A valued and respected pioneer
Every now and again a ‘new’ historic house comes to our attention: this one is well-hidden behind trees on Horsham Downs Rd at Rototuna, but just a glimpse was enough to alert a colleague with a strong interest in Waikato heritage.
The house is a substantial, prestigious fourgabled villa; a house of this nature clearly has an interesting story to tell.
Research soon established that the property was bought in 1905 by Joseph Barugh, who had farmed at Tamahere for many years.
He named the house and farm “Flaxdale”, very apt given the swampy nature of the land, and the “dale” harking back to Barugh’s Yorkshire roots.
The Waikato Times noted in 1932: ‘‘this he turned from desolate flax swamp into smiling pastures, so that today the area is dotted with dairy farms’’.
Barugh originally bought 500 acres (‘‘for a substantial figure, cash sale’’) plus the adjacent 100 acres (£500, also cash), and later expanded the farm.
By the time he moved to Rototuna, Joseph Barugh was well-established as one of the leaders and innovators in the farming sector.
The house suitably reflects his status in the community.
Rather than the more traditional wraparound verandahs it uses two symmetrical gables with box bays facing the front and a decorative verandah between the two bays, with just enough decorative detailing with finials and timber fretwork.
Two other bay windows, one on each side elevation, enlarged the front rooms. While the architect and builder have not been identified as yet, it may be the work of one of the Waikato’s early architects such as Fred E. Smith or F.C. Daniell.
Joseph Barugh was born at Bridlington, Yorkshire, and came to the Waikato with his father, Joseph Johnson Barugh (see Dead Tell Tales May 28 2012), his brother and two sisters in 1880-81.
Joseph Snr was an innovator, the first to introduce steam threshing and reaping machinery, and possibly the first to use superphosphate as fertiliser.
Joseph Jnr similarly followed new farming practices such as the application of fertilisers.
He was involved with farming bodies and local affairs, particularly as a founder and director of the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company, the Farmers Co-operative Auctioneering Company and the Farmers Union.
At the time of his death in 1932 he was still a director of the FAC.
He took a keen interest in the Waikato Agricultural & Pastoral Association and was its president for a time.
When he shifted to Rototuna he became a member of the Kirikiriroa Drainage Board.
A. Lorie, the owner of the large ‘‘Horsham Downs’’ farm, credited Barugh for effecting the transformation of ‘‘Horsham Downs’’ with his freely-given advice, his practical experience, knowledge of Waikato conditions and special knowledge of modern farming methods.
During WWI Barugh managed several farms for men who had gone to the front.
Barugh was a breeder of Lincoln and Romney sheep, which he exhibited very successfully at all the A&P shows in the district.
He and his wife, Ellen, were closely associated with St Peter’s Anglican Church in Hamilton and St Stephen’s at Tamahere.
Ellen Barugh was a gifted musician and participated in school concerts, either singing or playing accompaniments for others; she also played the harmonium at church services.
She was known for her generosity and her delightful disposition, ‘‘ever ready to succour those in need’’ though perhaps the Waikato Times referred in that instance to her philanthropy rather than when she provided refreshments at ‘‘Flaxdale’’ on the occasion of the opening of the Rototuna post office in February 1907.
Barugh retired from farming in 1916 and he and Ellen moved into Kitchener St in Claudelands. Ellen died there in 1931.
When Joseph Barugh died, in 1932, the Waikato Times described him as ‘‘one of Waikato’s makers’’, ‘‘one of [the Waikato’s] most valued and respected pioneers, a man and farming authority of the type it can ill afford to lose’’. He was a significant figure in the farming sector.
The house ‘‘Flaxdale’’ remains as a testament to his importance in the history of the Waikato.