Image 1: Victoria Bowls Club, Team No. 2. J. Brackenridge (skip), G. Snaddon, J. Trevor, W. Kibblewhite, 1904. New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXII, Issue IV, 23 January 1904, Page 3.
George Snaddon was born in 1860 in Sauchie, Clackmannan in Scotland. After the death of his father Paul in 1880 he and his siblings lived with his married brother’s family. That year George married[1] Maria (Marina) Watson Binny (Binney, Benny) from Dundee, Forfarshire. Born in 1858 Maria was aged 21, a ‘factory worker 4 Teine’[2] and George a spirit dealer’s assistant, aged 20. Maria was one of John Binny, a hacklemaker,[3] and Maria Binny née Watson’s eleven children.
The new couple left Scotland shortly after their marriage for New Zealand, and in 1885-6 they were living in Ebor Street, a small dead-end street off Tory Street in Wellington. George is listed on the Electoral Roll as a tinsmith. In 1890 George’s brother, Walter, a tailor, arrived and they were all living in Tory Street. In 1902 George was doing well with a plumbing business, and we know that he had an apprentice in those early days, a Mr LC Jansen,[4] born in 1874, who was a master plumber in Wellington until his retirement in 1912.
Image 2: Maria and George Snaddon. Snaddon family photo.
The Evening Post in Dec 1902[5] published the purchasers of Roseneath Property Estate, a second offer of lots from the Estate for sale. The sale sheet described each as a charming residential allotment with magnificent views, free from city rates yet within close proximity to the city. George Snaddon purchased Lots 26, 27, 28, 29, 46, 79, 101, 107 and 108 for the sum of £921/10/-.
Image 3: First offer, Roseneath, Block plan of locality. WCC, City Engineer’s Department, and City Surveyor’s Office’s Maps and Plans. Record Identifier 300, Date Range 1888.
Image 4: Second Offer, Roseneath Lots, 1902, showing the lots that George purchased.
George joined the newly formed Victoria Bowls Club in Claremont Grove, Mount Victoria, in 1897 after which he was featured many times in the bowls competition newspaper reports, a regular winning and keen member.
He played weekly and attended tournaments as far away as Gisborne. Elected Club President in 1914[6] he held this position for the two-year term allowed. It is of interest to note that F. Penty was a past president (1899-1900) of the club. He was an architect that George was to work with in future years.
Image 5: Presidents of the Victoria Bowling Club showing George Snaddon, 1914-15.
From a picture hung at the Victoria Bowling Club, 2024.
George is listed in the 1906 Electoral Roll with the occupation of plumber, but he had already begun building. In 1896 possibly his first building project was his own six roomed home in Shannon Street on Mt Victoria, overlooking the harbour and across to the Orongorongo range to the east.
Image 6: Plan of the Snaddon house to be built at Shannon Street, Mt Victoria. Wellington City Archives.
In 1902 the largest reinforced concrete building for the city began construction – the Wellington Town Hall. Some newspaper reports say the contractors were Paterson, Martin and Hunter, and others say Hunter, Martin and Snaddon.[7] The town hall was built between 1902 – 1904 for £68,000. George being part of the management of the construction is confirmed in his obituary. The town hall was, and still is, considered a fine and superior building.
Image 7: View south from the corner of lower Cuba Street and Wakefield Street. The new Town Hall is on the right. National Library of New Zealand, photographic section.
The building company partnership Martin, Hurrell and Snaddon had been formed with its office in Quin Street, a lane leading from Ghuznee to Dixon Street between Leeds and Egmont Street. They began tendering for work around Wellington in 1906.
In Dec 1906 their tender for building an extension to the Central Library,[8] and in May 1907 for a brick erection for a new wing to the Parliamentary Buildings, were not accepted.[9]
In March 1907 architect Mr James McGill accepted their tender of £6,000 to erect a brick building of three floors and basement called McGills Buildings in Manners St West,[10] later to be renamed 6-8 Boulcott Street.
Image 8: Plans for McGills Buildings, Manners Street West, Wellington City Archives.
In July 1907 they built a one storey cordial factory with stables for Messrs Luxford Bros in Upper Willis Street with architects Penty and Blake for £1,212.
Image 9: Plans of The Cordial Factory and Stables for Messrs Luxford Bros. Wellington City Archives.
