Langham Hotel, Auckland

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Langham Hotel, Auckland

The Langham Hotel is a five-star hotel in Auckland, New Zealand.[1] Formerly named the Sheraton Auckland Hotel & Towers, it occupies the historic site of Partington's Windmill, a local landmark until its demolition in 1950.

History

In May 1850, Charles Partington purchased land in Symonds Street for £200,and commenced the construction of “the new Windmill” at a cost of £2000. In August 1851 the first flour was advertised for sale. Partington, an immigrant from Oxfordshire in England) had arrived in 1847. He had previously been in partnership with John Bycroft and together they took over the Epsom Mill that stood in St Andrews Road. The partnership lasted until December 1849.

The Symonds street windmill was built in 1850 using bricks made on the site from clay dug nearby. In 1856 an important sideline was introduced - the baking of biscuits - using equipment specially imported from Reading, Berkshire in the United Kingdom, presumably from Huntley & Palmer's who already baked biscuits there. The business was renamed the Victoria Flour Mills and Steam Biscuit Factory.

During the New Zealand wars which raged from 1861 to 1866, four firearms were always kept in the mill which was directly threatened by the Māori when they attempted to take Auckland at the outbreak of the Invasion of Waikato. During the wars, Charles Partington served with the British cavalry and the mill supplied the troops with food, chiefly biscuits, but also flour and crushed corn.

By 1873 the biscuit making machinery had been relocated to the Riverhead mill and much of the land around the Symonds Street mill was sold off as building sites. Shops were erected along Symonds Street and houses on the other three boundary roads leaving the windmill in the centre of the block accessed by a lane called at various times Mill lane or Partington street.

Charles Partington died in 1877, apparently leaving his family affairs in disarray. His sons continued in the business and Joseph Partington took over the Symonds Street mill. Around 1909 a brick house for the mill manager was constructed on the north side of City Road. This Arts & Crafts building is currently operated as a restaurant called Number 5, it is one of the very few houses remaining in the area which previously was largely residential.

In 1911 Joseph travelled to England and there purchased a windmill and had the machinery, stones, cap and sails shipped back to Auckland. A gas engine was installed to supplement wind power but by 1916 it was found necessary to add 15 feet to the height of tower due to the increased height of the buildings now surrounding the mill.

After a turbulent history of commercial ups-and-downs, family arguments and several fires, the mill's life was effectively ended in 1941 when the then owner, Joseph Partington, died leaving no will. An early advocate of health food, Partington had recently been living the life of a recluse but had kept the mill working. The estate was eventually sold despite attempts by the Windmill Preservation Society to save it, and in 1950 the windmill was demolished.

In 1980 all the buildings on the block of land bounded by Symonds Street to the east, City Road to the north, Liverpool Street to the west and Karangahape road to the south were razed. In the next six years five large buildings arose on the site. Most of the northern part of the site was devoted to the multi-story Sheraton Auckland Hotel & Towers, which incorporated a shopping arcade linking with Karangahape road. This structure was rebranded on January 1, 2005 as the Langham Hotel, Auckland.[2]

Present operation

The Langham Hotel was subsequently built on the windmill's site and is located near numerous Auckland attractions and landmarks such as the Auckland Domain, Auckland CBD, and Auckland War Memorial Museum. It offers a complimentary city bus shuttle so guests can easily access the attractions.

The hotel's restaurant, Partington's, is named after the windmill founder and has won various awards, including Restaurant of the Year in 2006.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chief concierge, Langham Hotel, Auckland - New Zealand Herald, Wednesday 22 August 2007
  2. ↑ Langham Hotel Melbourne on hotel.com.au
  3. ↑ Restaurant Association of NZ, Restaurant Association of NZ, Restaurant Association of NZ, October 16, 2007, accessed October 16, 2007

External links

Coordinates: 36°51′28″S 174°45′46″E / 36.8578°S 174.7627°E / -36.8578; 174.7627

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