Ancient stories tell the origins of southern Maori, with the waka of Aoraki becoming Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island), and its sternpost, Te Taurapa a Te Waka o Aoraki becoming Bluff Hill (also known as Motupohue). The Southland Plains were when the waka capsized and the broad flat stern provided a resting place (Te Ra a Takitimu). The famous Ngati Mamoe rangatira Te Rakitauneke had his own taniwha Matamata who followed him on journeys from Kaikoura to Murihiku. A story related to inland Murihiku sees Te Rakitauneke travel to Omaui without telling Matamata, who set out to follow him. Discovering that his rangatira had died, Matamata was so saddened that he also died, turning into stone to create the Hokonui Hills, near modern day Winton. The Oreti River, running to the west of Winton provided a travel route for mokihi and nohoanga along the river provided bases for those who travelled inland for waterfowl, inanga and eels.
1853 saw the Murihiku purchase which left Maori south of the Waitaki (excluding the Otakou Block) with only 4,630 acres, the start of a long quest by southern Maori for justice questioning the legality of the purchase as well as the inadequacy of the land reserved.
Winton
The bush covered land that became the site of Winton was initially surveyed in the 1860s. These first surveys were contemporaneous with the turning of the first sod of the railway stretching north, from Invercargill, though construction halted shortly after. Construction resumed in 1871 and in 1876 Winton became a municipality and a key rural service centre.
The town centre grew, but suffered the fate of many nineteenth century towns, where fire posed a serious risk. There were major fires in 1878, 1901 and 1921. After the fire an ordinance was passed declaring that all rebuilding had to be done in brick rather than wood, and this is reflected in the surviving buildings.
Winton was a stopping place on the journey between Invercargill and Kingston. Businesses sprung up to service travellers, hotels were among the early buildings, three by the mid-1870s. The commercial centre was built on the west side of the street, opposite the railway. An early settler, James Welsh, noted that if you went up the west side of the road, you would pass 'nearly all the dwellings and shops in Winton at the time.'
The social history of the area is reflected in the buildings - the hotels in particular, relate to community concerns, and legal requirements. The physical structure of the hotel buildings was related to the Licensing Act. The 1881 Act stated that the minimum requirements for a publican’s license were: A front door separate from the bar entrance; Six rooms for public accommodation; beside the billiard room and the family room; Adequate fire escapes; A place of convenience; and, where required by the committee, stabling for horses.
The commercial centre of Winton provides a good example of small town late Victorian and Edwardian architecture. As Michael Kelly has noted such buildings were once very common but the 'general destruction' in the 1970s and 1980s has meant that some buildings which 'might have attracted comparatively little attention in the past, are now considered of much greater significance, again by virtue of their rarity.' The Winton commercial buildings represent the range of commercial activity earlier this century. In their continued survival and use, provide insight into the survival of small town rural Southland.
The original Railway Hotel (1861) was the first hotel and building of any size to be erected in Winton. The owners changed regularly in the nineteenth century and by 1900 it was owned by David Roche and Robert Sweetman. They leased the business to James Anderson Keith and Kate Keith in 1897. James Keith was the son of prominent Southland settler William Keith, and the family played a prominent role in the local community.
At that time the Railway Hotel was described as ‘a commodious hotel of twenty-five rooms’ situated close to the railway station. The hotel had a billiard room and large livery stables, let separately, which accommodated 100 horses.
The building was destroyed in the fire in February 1910 that damaged many other main street buildings in Winton. Keith was granted a permit to trade in temporary premises pending the completion of the new building. By March 1911 the hotel was operating from its new premises.
The new building was designed by Invercargill architect CJ Brodrick. It is a two-storeyed Neo-classical style Edwardian hotel building with three ground floor shops. The Brodrick family played a significant social and economic role in the development of Southland. Captain John Brodrick arrived in Invercargill in 1864. He quickly established himself as a commercial leader, as agent for Lloyds, National Mutual Company and manger of the Invercargill Savings Bank. His sons distinguished themselves in commercial, surveying and public arenas. The family’s connection to surveying was strengthened by CJ Brodrick’s marriage to Jemima, daughter of surveyor, engineer, architect, explorer and writer John Turnbull Thomson in 1906.
Cuthbert John Brodrick was born in 1867, nephew of the well-known British architect of the same name (1822-1905). In 1884 he was apprenticed to F.W. Burwell and travelled with him to Melbourne to complete his training. After working as an architectural draughtsman for the Queensland Government, he returned to New Zealand in 1891. Settling in Hawera, Brodrick practised there for six years before returning to Invercargill where he practised until his retirement in 1943. The architect was responsible for such historic Invercargill landmarks as the Masonic Lodge, Bank of New South Wales, Alexander Building and Grand Hotel. Brodrick was also President of the Southland Progress League, a member of the Borough Council for three terms and became Deputy Mayor. He was also President of the Institute of Architects.
Brodrick’s buildings demonstrate an ability to successfully accomplish a variety of architectural styles. Versatility was the key to his architecture. His style ranged from Baroque Revival, apparent in the Grand Hotel and Southland Daily News Building; to Classical and Italian Renaissance, exhibited by the Masonic Hall and former Bank of New Zealand; to domestic residences, some exhibiting an eclectic combination of styles. Brodrick’s 1946 obituary noted that his reputation extended throughout the country, ‘although he is probably not generally sufficiently recognised for his contribution to New Zealand architecture’.
The Keiths leased the hotel out to various licensees. James Anderson Keith died in the mid-1920s and his estate transferred the estate to hotelkeeper James Olive in December 1925. Olive died two years later and the property was transferred to his widow. She sold the property in the 1950s and then in 1974 it was taken over by New Zealand Breweries Limited, who in the guise of Lion Nathan Limited, sold the business to the current owners.
The current owners John and Nancy McHugh took over the business in the early 1990s, buying it outright in 1993, at which point it became known as Central Southland Lodge. Since that time the pub has become a focal point in Winton and district, with John and Nancy McHugh holding many community roles. They sponsor many events and provide a venue for sports and community meetings most nights of the week.
In 2011 Railway Hotel (Former) is a typical rural hotel. It provides accommodation, a private function room, bistro, TAB pokes and a franchised bottle store. It is a community based facility where many organisations and sports groups come for their meetings and social occasions. The Hotel has also been used as a centre for emergencies in events such as floods or snow.