Their tender for £16,806 was accepted in December 1907 for the erection of Mr G. Winder’s five storey brick warehouse[11] with basement at the corner of Cuba and Manners Street, became known as Winder’s corner. Mr Winder was an ironmonger and had the floors designed by the building architects Penty & Blake to withstand over three times the expected weight of his heavy goods. This building was later remodelled and expanded to include other buildings, forming the James Smith Building, named after the department store that operated there for many years.
Image 10: Winder’s Building, Cuba and Manners Street looking north, about 1930.
In Oct 1908 contractors Martin, Hurrell & Snaddon’s tender price of £46,424 was accepted[12] to construct Morton’s Dam, an important part of Wellington’s water infrastructure. The works were completed between November 1908 and September 1911 at Solomon’s Knob, Wainui-o-mata, and built to Wellington City Engineer, William Hobbard Morton’s design. This differed from the recently completed reinforced concrete flat slab buttress Morton Upper Karori Dam, being a ferro-cement curved wall, wider at the base and at a 45-degree angle with the toe upstream, supported in place with 90-degree vertical walls, 12 ft apart.[13] The works included the tunnelling of a waterway through to the Hutt Valley. As contractors they employed about 50-60 men who were housed and fed onsite for the duration.
Image 11: Morton’s Dam, Solomon’s Knob, Wainui-o-mata.
On January 15th, 1911, his wife Maria died at their home at 7 Shannon Street, Mt Victoria.[14] She was buried at Karori Cemetery *Public2/N/22.
Image 12: Headstone, Karori Cemetery *Public2/N/22. Taken 2024.
In 1911 George married Elizabeth (Lizzie) Watson Binny, the younger sister of Maria his first wife. Lizzie was born in 1879 in Lochee, Dundee, and they married in New Zealand.[15]
It was reported in the local newspaper under Personal Items that the couple were to depart on May 10th, 1912, aboard the ‘Makura’ for Vancouver on their round the world trip. They returned on the ‘Warrimoo’ from Sydneyon January 1st 1913.[16]
Prior to the trip there was a sale notice[17] in the local newspaper advertisements section, inserted by Martin, Hurrell & Snaddon of Quin Street,[18] Wellington, to sell a surplus volume of equipment: boilers, engines, crushers, steel ropes, pulleys, pumps etc, possibly machinery used for the dam construction.
There are no more references to the business Martin, Hurrell & Snaddon after this. George continues to be listed in the Electoral Roll with occupation, builder.
In April 1915 George applied for a building permit to build a new home on Lot 44 and 45, Roseneath at 8 Thane Road, and later the address is referred to as 8 Robieson Road. A remarkable house with a large copper dome and a spectacular view, this was home for the long-term.
Image 13: The Snaddon house at 8 Thane Road, Roseneath, Wellington. Taken 2024.
He advertised the Shannon Street house for sale[19] in October 1915 for £1000 with the requirement of a small deposit.
On 16th November 1923, George Snaddon of 8 Thane Rd, Roseneath, placed an advertisement to sell Palliser Road sections, overlooking Oriental Bay, for £200. And in November 1925 at a mortgagee sale[20] he purchased the land and buildings 78 and 80 Adelaide Road, Newtown, for £2000. The attached buildings had ground floor shop frontages that he remodelled to residential homes.
Image 14: Alteration plans for 78 and 80 Adelaide Road, Newtown, Wellington. Wellington City Archives.
Lizzie died on April 14th 1927[21] and she was buried alongside her sister, Maria, in Karori Cemetery.
An advertisement was placed by G Snaddon in May 1927, [22] a ¼ acre section with a house for sale – nearly new, 4 rooms, in Liverpool Rd, Trentham. Asking price was £650 with a deposit £100, balance to remain on mortgage at 7%, rates, insurance and interest 17s per week.
And again, in July 1927[23] another ¼ acre section with a house for sale – nearly new, 4 rooms, in Liverpool Rd, Trentham. The asking price was £600 but could be bought with a £25 deposit and a weekly payment of 20s per week, interest and principal.
In June 1932, George headed off aboard the ‘Rangitane’[24] to London via the Panama Canal.
