This rammed earth barn, probably dating from the 1860s, is associated with arable farming in North Otago, has archaeological and historical significance.

Land records show that in 1866 this land was part of James Dalgleish’s freehold on the Papakaio Plain where he owned some 600 acres in Block III. His wife Mary’s obituary reveals some of the family history: James and Mary Dalgleish came to New Zealand around 1858 with their three children john, Archie and Ann. After working at several pastoral stations – including Ben Lomond – they settled in the Papakaio district.

In 1866 Dalgleish advertised land for sale or let at Papakaio – 630 acres of ‘good agricultural land’ with ‘a house with five rooms, good Well of Water, Stockyard, and 7 acre Paddock.’ He described the house as ‘well-adapted for an Accommodation House, being 14 miles from Oamaru.’ James Dalgleish died in February 1873 following a drunken fall from a horse, leaving his wife Mary a life interest in the property. The Dalgleish family were active in the community – Mrs Dalgleish’s ‘barn’ was used for a soiree to raise funds for the Papakaio Church, while the paddock was used for sports events.

In 1895, Mary Dalgleish appears to have occupied the land along with Hawthorne Stewart and Thomas McClurg. Title to this block of land on which the building stands was issued to Mary Dalgleish (described as a ‘Papakaio widow’) as freehold ‘for her life.’ Section 29 may have been occupied by Stewart, as in 1895 the title to this section (and four others) was issued to Stewart, described as an Otiake farmer.

Hawthorne Stewart had lived in the Waitaki district since the 1870s. He sold his Otiake property in December 1895. He is reported as purchasing the Papakaio property of Thomas McClurg in January 1896 for £12 an acre. This may have been a transaction closer to home than that as Mary Dalgleish was Stewart’s mother-in-law (married to her daughter Ann). Stewart sold the property around 1899 and moved to Otipua Station near Timaru. William Gardiner bought the property.

A 1969 newspaper article describes the building as ‘cob’ and notes that it was used as a hay barn and implement store. The owner at the time thought that the clay from which the building was constructed came from a spot some 200 metres away, and that the doors and the iron were original. Baden Gardiner, an earlier owner, recalled that during World War one the building was used as a dance hall.

Architect and historian Geoffrey Thornton writes that this structure was built as a granary in 1868. It was a gable-roofed structure, originally roofed in corrugated iron with a wooden floor. At a later stage a corrugated iron lean-to was added to one side. When Heritage New Zealand archaeologist Matthew Schmidt and building conservator Jonathan Howard visited the site they were able to provide more detail about the structure. Much of the structural timber was circular sawn Rimu but there was evidence that a little of timber may have been pit sawn. The corrugated iron was Walkers, G (Anchor symbol) O, Gospel Oak, Tinned which was first advertised in New Zealand in this form in 1861. It appears that the roof covering was the original. The roof was damaged in 2011. No windows or doors survive. The majority of the floor was earth, but the section of timber was Oregon and Rimu with cut nails. The walls are constructed of rammed earth rather than sod and about 480mm thick. In 2016, the now roofless structure remains part of a working farm.