first Christmas window displays to the evolution of fashion, homewares, and department store culture. For many families, Farmers wasn’t just a shop — it was where life’s milestones were marked: the first lipstick, the wedding china, the new baby blanket.
Here in Timaru, the Farmers store continues that legacy in the best way — by staying proudly local. It employs South Canterbury people, many of whom have worked there for years. The staff know their customers, remember birthdays and preferences, and keep this historic building humming with life. It’s still the kind of place where you can bump into a neighbour behind the counter or have a friendly chat while paying for your purchases.
Shopping here means more than ticking off a list — it’s about connection. Every time we choose to shop local, we’re keeping those relationships, jobs, and buildings alive. Our spending is like a quiet vote for community, for keeping main streets vibrant, and for saying “yes” to a town with heart. I’m proud to shop local — to spend my hard-earned cash right here in Timaru — because I know it helps real people, not just a balance sheet.
As this grand old building begins a new chapter of ownership, I wish all the best to whoever takes on its care. May they love it as much as those who built it, worked in it, and shopped beneath its beautiful façade for more than a century.
Whites Aviation Ltd. (1972). Timaru [Aerial photograph]. PA-Group-00080, WA-70626-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. Tiaki IRN: 637290.
You Can Explore More: Tracing the Hand of Architect James S. Turnbull
If you’ve admired the Coronation Buildings, you’ve already met the work of one of Timaru’s most influential architects. James S. Turnbull (1864–1947) helped shape the very look and feel of the modern city. Born and raised in Timaru, he was the son of merchant and politician Richard Turnbull, one of the town’s early civic leaders. After training in Melbourne, James returned home in the 1890s and opened his own practice around 1895.
He quickly became known for his confident handling of Edwardian commercial classicism — elegant proportions, rich plaster ornamentation, and a knack for making even practical buildings feel proud and civic. Alongside the Coronation Buildings, Turnbull designed some of Timaru’s best-loved landmarks: the Oxford Building, the D.C. Turnbull & Co. offices, Chalmers Church, the Grosvenor, and the house now known as the Aigantighe Art Gallery, which is widely attributed to his firm.
Around 1920, Turnbull partnered with his former assistant Percy Watts Rule, a collaboration that brought fresh energy and helped carry the practice into a new era. Rule became known for his clean, restrained detailing, and the pair’s work from this period — including St Mary’s Hall (1928–29), the Temuka Library (1926–27), and the Bank Street Methodist Church additions (1930) — blended Edwardian solidity with emerging interwar style.
Today, their buildings remain some of the finest examples of regional architecture in New Zealand — solid, human-scaled, and full of character. You can still trace Turnbull’s hand throughout Timaru’s main streetscape: from the ornate plasterwork above the verandas to the careful rhythm of windows that catch the afternoon light.
Here’s a heritage walk through some of the many buildings that stand today as his legacy:
• 1901 – J. Craigie’s Pareora Building, 175A–183 Stafford Street
A strong early example of Turnbull’s commercial classicism. The arched windows and plaster details set the tone for the grand façades that would follow.
• 1901 – D.C. Turnbull & Co. Offices, 1–7 Strathallan Street
Designed for his cousin David Clarkson Turnbull’s merchant firm, this Edwardian Commercial Classic building was built by Hunt & Werry. Its brick symmetry and solid form still define the Strathallan corner.
• 1902 – Coronation Buildings, 256–260 Stafford Street
Commissioned by draper Thomas Thomson to celebrate King Edward VII’s coronation, and built by Messrs Werry & Hunt. This was Turnbull at his most confident — ornamental, civic-minded, and utterly Timaru.
• 1902 – Clayton/Hardy Building, 167–169 Stafford Street
A neighbour to the Coronation Buildings, blending Victorian and Edwardian classicism with distinctive upper-storey detailing.
• 1903–04 – Chalmers Presbyterian Church (now St George’s Coptic Church), 2 Elizabeth Place
Turnbull’s foray into Gothic Revival, built by W. Petrie & Son. A beloved landmark of spiritual and architectural grace.
• 1905 – Aigantighe Grant Residence, 47 Wai-iti Road
Attributed to James S. Turnbull, this Queen Anne–style house later became the Aigantighe Art Gallery. Its gables, verandas, and bay windows show his skill with domestic elegance as well as civic grandeur.
• 1907 – Jackson Memorial Methodist Sunday School, 34 Church Street
Designed in Edwardian Baroque style and built by Baird & Son. Its symmetrical frontage and decorative cornices show Turnbull’s versatility.
• 1915 – Grosvenor Hotel, 26 Cains Terrace
Turnbull’s Edwardian Baroque update to one of Timaru’s most recognisable hotels. Built by Shillito Bros, it brought a touch of urban sophistication to the port.
• 1924–25 – Oxford Buildings, 148–154 Stafford Street
Designed in partnership with Percy Watts Rule and built by A. Kennedy, this interwar classical beauty remains one of Timaru’s finest urban façades.
• 1928–29 – St Mary’s Parish Hall, 24 Church Street
Another Turnbull & Rule collaboration — collegiate Gothic style, dignified and enduring.
• 1941–42 – Timaru Milling Co. Offices, 1 Stafford Street
Designed late in the firm’s life, this Art Deco Moderne structure captures the confidence of mid-century Timaru — a final architectural flourish from the Turnbull legacy.
Each of these buildings still holds a piece of Timaru’s story. Together they form a trail through more than forty years of architectural imagination, from ornate Edwardian optimism to clean modernist lines.
Next time you walk through town, look up. The names and dates carved into our buildings are more than decoration — they’re a quiet conversation with our past. When we take time to listen, we discover not just what was built, but who we are.
Detail from 1875 ‘Plan of Timaru Townships
1915 Looking down Stafford Street in Timaru, circa 1915, with shops lining both sides of the street. The shop second in from the right, with the ornate facade, is the business of T & J Thomson. Cars, horse-drawn carriages, and bicycles can also be seen on the street. Taken by Frederick George Radcliffe. Tiaki IRN: 133640 Tiaki Reference Number: 1/2-006892-G Collection: PA-Group-00408: Radcliffe, Frederick George, 1863-1923 : New Zealand postcard negatives
Coronation Buildings (Farmers Trading Company Building)
256 Stafford St
LN: 2057 C:2
1902
Architect: James Turnbull
The store is the most extravagant example of Edwardian style in the CBD and encouraged expansion north. The two-story building was erected in 1902 of brick and plaster as the premises for the prominent Timaru drapery firm, T and J Thomson, established in 1883 by brothers Thomas and James Thomson. The store was ‘practically gutted’ in 1908 when a fire started near its front door, but the brick construction prevented the spread of the fire or any damage to the façade. Thomson was insured for the lost stock and building, and in March 1909, T and J Thomson returned to the Coronation Buildings, restored by Turnbull. The opportunity was taken to improve Turnbull’s original design by increasing the floor space by removing some interior walls and installing a more compact staircase. The interior spaces were also given ‘a more artistic appearance’. Charles Thomson (Tommy's eldest son) expanded the business into the adjacent building to the north, erected around 1910. The firm was acquired by the nationwide department store Hay’s Ltd in 1961, which merged with Farmers Trading Company Ltd in the 1980s. ‘Coronation Buildings’ remains occupied by Farmers.
Significant elements include Columns, capitals, frieze, cornice, oriel windows, arched windows, parapet, pediments, and finials.
Can you find? The building's name in honor of King Edward VII’s coronation on 9 August 1902.
Warren McAlwee Collection - Stafford Street, Timaru with a 1916 Studebaker car 1915-18