Craighead

When Timaru had only a small population, before the first immigrant ship arrived, Margaret - the wife, and the young children of Henry Le Cren moved from Lyttleton to Timaru to join their father. Henry Le Cren established Timaru's first store which Captain Cain managed. They lived up on a hill with views to Caroline Bay and the Port, and the house they built was named ‘Beverly’. Back in 1858 the town was just starting out but was soon to grow rapidly when wool could be shipped directly from Timaru to London. After a stint living in London, Henry would return without his wife and move to Craighead. He died in 1985 and the house was sold to the 4 Shand sisters to start a school in 1910.

Who Built the original house Southerndown which was later called Ardgour? E.P. Sealey. Early surveyor & explorer - after whom Mt Sealey-Sealey Range & Sealey Pass is named - Accompanied Julius Von Haast on the latters[sic] exploration of the 60's
Edward Percy Sealy (1839–1903), also referred to as Edwin Sealy, was a New Zealand surveyor, photographer, explorer, farmer, and entomologist. He emigrated to New Zealand with his brother Henry when he was 19 in 1859. He married Frances Sarah Sanderson (born 1855) and in 1874 they move to a newly-built house 'Southerndown' which was then located just outside Timaru in Highfield. The owned this home until 1912. The farm "Southerndown" was between Wai-iti Rd and June St, where Park Lane is located today. Nile St. was part of the E.P. Sealy estate. Edward had a stammer. Edward cut his leg with a sickle in 1876, it caused him ongoing trouble and many years later, he developed a debilitating paralysis. He died at his home, "Southerndown", on 30 October 1903 aged 64, and was buried at Timaru Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, five daughters and one son.

Edward Sealy's collections of moths, butterflies, and birds' eggs are held by the South Canterbury Museum in Timaru. His wife died at 'Southerndown' on 4 January 1912 aged 56. Within a fortnight of her death, 'Southerndown' was offered for sale. By April 1913, the house had been purchased by A. J. McLean, who renamed it Ardgour. When his granddaughter Audrey Barker died in February 1935 aged 21, the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo was under construction. The Barker and Sealy families donated the bell for the church, commemorating both Audrey Barker and Sealy. peoplepill.com/edward-sealy

Edward Sealy was the first to photograph the Mount Cook glaciers. On one of his early expeditions, his camera had  weighed 15lb. and the dry plates 20lb. This dead weight of 35lb (15kg) had to be carried through incredibly rough country before food, tents, or blankets were thought about. The famous surveyor, Mr. Sealy, after whom the Sealy Range is named, had to make his own wet plates on the spot where he look the photographs, and had to take with him a light-proof tent, as well as a tremendous quantity of other gear.

His wife Frances died at 'Southerndown' on 4 January 1912 aged 56. Within a fortnight of her death, 'Southerndown' was offered for sale.

By April 1913, the house had been purchased by A. J. McLean, who renamed Southerndown to Ardgour.

1937 Two well-known South Canterbury families were united on Saturday afternoon, when Dorothy Margaret (Peggy), only daughter of Dr. W. H. Unwin (Church street, Timaru), and the late Mrs Unwin, was married to Edward George, eldest son of Mr and Mrs E. G. Kerr (“Ardgour, Sealy street, Timaru). The Kerr family owned the Timaru Herald.  

Wai-iti was the estate of Henry and Edward Sealy, two miles from Timaru pre 1900. Spring Rd was on the Sealy estate.  The lower part of Wai-iti Rd lead to the cart path to the plains. The Alexander Grant family lived at "Aigantighe" on the lower part of Wai-iti Rd. On a 1882 map Gleniti Rd was where Wai-iti Rd is today and ran through the village of Wai-iti. Glen-iti, a farming community, a combination of a Scottish name and a Maori name, little valley, was three miles west of Timaru. Wai-iti (Little Water) is now Glen-iti.

Did you know the historic house at Craighead school used to be called Heathcliff? Henry John Sealy (1838-1922 ) was Edwards elder brother. He married in 1873 to Emily B. Askin. They lived with his brother at Southerndown until their adjacent house, 'Heathcliffe', was ready by November that year. He lost his house in the economic downturn that started in the late 1870s. Henry Le Cren moved in 15 years later 1880. Named it “Craighead” after a castle owned by his brother-in-law in Scotland. 

