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Ladbrooks
Description
NameLadbrooksDescriptionAlthough regarded as being ‘just off the beaten track,’ Ladbrooks has remained the town that never was. After over 170 years of European settlement, the community remains relatively unknown apart from those who are fortunate enough to live in this charming location situated between Halswell, Tai Tapu, Lincoln and Prebbleton.
Originally known as ‘the swamp south of Prebbleton’ or as ‘Lincoln Swamp,’ the name Ladbrooks was only given to the area sometime in the 1890s. William Ladbrook and his family had emigrated from Britain and were one of the first colonists to settle in the area in 1853. The official name came about through the establishment of the local primary school in 1889. It was first known as Prebbleton Side School until local residents decided on a name change to Ladbrooks later that year.
This new name was reinforced a few years later when a new railway station, known as Ladbrooks Station, was built to serve farmers living between Lincoln and Prebbleton. The station was built on land that had been formerly owned by the Ladbrook family along Birches Road, north of Robinsons Road.
This station became part of the Christchurch-Southbridge-Little River branch line and provided a modern communication and transport link for residents. It consisted of a sizable weatherboard ticket office and waiting room, built on a concrete platform, along with a siding and storage goods shed, typical of the small railway stations throughout the district at the time.
The boggy ground prone to flooding, that remains a feature of the area, made the location unsuitable for the establishment of a township. Although, it appears it may have been the dream of some when the local community hall was built in 1913; the name “Ladbrooks Town Hall’ was proudly painted on the front of the building for decades.
After 107 years the original hall remains an important meeting place for the people of the community, especially for the school which is located next to it on Barnes Road; and after recent refurbishment, it continues as a popular venue for weddings and other social events.
As Ladbrooks has no official war memorial another important role the hall fills in the community is housing the Rolls of Honour which record the local men and women who served in the two world wars.
The school and the hall became, and remain, the social centre for Ladbrooks. The school was built on land donated by a local farmer, John Sharp, and the original two-classroom wooden building not only provided primary education for local children, but also became the hub of community. This was where local events such as dances, concerts, socials, singing clubs, card playing evenings, Sunday school lessons and religious meetings were regularly held before the hall was built.
In the early years children would ride ponies to school or walk along the web of unsealed roads. In 1889 the school role was just 18 pupils, but by the early 1900s it had risen to 90. It currently has around 150 students. In 1966 a new school building replaced the original wooden structure, which was then demolished.
After the First World War several tennis courts were built next to the school and the tennis club that was formed in the 1920s still remains well supported within the community. During the 1950s a number of senior players gained high honours within the premier competitions throughout the county.
Farming was the main feature of the area, but this was only achieved through drainage and clearing of flax, toi-toi and rushes that originally covered the peaty land. Early pioneering families such as the McDrurys and McCarthys from Ireland, Tuckers and Mussons from England, and the Arnsts, Roeslers, Schroeders and Meyers from Germany, set about digging drains and building rough roads to help establish sustainable farm land. This was mainly done through hard manual labour and horse-power.
The area was exposed to seasonal flooding of the Halswell River and to ensure the roads in the area remained usable, the local roads board (forerunner of the district council) transported shingle from quarries at Birdlings Flat, Halswell and Broadfield to raise the level of the roads so that they were above the level of the flooded farmland.
Dairying was an important feature of the community, along with growing potatoes and other crops, with cows initially being milked by hand. In 1893 the Central Dairy Company built a new creamery to serve the district near the intersection of Ellesmere and Robinsons Roads. Local farmers would deliver their milk to the creamery by horse and dray for separation. By 1906 this had been taken over by the Tai Tapu Dairy Company which had its own larger creamery in Tai Tapu, with local milk then being processed there or at a new smaller creamery that had been built near the intersection of Ellesmere and Tancred Roads.
Ladbrooks lacked the churches and a hotel that were commonplace in most pioneering communities. However, it did have a store for a number of years that had been opened by John Brown on Robinsons Road, near the intersection with Barnes and McDrurys Road. This establishment provided general goods, including bread, milk, meat, house-hold items, and later on, petrol. It also incorporated a post office and telephone bureau, where locals could send and receive mail and telegrams, along with being able to make phone calls at a time when not everybody had a home telephone.
Over the years as family cars became commonplace and roads improved, many locals chose to shop in nearby towns, such as Lincoln, for a greater variety. Through the loss in local custom the store became financial unviable and closed in 1955. The building reverted back to a private residence and can still be seen on Robinson Road, around the corner from the school.
Today, dairying is still a feature of Ladbrooks, but there is only one dairy farm operating in the area, which belongs to the Stone family on McDrurys Road. Most of the traditional family farms have been broken up as the land was more profitable being subdivided.
The sealed and picturesque tree-lined country roads, along with its proximity to Christchurch, has ensured that the area is highly sought after real estate for those looking for a country lifestyle within a short commute to the city. The physical character of the district has changed from the early years, where colonial weatherboard farmhouses have been replaced with many modern palatial homes set on lifestyle blocks of only several acres. Although the railway station has long gone, the concrete platform can still be seen from the cycle-way on Birches Road, north of the Robinsons Road intersection.
Check out Remembering Ladbrooks on Facebook.
