A post office was opened at the goldfield settlement of Riverdale on 1 July 1896. As a Riversdale already existed in Southland it was necessary to use a new name, so the surnames of two settlers, Messrs Bain and Graham, were compounded to produce the name Bainham. A telegraph office was established at Bainham on 8 September 1898 and John Bain was appointed postmaster and telephonist.
Edward Bates Langford became postmaster in 1923. From 1925 there was talk of erecting a new post office building to the plan of Okaramio Post office but in January 1928 Langford suggested that if he built a new building to combine a general store, the Post Office Department could lease part of it from him as a post office. The Post Office Department agreed and an annual rent was decided on.
It is not known who designed the building but it was built by two locals that year. About 1928 the earlier post office building was moved from across the road to its present site behind Bainham Store.
Miss Lorna Langford began working for her grandfather in 1947 when she was still at school. She became postmistress in 1952 and took over the general store in 1954, owning and operating the agency of New Zealand Post Ltd and the general store until 2008, before passing the torch to Sukhita Langford.
List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 2
Access
Able to Visit
List Number
5110
Date Entered
13th December 1990
Date of Effect
13th December 1990
City/District Council
Tasman District
Region
Tasman Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes part of the land described as Lot 1 DP 4868 (RT NL124/73) and part of the land described as Legal Road, Nelson Land District and the building known as Bainham Store thereon. Refer to the extent map tabled at the Rārangi Kōrero Committee meeting on 24 November 2021.
Legal description
Lot 1 DP 4868 (RT NL124/73) and Legal Road, Nelson Land District
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 2
Access
Able to Visit
List Number
5110
Date Entered
13th December 1990
Date of Effect
13th December 1990
City/District Council
Tasman District
Region
Tasman Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes part of the land described as Lot 1 DP 4868 (RT NL124/73) and part of the land described as Legal Road, Nelson Land District and the building known as Bainham Store thereon. Refer to the extent map tabled at the Rārangi Kōrero Committee meeting on 24 November 2021.
Legal description
Lot 1 DP 4868 (RT NL124/73) and Legal Road, Nelson Land District
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value Bainham Store has been in the hands of the well-established Golden Bay Langford family since its completion in 1928. It is a now rare example of a combined post office and rural store, once common throughout New Zealand. In recent years the store has become a well-known tourist attraction.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: With many original features still intact, Bainham Store retains its original rustic character. The building looks older than its 62 years TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: Sited among trees on the Rockville-Bainham Road, Bainham Store is not a prominent landmark. It is, however, well-known to both locals and tourists alike.
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value Bainham Store has been in the hands of the well-established Golden Bay Langford family since its completion in 1928. It is a now rare example of a combined post office and rural store, once common throughout New Zealand. In recent years the store has become a well-known tourist attraction.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: With many original features still intact, Bainham Store retains its original rustic character. The building looks older than its 62 years TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: Sited among trees on the Rockville-Bainham Road, Bainham Store is not a prominent landmark. It is, however, well-known to both locals and tourists alike.
Construction Details
Start Year
1985
startYearCirca
Type
Addition
Description
Shed and garage attached to north facade.
Start Year
1928
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Concrete slab floor, timber frame clad with corrugated iron and rusticated weatherboards. Corrugated galvanised iron roof cladding.
Notable Features
Nine original post office boxes. Tongue-and-groove lining throughout.
Construction Details
Start Year
1985
startYearCirca
Type
Addition
Description
Shed and garage attached to north facade.
Start Year
1928
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Concrete slab floor, timber frame clad with corrugated iron and rusticated weatherboards. Corrugated galvanised iron roof cladding.
Notable Features
Nine original post office boxes. Tongue-and-groove lining throughout.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: This single storey building has a hipped roof and lean-to verandah on the street (east) elevation. The verandah is supported on four posts with simple brackets. The street elevation is clad with rusticated weatherboards and the other three elevations have corrugated iron cladding. Windows are double hung sashes. The south end of the building houses the post office with nine original post office boxes still in place. All interior walls and ceilings are lined with tongue-and-groove boarding. MODIFICATIONS: Dates unknown Door between post office and general store replaced with hatch. Two north facing windows replaced. West facing window covered with corrugated galvanised iron. Concrete bases to two central verandah posts. Shed and garage attached to north facade. c.1985
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: This single storey building has a hipped roof and lean-to verandah on the street (east) elevation. The verandah is supported on four posts with simple brackets. The street elevation is clad with rusticated weatherboards and the other three elevations have corrugated iron cladding. Windows are double hung sashes. The south end of the building houses the post office with nine original post office boxes still in place. All interior walls and ceilings are lined with tongue-and-groove boarding. MODIFICATIONS: Dates unknown Door between post office and general store replaced with hatch. Two north facing windows replaced. West facing window covered with corrugated galvanised iron. Concrete bases to two central verandah posts. Shed and garage attached to north facade. c.1985
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Archives New Zealand (Wgtn)
Archives New Zealand (Wellington)
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
Land Information New Zealand
New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT)
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
Newport, 1971
J. Newport, Collingwood; A History of the Area from the Earliest Days to 1912, Christchurch, 1971
Startup, 1975
R. Startup, Through Gorge and Valley: A History of the Postal District of Nelson from 1842, Masterton, 1975
Dawber, 1987
Carol Dawber, Carol, 'Bainham Bids Sad Farewell to Historic Post office', 21 October 1987
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Archives New Zealand (Wgtn)
Archives New Zealand (Wellington)
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)
Land Information New Zealand
New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT)
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
Newport, 1971
J. Newport, Collingwood; A History of the Area from the Earliest Days to 1912, Christchurch, 1971
Startup, 1975
R. Startup, Through Gorge and Valley: A History of the Postal District of Nelson from 1842, Masterton, 1975
Dawber, 1987
Carol Dawber, Carol, 'Bainham Bids Sad Farewell to Historic Post office', 21 October 1987
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Former Usages
General Usage: Trade
Specific Usage: Shop
Web Links
description: The Langford Store
Former Usages
General Usage: Trade
Specific Usage: Shop
Web Links
description: The Langford Store
