The Menorlue house is having some work done and will be put to use by the music department.
Some of the $62 million for the college rebuild is being used to upgrade and Preece said the Ministry of Education had chipped in some additional funds for the renovations of the Ministry-owned building.
The building was part of the original land holding in 1893 and Preece said it has a group B heritage classification so was being retained on site – along with its dome.
“The challenge we face is it’s a very old building riddled with borer with a lot of character features.”
The building's acoustics lends itself towards the music department, he said.
“The music department has already operated in there, setting up a recording studio, and a drum and keyboard space, so musically it suits their needs.
“It will be painted externally and the brick chimneys will come down but we are retaining the bricks to be reused somewhere else on campus.
“Apart from the chimneys, we are not changing the exterior and it will be insulated inside as much as possible.”
Once stage 1 is completed Menorlue will form part of the arts precinct, he said.
Menorlue is out of commission for term 1 he said while it is refurbished and it is hoped it will be operational for term 2.
The rest of stage one is due for completion on November 16.
“That will allow us to move in before Christmas and allow for the significant demolition of S block to happen over the school holidays.”
Preece said Arowhenua had approved the naming of the new block of 32 classroom spaces as the Rangitata block.
The yet-to-be-named block 2, also 32 classroom spaces, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.
Te Whare Wānanga, the centre for Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori, will be relocated next to the administration building.
The Rangitata block will be home to science, maths, and the Te Whare Manaaki special needs unit.
Menorule history
The Menorlue name comes from Redruth in Cornwall, England which was the home and farm on which William Henry Collins (builder, owner) was born and it means “Manor in the lee” or sheltered home.
Menorlue has always been on Walnut Avenue as it was built on the original land holding of 8 acres taken up by Collins in 1893.
Collins was the founder of W H Collins & Co hardware store and Ashburton Mayor from 1901-1913.
At the time, there were only three houses on Walnut Avenue and the road, while mostly formed, consisted of ruts for horse and cart wheels.
The homestead was rebuilt over the years between 1893-1950, besides old stables, barns and men’s quarters there were three cottages on the property, and the holding increased to 20 acres between those years.
Under the Public Works Act, 1928, the property was taken by the Government, and transferred in 1950. Before that Miss Collins and her niece and nephew were still living there.
The land was intended for an “intermediate school or sports grounds” but eventually became part of the Ashburton College site.
Other uses of the building over the years have been as the Community division of Ashburton College, Ashburton reading assistance programme and youth learning centre.
- By Jonathan Leask
Local Democracy Reporter
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