Pictured right: Ladbooks Railway StationDate Established1890sGeolocation[1]
Originally known as ‘the swamp south of Prebbleton’ or as ‘Lincoln Swamp,’ the name Ladbrooks was only given to the area sometime in the 1890s. William Ladbrook and his family had emigrated from Britain and were one of the first colonists to settle in the area in 1853. The official name came about through the establishment of the local primary school in 1889. It was first known as Prebbleton Side School until local residents decided on a name change to Ladbrooks later that year.
This new name was reinforced a few years later when a new railway station, known as Ladbrooks Station, was built to serve farmers living between Lincoln and Prebbleton. The station was built on land that had been formerly owned by the Ladbrook family along Birches Road, north of Robinsons Road.
This station became part of the Christchurch-Southbridge-Little River branch line and provided a modern communication and transport link for residents. It consisted of a sizable weatherboard ticket office and waiting room, built on a concrete platform, along with a siding and storage goods shed, typical of the small railway stations throughout the district at the time.
The boggy ground prone to flooding, that remains a feature of the area, made the location unsuitable for the establishment of a township. Although, it appears it may have been the dream of some when the local community hall was built in 1913; the name “Ladbrooks Town Hall’ was proudly painted on the front of the building for decades.
After 107 years the original hall remains an important meeting place for the people of the community, especially for the school which is located next to it on Barnes Road; and after recent refurbishment, it continues as a popular venue for weddings and other social events.
As Ladbrooks has no official war memorial another important role the hall fills in the community is housing the Rolls of Honour which record the local men and women who served in the two world wars.
The school and the hall became, and remain, the social centre for Ladbrooks. The school was built on land donated by a local farmer, John Sharp, and the original two-classroom wooden building not only provided primary education for local children, but also became the hub of community. This was where local events such as dances, concerts, socials, singing clubs, card playing evenings, Sunday school lessons and religious meetings were regularly held before the hall was built.
In the early years children would ride ponies to school or walk along the web of unsealed roads. In 1889 the school role was just 18 pupils, but by the early 1900s it had risen to 90. It currently has around 150 students. In 1966 a new school building replaced the original wooden structure, which was then demolished.
After the First World War several tennis courts were built next to the school and the tennis club that was formed in the 1920s still remains well supported within the community. During the 1950s a number of senior players gained high honours within the premier competitions throughout the county.
Farming was the main feature of the area, but this was only achieved through drainage and clearing of flax, toi-toi and rushes that originally covered the peaty land. Early pioneering families such as the McDrurys and McCarthys from Ireland, Tuckers and Mussons from England, and the Arnsts, Roeslers, Schroeders and Meyers from Germany, set about digging drains and building rough roads to help establish sustainable farm land. This was mainly done through hard manual labour and horse-power.
The area was exposed to seasonal flooding of the Halswell River and to ensure the roads in the area remained usable, the local roads board (forerunner of the district council) transported shingle from quarries at Birdlings Flat, Halswell and Broadfield to raise the level of the roads so that they were above the level of the flooded farmland.
Dairying was an important feature of the community, along with growing potatoes and other crops, with cows initially being milked by hand. In 1893 the Central Dairy Company built a new creamery to serve the district near the intersection of Ellesmere and Robinsons Roads. Local farmers would deliver their milk to the creamery by horse and dray for separation. By 1906 this had been taken over by the Tai Tapu Dairy Company which had its own larger creamery in Tai Tapu, with local milk then being processed there or at a new smaller creamery that had been built near the intersection of Ellesmere and Tancred Roads.
Ladbrooks lacked the churches and a hotel that were commonplace in most pioneering communities. However, it did have a store for a number of years that had been opened by John Brown on Robinsons Road, near the intersection with Barnes and McDrurys Road. This establishment provided general goods, including bread, milk, meat, house-hold items, and later on, petrol. It also incorporated a post office and telephone bureau, where locals could send and receive mail and telegrams, along with being able to make phone calls at a time when not everybody had a home telephone.
Over the years as family cars became commonplace and roads improved, many locals chose to shop in nearby towns, such as Lincoln, for a greater variety. Through the loss in local custom the store became financial unviable and closed in 1955. The building reverted back to a private residence and can still be seen on Robinson Road, around the corner from the school.
Today, dairying is still a feature of Ladbrooks, but there is only one dairy farm operating in the area, which belongs to the Stone family on McDrurys Road. Most of the traditional family farms have been broken up as the land was more profitable being subdivided.
The sealed and picturesque tree-lined country roads, along with its proximity to Christchurch, has ensured that the area is highly sought after real estate for those looking for a country lifestyle within a short commute to the city. The physical character of the district has changed from the early years, where colonial weatherboard farmhouses have been replaced with many modern palatial homes set on lifestyle blocks of only several acres. Although the railway station has long gone, the concrete platform can still be seen from the cycle-way on Birches Road, north of the Robinsons Road intersection.
Check out Remembering Ladbrooks on Facebook.
Pictured right: Ladbooks Railway StationDate Established1890sGeolocation[1]
Attribution
Researched ByWayne StackTaken FromSelwyn Times
Ladbrooks. Selwyn Stories, accessed 11/02/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/3309