Read in the Star 21 May 1895, Page 2
Mr Henry John Le Cren, one of the earliest settlers in Canterbury, died yesterday afternoon at his residence Craighead, Timaru, aged sixty-eight. Mr Le Cren had been ailing for some time, but his end came suddenly and unexpectedly. Mr Le Cren will be well remembered by some of the oldest settlers of Lyttelton and Christchurch, and by the " Pilgrims " as having arrived in the colony in advance of them to represent the owners of the "first, four ships." A native of London, he learned the routine and the habits of business in the office of Messrs Frubling, Goschen and Co., where he was fellow-clerk with the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer. He came out to the colony in the Barbara Gordon, to act as agent for the first ships despatched to Port Cooper, and then, with Mr Longdon, carried on in Lyttelton for many years a general merchant's business. Mr Le Cren afterwards established a branch business in Timaru, erecting the first store in the township, and himself remaining in Lyttelton. The late Captain Cain managed the Timaru store. The business was sold to Messrs Miles and Co. about 1867, and Mr Le Cren went to London. While there he joined Mr G. G. Russell, in the firm of Russell and Le Cren as colonial merchants, who were represented in the colony by Messrs Russell, Ritchie and Co. Twelve or thirteen years ago, both the Home and colonial businesses were sold to the National Mortgage and Agency Company, and Mr Le Cren came out to New Zealand. He erected a large residence at Craighead, the grounds and gardens of which are one of the show places of Timaru, and, except for an occasional trip Home, resided there until his death. The deceased gentleman was always most highly respected as an upright business man. He leaves three sons and four daughters, all of whom are grown up. [Married Margaret Fisher Hunt in 1853. Born in 1829. Died in London].

1858 Timaru Merchant Henry Le Cren Builds Beverley. When he and Captain Cain had got the landing service working effectively, Margaret Le Cren came down with their first three children. Helped by the efforts put into the landing service, Timaru grew so rapidly in the early 1860s that, by 1864, wool was shipped directly from Timaru to London. The firm of H. J. Le Cren and Company was engaged in that trade. It also acted as an agency, borrowing from financiers and lending to farmers. member of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works and the Timaru Municipal Council. He also pursued land interests as a partner in Simon's Pass, Peel Forest and Otaio stations. It was not until 1873 or 1874 that he sold Beverley homestead, moved his family to London. In 1878 Henry's wife died returned to Timaru about 1880, where he had bought another house that he renamed Craighead. He died on 20 May 1895. - teara.govt.nz/le-cren

Henry Le Cren is regarded as one of the town's pioneers. Companies owned by him or his eldest son are predecessors to the New Zealand agricultural supply business PGG Wrightson. Henry Le Cren's parents were Henry Le Cren and Emma Ann Le Cren (née Davies). Both his father and his maternal grandfather were French exiles. The family lived in Greenwich, and Henry and his brother Frederic were sent to Christ's Hospital in Horsham in West Sussex for their education. He entered the merchant business house Frühling and Göschen (later Anglicised to become Fruhling & Goschen).

Henry Le Cren: Born 2 July 1828, London. Died 20 May 1895 (aged 66 years)
Margaret Fisher Hunt Born 1829. Died in London. Married Henry 1853

Augustus William Wright, a farmer, lived at "Craighead." Born 1845, London. Married 1876 to Amy Jane Perry. He died 15th Sept. 1920. He arrived in Lyttelton in 1871 and became a cadet on Mr E. J. Russell's Otipua estate, near Timaru. Later he managed the Sherwood and Hakataramea estates, and was subsequently farming at Claremont and Winchester. He retired 16 years ago, and had lived since in Timaru. He was an enthusiastic volunteer. For many years he commanded the C.Y.C., and retired with the rank of major. He was an early member of the A. and P. Association (president for one year), the South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club, South Canterbury Hunt, and a life member of the Acclimatisation Society (he was the first to liberate trout in the Waitaki). He was a good sportsman, with a genial disposition, and made many friends. He leaves two sons and four daughters. - sites.rootsweb.com/Croft

Amy Jane Perry Wright  18 Jun 1854 - 28 Jun 1927 (aged 73) Buried in Timaru Cemetery ID 166585273 

A home for the Le Crens is bought for a new School Craighead and the house is renamed Shand House. In 1910 four sisters in Dunedin heard the property was on the market and they saw it as ideal for their dream of establishing a Girls School. Drainage had to be installed, electric light and gas laid on, there were also many alterations to be done to the house. The Shand sisters Eleanor, Fanny, Elizabeth and Anna, opened Craighead School in May 1911 with the expressed aim “to give such a liberal education on modern lines as will be best fitted to train the intellectual, artistic and moral faculties, to develop the character and ultimately to produce refined, cultured and capable young women”. The school began with a roll of six boarders and 11 day girls. From small beginnings the school has flourished, becoming an Anglican Church school. Around 1922, the Misses Shand realised that the time had come to enlarge the school considerably and that heavy expenses must be met to do so, and after much thought, they decided to put the school on the market.
At the end of 1926 when the Shand sisters retired from teaching.
Miss Violet Salmond, appointed in 1927 as the school entered a new phase, died unexpectedly under anaesthetic for a tonsilectomy. A memorial sundial was erected in her honour.
It was purchased by the Diocesan Board of Education to become a church school, although the diocese did not officially take over until 1953. In 1981 Craighead integrated into the state system.
In 1981, the then-private school was integrated into the state system.
In 100 years, the school has grown from one building to several, from a staff of four to more than 30, from 17 pupils on opening day to more than 320 today.
The school has grown to a maximum role of 387 as of 2020. Craighead Diocesan School is a state-integrated Anglican girls day and boarding school in Highfield, Timaru, New Zealand. It is the only Anglican-affiliated school in South Canterbury. - en.wikipedia.org/Craighead_Diocesan_School

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Here is a great write up about Henry Le Crens life: peoplepill.com/henry-le-cren