Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value Arrowtown had a commercial centre on Buckingham Street by 1863 with false fronted shops in temporary materials. Pritchard's store, established in 1862, would have been one of these. Over the next few decades the wooden shops were replaced with more substantial stone buildings. When surveyed sections became available in Arrowtown in 1870, Robert Pritchard took up the crown grants on a section on Buckingham St and on three across Arrow Lane and up Berkshire St. In 1875 he bought two more sections from a Mr Goldston to give him a solid block of land - sections 17 and 18 on Buckingham Street and sections 28-31 on Berkshire Street. The store is built on section 18 and so was probably built soon after Pritchard bought the section. Pritchard raised 1000 pounds on mortgage in 1875 which would have helped him to buy the extra two sections, and was probably sufficient to build the store and its attached house. He refinanced 750 pounds of the mortgage in 1880 and paid it off in 1884. Pritchard died a storekeeper in 1907 and left all his land and building to his daughter, Grace Allen. She leased at first to Goodleys and then to W Reid and Sons in 1921. The Reids bought the store in 1926 and held it until 1942. It was bought by W B Gibb and Sons who became J Rattray and Son, the large wholesale grocery business. Mr A R Hamilton at first leased from Rattrays and then bought the store in 1981.

Physical Significance

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: An interesting vernacular building. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE: A major nineteenth century building on the main street of Arrowtown. The long stone side wall dominates the only open green space on this street.