Chicory growing in the area began in the late 1870s with the efforts of a Mr Baird who took up Gregg & Co.'s offer of free chicory seed to anyone who would grow for the Company. Baird's efforts were so successful that Greggs decided to buy his property and erect a kiln on the site. Tenders were called for the erection of a kiln on 18 February 1881, with the successful tenderer being George Bain who began work immediately, and the building was completed by August of that year. Bain also completed extensive flood protection works on the riverbank, and a short railway line was constructed to connect the kiln with the riverbank. The river was used to link the kiln to the main railway connection to Dunedin at Balclutha. When the kiln was completed Mr Torrens was appointed as the first manager and lived at the newly purchased Koaubank property two miles distant. The chicory plant itself was a tall herbaceous perennial, the root of which was harvested at the end of the first year. The root was then dried, ground, and roasted. The roots were washed and chopped in the factory, and then transported by bucket elevator to the top kiln floor where it was spread. The first and second floors of the kiln were perforated to allow hot drying air from coke furnaces on the ground floor to pass through the root. In addition to roof ventilators, the air was circulated with a fan. After 12 hours drying the partly dry root was shovelled on the first floor where it dried for another 12 hours. When drying was complete the chicory was sent down chutes to sacks on the ground floor. In the early years of the twentieth century Greggs decided that chicory could be obtained more cheaply from Canterbury. The farm and buildings were sold to farmer Dan Boyd.. Greggs bought the property back subsequently and appointed Jack McKinlay manager. What is locally known as "The Chicory House" was built by Greggs for the McKinlay family in 1915. Three generations of the McKinlay family were involved in running the Chicory Farm. A second drying floor was added to the kiln in the late 1920s. Chicory was also grown on contract at surrounding farms. When the protective tariff was lifted on chicory local growing was no longer viable, and the plant was sold in the mid-1950s. The Chicory Kiln has been used for various farm-related purposes since that time.

ARCHITECT/ENGINEER/DESIGNER: MASON & WALES were the architects. It was most likely N.Y.A. Wales as Mason left the practice in 1874 to live in Queenstown. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRITPION: This is an early iron reinforced concrete building, consisting of three storeys with a Mansard roof. It is considered a rare pioneering concrete industrial structure. The iron bars are cast in the concrete at each corner of the inside arches, forming a concave ceiling at the ground floor level. These bars are now partly exposed. The kiln furnace occupies half the ground floor. The interior of the furnace is partly collapsed. A small vertical ladder stair leads to the upper drying floors. The roof is asbestos corrugated sheet. MODIFICATIONS: 1929 - Addition of second drying floor, new elevator and its housing. At this time or later the roof vent has been removed and replaced with a lower pitched roof, possibly to provide more space in the third floor.

Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapu / Whanau