History – Riverina and the Wilson story

In 1858, William Wilson and his 22-year-old son, Nathaniel, bought land in the newly opened up Mahurangi area on what is now known as Wilson Road. This was once the main north road, linking the Mahurangi River to Kaipara in the west. Here they each built a simple two-room cottage with adjoining businesses – William, a blacksmith shop, and Nathaniel, a shoemaker’s shop. Nathaniel’s brothers, James and John, would have been young teens at that stage and still living with their parents.

By 1863, Nathaniel had married Florence Snell. They lived in the cottage through the birthing and rearing of their 10 children, extending the house to eight rooms to make room for the growing family. Thomas, one of Nathaniel’s five sons, writes in his story of the Wilsons’ Cement Works, of growing up in a large family and the ‘rollicking times’ they had. There were jobs, of course – hens to feed, usually a pig or two and three or four cows to milk, morning and evening, in the large, unfenced acreage. As the seasons allowed, the children would pick fruit to send to market, too.

By 1900, most of the 10 children were married and only Ebenezer, Decem and Nathaniel Jnr remained at home. Nathaniel Jnr had a heart condition and my aunt described him as a ‘blue baby’. The double concrete cottage opposite on Wilson Road, known as Little Riverina, was built as a source of income for him.

In 1901, Nathaniel and Florence started the process of building a home for their retirement on the ridge above the Cement Works, with a view over the surrounding countryside, Mahurangi River and Hauraki Gulf. The light from Tiritiri Matangi was visible on clear nights, as was Hauturu/Little Barrier on clear days.

Robert de Montalk, an Auckland architect, was commissioned to design the house. Interestingly, Riverina is not constructed from concrete but fired clay and lime. Heated local clay was mixed with lime and then rammed into formers to make 225mm thick walls, with the exterior surface reinforced with steel tiles. The interior decoration of ceiling mouldings and turned woodwork fitted the Italianate design of the exterior and the social position of the Wilson family. The internal staircase was built with a shallow rise especially to accommodate Nathaniel Jnr’s defective heart.

By the end of the first decade of the 20th century, the remaining three children had married and, in 1913, Nathaniel and Florence celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with all their family. Florence died later that same year.

Nathaniel lived on in Riverina until his death in 1919. The property stayed in the Wilson family until it was sold in 1938. During World War II, the United States Army used both Riverina and Little Riverina as headquarters for various infantry divisions, with camps nearby along Wilson Road. After the war, road makers were accommodated in the house, including Keith Baker and his wife. This was during the upgrading of the highway from Dairy Flat to Wellsford. Postal and telegraph workers then used it as a hostel.

By 1969, when Beverley and Ronald Simmons bought it, the heritage report described it as a ruin. The Simmons embarked on significant restoration of Riverina, not only restoring the structure, but also lovingly refurbishing it with antiques, even returning a painting done by Nathaniel’s daughter Mary to its original site on the wall above the staircase. The house now has a Category 2 rating with Heritage NZ and stands above the town, some 120 years on, as a reminder of an important part of Warkworth’s early development.

Upcoming Warkworth Museum events:
• In September a photo competition based on the Wilson Cement Works
• In November, a major display about the cement works.