It was reported in the newspaper that he was in London in August 1932,[25] and on December 11th, 1932, George and his new wife arrived at the Port of Wellington from San Francisco aboard the RMS ‘Makura’.[26]
Maria Watson Lunan was a niece of his previous wives, her mother being Jane Binny. Maria was born in Lochee, Dundee on May 27th, 1888, and she and George had married in Lochee, Dundee, in 1932.[27]
The couple sailed for Sydney aboard the ‘Awatea’[28]in June 1938. He was away long enough to miss delivering the first bowl of the season on October 10th at the Victoria Club, normally the role of the longest serving club member. The second longest stepped up to enact the delivery in his absence. However, a Mr G and Mrs M Snaddon were reported as returning from Sydney, prior to the opening, aboard the ‘Wanganella’[29]on September 28th, 1938. In October 1940 he was reported[30] to have put down the first bowl at the season opening, a long serving and active member for 42 years.
In 1942 a major earthquake rattled the Wairarapa and Wellington, and damage over the city was reported including to the Town Hall. There was concern about the stability of the clock tower and this was removed to be incorporated into the Fire Station. Many other Town Hall features were altered at this time to earthquake-proof the building.
When George died on November 13th, 1952, aged 93, he was buried with his former wives at Karori Cemetery in Plot *Public2/N/22, an area planted with gum trees and known as gum gully. His name has not been added to the headstone.
Image 15: Obituary, Evening Post, 25th November 1952.
| Obituary Mr. George Snaddon A well-known member of the business community for many years who was one of the contractors who built the Town Hall, Mr. George Snaddon died in Wellington last week at the age of 93.Born in Scotland he came to New Zealand as a young man and later established himself in Wellington in a plumbing business. In partnership with Messrs John Hunter and James Martin he obtained the contract to erect the Town Hall a half century ago, and at that time it was one of the largest reinforced concrete buildings in the city. So confident was he of the building’s strength that when it was decided to demolish the clock tower Mr Snaddon claimed that no earthquake would ever shake down the tower. When it was demolished, it was found that the tower had been reinforced with steel railway rails. Mr Snaddon who was a former president of the Victoria Bowling Club, is survived by his wife. |
Image 16: Three images of the grave and headstone, Karori Cemetery, *Public2/N/22.
Due to her ailing health in later years Maria moved to live with relatives in Kohimaramara. More care became necessary with her advancing frailty, and she moved to Selwyn Village in Auckland where she died on Feb 15th 1980, and was buried in Purewa Cemetery.
The home at 8 Thane Road remained in the family until it was sold on October 15th 1990.
Ally McBride 2024
[1] Scotland’s People, Marriage 1880, 282/5/86 Dundee City, Lochee. Maria H Binny and George Snaddon
[2] Possibly this should read 4 Twine as Dundee was known for its jute twine industry
[3] Hacklemaker: A person who carries out the early stages of preparing raw fibre (jute and flax) for spinning
[4] Mr LC Larsen Obituary, Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 269, 9 August 1932, Page 10
[5] Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 135, 4 December 1902, Page 5
[6] Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1914, Page 11
[7] Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 264, 6 August 1942, Page 4
[8] Progress, Volume II, Issue 2, 1 December 1906, Page 44
[9] Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 118, 20 May 1907, Page 8
[10] Progress, Volume II, Issue 5, 1 March 1907, Page 180
[11] Progress, Volume III, Issue 2, 1 December 1907, Page 59
[12] Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 105, 30 October 1908, Page 8
[13] Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 335, 23 October 1908, Page 8
[14] Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 14, 18 January 1911, Page 1
[15] Reg 6968/1911 BDM NZ Elizabeth Watson Binny and George Snaddon
[16] Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1637, 2 January 1913, Page 7
[17] Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 66, 18 March 1912, Page 12
[18] Quin St was a small lane that ran between Dixon and Ghuznee St east of Leeds St.
[19] Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 92, 16 October 1915, Page 1
[20] Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 43, 14 November 1925, Page 12
[21] Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 88, 14 April 1927, Page 1
[22] Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 111, 13 May 1927, Page 3
[23] Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 2, 2 July 1927, Page 1
[24] Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 138, 13 June 1932, Page 9
[25] Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 53, 31 August 1932, Page 11
[26] Evening Post, Issue 141, 12 December 1932, Page 11
[27] Scotlands People Marriage 1932, 282/4/128 Dundee City, Lochee. Maria Watson Lunan and George Snaddon
[28] Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 230, 25 June 1938, Page 18
[29] Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 4, 29 September 1938, Page 14
[30] Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 91, 14 October 1940, Page 10