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Homebush
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Description
TitleHomebush
DescriptionThe original Homebush homestead beside the Waianiwaniwa River. Harakeke (flax) line the riverbank. The photograph is thought to be taken in the 1860s, and the house stands where the Homebush apple house, built in 1870, is now located.
The house was built in the 1850s by John Cordy from timber from the Riccarton Bush. Cordy managed the run until James McIlraith (Jane Deans' half-brother) took over the management of the property and lived there for over 40 years, much of that time with his sister Eileen McIlraith who cared for him.
James built the buildings that survive at Homebush and developed the coal mines and brickworks at Glentunnel. He never married. He retired in the 1890s and bought a farm near Methven called Waimarama.
Datec1860sSourceSelwyn Heritage CollectionPhotographerunknown
DescriptionThe original Homebush homestead beside the Waianiwaniwa River. Harakeke (flax) line the riverbank. The photograph is thought to be taken in the 1860s, and the house stands where the Homebush apple house, built in 1870, is now located.The house was built in the 1850s by John Cordy from timber from the Riccarton Bush. Cordy managed the run until James McIlraith (Jane Deans' half-brother) took over the management of the property and lived there for over 40 years, much of that time with his sister Eileen McIlraith who cared for him.
James built the buildings that survive at Homebush and developed the coal mines and brickworks at Glentunnel. He never married. He retired in the 1890s and bought a farm near Methven called Waimarama.
Datec1860sSourceSelwyn Heritage CollectionPhotographerunknownConnections
ImageHomebush
Attribution
Researched ByLouise DeansWritten BySarah Davy
Written BySarah DavyClick on the image to add
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Homebush (c1860s). Selwyn Stories, accessed 19/07/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6674