Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 82, 16 October 1928
Percy's Mill. One of the most important reminders of pioneer days in the Hutt Valley is the building known as "Percy's Mill," which nestles under Petone's western hills close to the ramped road over the railway on the Hutt road. There are still living to-day a few of the pioneers who can recollect the days when the farmers, congregated round the mill door and, while waiting for their wheat to be ground, told to each other the news of the day. Owing to the changes brought about by the railway deviation a new street has been made which leads up to the old mill, and some months ago the Petone Borough Council bestowed upon it the name "Selwyn street." Last night, however, in order to perpetuate a historic building, and also to comply, at least in part, with a suggestion made by Messrs Percy Bros., descendants of the original owner of the mill, the council decided to rename the street "The Mill road." The building, built of unpainted totara weather boards, is still in a sound condition after weathering the storms of nearly eighty years.Upper Hutt Weekly Review, Volume III, Issue 49, 25 November 1938
As I have been asked time and again for some more information of the old pioneers, to be published in your paper, I give you the following which may interest some of your readers. It might not be generally known that the Hutt Valley was heavily timbered. This had to be felled and burnt as much as possible. Everything depended on a dry summer, then a good burn was looked for. Afterwards, wheat was sown and grubbed in by grubbing hoes in all the clear patches of land, this being before the sparrow made his appearance. After it had grown and was fit and ripe enough for cutting, it was cut with reaping hooks and stooked among the black logs until sufficiently dry to go into sheds or barns. In places where the carts could not lift it, it had to be carried out from among logs. When dry enough for threshing, one would hear the bump-bump of flails threshing out the grain for weeks. When threshed, it would then be put through a hand winnowing machine to clear the chaff from the grain, then sacked up and taken to the flour-mill at Petone to be ground into flour. The men who did this work have passed away, but the old flour-mill stands there yet. If, after leaving Lower Hutt by train, you look out on the righthand side before reaching Petone, you will see two buildings, close to the hill, with rusty iron on roof. Those are the old mill. In the 'sixties of last century there were three white families - the Bassets, the Everests and the Percys. They lived between Lower Hutt Railway Station and Petone, on the right-hand side going south. On the opposite side was a native village nearly down to the sea. The Percy family owned the flour-mill. Trusting this letter might interest some who might not know how these grand old pioneers toiled to clear the land to make New Zealand what it is to-day. Yours, etc., J. MARTIN, Main Rd., Upper Hutt.Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 195, 17 August 1940
Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 111, 13 May 1942
Percy's Mill at Lower Hull, Wellington. - photo about 1860.
The picture I give here shows the flour mill that was known as Percy's, in the western part of the Lower Hutt Valley, Wellington. The big wheel was driven by a stream that came over the western hills and flowed into the Hutt River. The Percy family combined farming with milling for many years. There were numerous other mills in the Wellington district, and much of the grain supplied for flour-making came from the Maori cultivations. Some wheat that came to Percy's mill wan brought in large canoes all the way round from the valleys on the eastern side of the Wellington Harbour entrance.
It appears that something of the mill machinery may have survived - described as "the wheel", this could have been almost anything from a single gear wheel, the millstone, or even the whole waterwheel, though the latter two of those sound unlikely given that it was "presented" at a gathering: Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 79, 30 September 1942
Percy's Mill, an old Petone landmark
PERCY'S MILL
RELIC TO BE PRESERVED
Percy's Mill, one of Petone's oldest landmarks, is to be preserved for posterity. This was decided at last night's meeting of the Petone Borough Council when the fate of the structure was under discussion. The northern portion of the building, much of which is riddled with borer and which is in imminent danger of collapse, is, however, to be pulled down, and the mill proper will be allowed to stand fortified with any good timber salvaged from the part to be demolished. The ultimate fate of the mill, suggested one councillor, would be its destruction by fire, as it was used for clandestine nocturnal meetings by people who were not too careful about the lighting of fires.
The Deputy Mayor, Mr. A. M. Macfarlane, remarked that it would not be possible to reinstate the mill except at considerable cost, and then so much would have to be done to it that it would no longer be Percy's Mill. For sentimental reasons it would be nice to preserve it, but sentiment could be carried too far. However, there was no intention of disturbing the mill proper, which, incidentally, had been grossly violated years ago when the railway had been put through the property, someone having "pinched" the machinery.
Percy's Mill is the wooden structure which stands just off the Western Hutt Road close to where the Waterloo line branches off the Hutt railway. It was built in 1851 by Mr. J. Hewlett Percy, and has the distinction of never having had a coat of paint. In Petone's early days, when the name of the settlement was spelt Pito-one, Percy's Mill was used for concerts and dances, as well as for the purpose for which it was constructed. Mr. Percy built his home there at the same time, but this was pulled down many years ago. Pieces of the house used to lean up against the mill building, but most of them have disappeared, being too great a temptation to those wanting free firewood or timber. In recent years a reserve, Percy's Gardens, has been developed on the property.
