Halcombe History
"The European settlement of Feilding and the surrounding Manchester Block was the result of a private emigration scheme set up by a group of English upper class businessmen and philanthropists led by the 7th Duke of Manchester, William Montagu. Calling itself the Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation, this company was formed in 1869 to select a block of land in one of Britain’s colonies and to settle there a group of people principally selected from the unemployed agricultural labouring classes and others adversely affected by the many social changes brought about by the industrial revolution."
Quote from "The Manchester Block" by Dorothy Pilkington
The town of Halcombe was established in 1876 and named for Arthur William Follett Halcombe, Residents' Agent to the Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation. In 1871 the Corporation had purchased 100,000 acres of land between Te Reu Reu Reserve and the Ruahine Ranges - the "Manchester Block" - from the Provincial Council. Four Maori sub tribes had been living on Te Reu Reu Reserve, land on the south bank of the Rangitikei River between the Rangataua and Waitapu streams, since approximately the 1850’s.
In 1863 Halcombe married Edith Stanway Swainson, a woman who took pioneer life in her stride, becoming an established artist, farmer, nurse, mother and community leader.
A number of British and German families arrived followed by a number of Danish settlers. The first immigrants were provided with a free passage to New Zealand and an acre of land with a shack on it. Work offered by the Corporation was mainly bush felling and road construction. In 1878, to provide more work, the Corporation made larger blocks of land available.
The railway arrived in Halcombe in 1877 and in 1878 the line to Whanganui was completed, which gave Halcombe options for transportation to and from the district. Halcombe’s Railway Station became an important place as it was the only refreshment rooms between Foxton (via Palmerston North) and Whanganui. At one point 35 trains passed though Halcombe each day. The focal point of the village became the Railway Station, which also included a post office and bar. (Sadly, it burnt down in 1962). The first church was erected in 1876 by the Methodists, with Lutherans to follow in 1878.
Halcombe quickly become a thriving town. It reached its peak population during the late 1880’s of approx. 2,500 and there were four schools in the area - Halcombe, Stanway, Tokorangi and Kakariki. Into the new century, as nearby towns of Feilding and Marton grew and land-clearance and timber-milling gave way to farming, the population of the local area dwindled. Stanway, Tokorangi and Kakariki School's closed over time with all students then moving to Halcombe School. Halcombe School moved to its current site on Monteith Street in 1941.
Today, the Halcombe community is still strong, with a thriving school, busy tavern, rugby and sports club, volunteer Fire Brigade, active marae at Taumata o te Ra, Te Hiiri, Tokorangi and Poupatate and plenty of families who love living here. Residents are drawn to the rural lifestyle and "village atmosphere" of Halcombe and enjoy living in this vibrant, caring community.
Find out more @ Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand:
G. M. Swainson. 'Halcombe, Arthur William Follett', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1993. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2h2/halcombe-arthur-william-follett (accessed 10 January 2020)
Quote from "The Manchester Block" by Dorothy Pilkington
The town of Halcombe was established in 1876 and named for Arthur William Follett Halcombe, Residents' Agent to the Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation. In 1871 the Corporation had purchased 100,000 acres of land between Te Reu Reu Reserve and the Ruahine Ranges - the "Manchester Block" - from the Provincial Council. Four Maori sub tribes had been living on Te Reu Reu Reserve, land on the south bank of the Rangitikei River between the Rangataua and Waitapu streams, since approximately the 1850’s.
In 1863 Halcombe married Edith Stanway Swainson, a woman who took pioneer life in her stride, becoming an established artist, farmer, nurse, mother and community leader.
A number of British and German families arrived followed by a number of Danish settlers. The first immigrants were provided with a free passage to New Zealand and an acre of land with a shack on it. Work offered by the Corporation was mainly bush felling and road construction. In 1878, to provide more work, the Corporation made larger blocks of land available.
The railway arrived in Halcombe in 1877 and in 1878 the line to Whanganui was completed, which gave Halcombe options for transportation to and from the district. Halcombe’s Railway Station became an important place as it was the only refreshment rooms between Foxton (via Palmerston North) and Whanganui. At one point 35 trains passed though Halcombe each day. The focal point of the village became the Railway Station, which also included a post office and bar. (Sadly, it burnt down in 1962). The first church was erected in 1876 by the Methodists, with Lutherans to follow in 1878.
Halcombe quickly become a thriving town. It reached its peak population during the late 1880’s of approx. 2,500 and there were four schools in the area - Halcombe, Stanway, Tokorangi and Kakariki. Into the new century, as nearby towns of Feilding and Marton grew and land-clearance and timber-milling gave way to farming, the population of the local area dwindled. Stanway, Tokorangi and Kakariki School's closed over time with all students then moving to Halcombe School. Halcombe School moved to its current site on Monteith Street in 1941.
Today, the Halcombe community is still strong, with a thriving school, busy tavern, rugby and sports club, volunteer Fire Brigade, active marae at Taumata o te Ra, Te Hiiri, Tokorangi and Poupatate and plenty of families who love living here. Residents are drawn to the rural lifestyle and "village atmosphere" of Halcombe and enjoy living in this vibrant, caring community.
Find out more @ Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand:
G. M. Swainson. 'Halcombe, Arthur William Follett', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1993. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2h2/halcombe-arthur-william-follett (accessed 10 January 2020)
