McGahey Residence, 91 Brougham Street. Hamish Crimp (2017).
McGahey Residence, 91 Brougham Street. Hamish Crimp (2017).
G. H. McGahey purchased Town Section 791 in February 1901, and soon after this J. A. Maisey placed advertisements in the Taranaki Herald calling for tenders for the construction of a residence in Brougham Street. Later in February, the Taranaki Herald reported that the lowest tender received by Maisey for McGahey's residence was from 'Colman' for £290 - this was accepted.
McGahey and his family are thought to have lived in the home for some decades - at least until the 1920s. G. H. McGahey appears to have been a firefighter, was heavily involved in the Taranaki Horticultural Society, and also in promoting St John (first aid etc.).
The home is constructed from a mixture of timber and either plastered brick or concrete - a construction technique not known on any other New Plymouth villa. the exterior is in largely original condition and adds significant value to this precinct containing a relatively high number of heritage buildings.
Architect John Arthur Maisey
It appears this home may have been one of Maisey's earliest commissions in New Plymouth (possibly the first) - it is likely this is the first time Maisey advertised for tenders in the newspaper in New Plymouth. It is also around this time that advertisements first appear for Maisey's architecture practice. Maisey was born in 1860 in Birmingham England, where he practiced for a number of years. He arrived in New Plymouth with his family in 1897 and farmed on Barrett Road for several years, selling his farm in June 1900, and moving into New Plymouth soon after. Maisey is not well known in New Plymouth, although he apparently designed a significant number of local buildings (most notably the 1904 New Plymouth Exhibition Buildings - a 'temporary' structure located on Poverty Flat/St Michael's Square), before shifting to Wellington in early 1905. In Wellington Maisey practiced in partnership with Henry Johns from 1905 until his retirement in 1908 - in just three years Maisey and John designed over 40 buildings.
Related item:
Town Section 791, Taranaki Land Deed Index I5 page 398. (Archives New Zealand)
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