With Percy's Mill is associated a historic oak tree. In 1843 Mr. Percy planted an acorn on the bank of the Hutt River. This duly grew into an oak tree which he transplanted to his property. There it grew into a fine tree, but some years ago the Public Works Department cut it down to within three feet of the ground and rooted out the stump. Out of the ground and exposed to all weathers, the stump remained for three months. It was then replanted, and such was its tenacious hold on life that it actually sent forth new shoots and started to become a tree again.
EARLY SETTLERSThe year end report makes it clear that we are probably talking about a small wheel here: Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 50, 1 March 1943
DOMINION DAY HONOURED
The need for some sort of early settlers' hall, where valued mementoes of the old days could be safely stored, and where early settlers themselves could hold their meetings, was mentioned by the Mayor (Mr. Hislop) at Monday afternoon's gathering, of members of the Early Settlers' and Historical Association in commemoration of Dominion Day. He suggested that in the meantime the New Zealand room in the municipal library might be made available, pending a permanent early settlers hall which conceivably could be provided when the proposed civic centre was built.
Professor F. P. Wilson presided, and the official party included the Prime Minister and Mrs. Fraser, the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor of Petone (Mr. H. Green), Mr. K. London, brother of the Mayor of Petone (who is posted missing), Mrs. Repeka Love, O.B.E., Mr. W. Toomath (secretary of the association) and Mr. W. B. Allen, a 96-year-old pioneer who journeyed from the Wairarapa for the occasion.
During the function, a gift by Parliament of a presidential chair dating back to the old Provincial Council days was acknowledged, and two other presentations were made. One was a presidential table of split matai, the gift of Mr. Allen, and the other was the wheel from the historic Percy's mill, presented by Mr. Green, on behalf of Petone.
EARLY SETTLERSThe building was destroyed by arson in 1945: Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 97, 22 October 1945
ASSOCIATION'S YEAR
Losses of relatives in the war were sincerely mourned at the annual meeting of the Early Settlers' and Historical Association of Wellington held in St. Mark's schoolroom on Saturday Mrs E. C. Carter presided.
The annual report, referring to the functions of the year, said that Dominion Day had been marked by the presentation of gifts, amongst which were a presidential table made out of a piece of timber felled by Mr. E. Ticehurst in Greytown in the early fifties, presented by Mr. W. B. Allen; a chair made in Queen Victoria's time, presented by Parliament; a wheel from Percy's mill. Petone, presented by the Council of that borough; and mill stones presented by Governor Grey to the Maoris in Otaki, used by them in their flour mill acquired from the purchaser of the property by Mr. Byron Brown and presented by him to the Association.
LANDMARK BURNEDEvening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 122, 20 November 1945
PERCY'S Mill
POLICE TO INVESTIGATE
Police inquiries have been instituted following the fire which on Saturday evening completely destroyed the historic Percy brothers' flour mill, a 100-year-old landmark on the Western Hutt Road at Petone. By the time the Petone Fire Brigade had been called to the scene the building was so fiercely ablaze that they decided to concentrate on saving the adjacent native bush which is part of Percy's Reserve, a scenic area being developed by the Petone Borough Council.
The Mayor of Petone (Mr. H. Green) attributed the fire to "pure vandalism." The council's ranger had visited the mill at 6 p.m. - shortly before the fire started - he said, and there was no possibility that the mill could have been burned other than maliciously.
"Percy's flour mill was one of the first buildings in the Wellington district," the Mayor continued. "Tt was built about 100 years ago from timber - totara, I believe - from the Hutt Valley and the Percy brothers used their own home-made nails. Originally there was an oak tree alongside the mill and it was considered to be the oldest oak, but one, in New Zealand. It was cut down a few years ago when the railway branch line was put through to Woburn. The mill stood at the entrance to Percy's gardens. The land was taken over by the Government and handed to the council as a public reserve about four years ago, but it has not yet been officially opened.
"I cannot understand why some people delight in damaging public property," said Mr. Green, who said that the council was deeply grrieved about the destruction of the mill. "The ranger tells me that there have been two other attempts in the past to fire Percy's mill."
VANDALISM IN PETONE[photo] [photo]
"Public property seems to be fair game for destruction and vandalism," contended the horticultural officer, Mr. A. E. Morgan, in his monthly report to the Petone Borough Council, which met last night. He referred to the destruction of the historic 100-years-old landmark, Percy's Mill, by a fire caused by vandals last month, and said it was a pity that the person or persons responsible had not yet been apprehended.
| Last updated 16/09/2025 | Text and images © Mark Berry, 1997-2025 - |