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Saint Patrick's College; buildings.
History
HistoryConstruction of the buildings was under way in 1929; the 50th-anniversary March 17 (fortuitously St Patrick's Day), 1981 'Leader' and July 3, 1984 'Leader' articles said the bricks had been made at Wi Tako Prison. The 800-acre/324-hectare property had cost the equivalent of $40 000 (£20 000) and the buildings $152 000 (£76 000). The college opened in March 1931 with 151 boarding pupils- the overflow from St Patrick's, Wellington - and 17 day boys from the sparsely-populated rural upper valley. From Father Dowling:- 'No gym, or rifle range, no "Bourke House" or steel huts, no bats, no Home of Compassion next door, no poplars lining the bottom field or the River Road'. The fields were still paddocks though the terraces were there; the roadway around the building was formed but was in rough gravel'.
A 1939 fire in the boxroom caused some minor damage, as did a 1942 earthquake.
After the war, with the boarding roll increasing rapidly, American huts were brought from Guadalcanal, and served the college for 'a good many years' until Redward House was built in 1961.
The 1968 Wahine storm felled 70-100 trees at the front of the college and on the 176-acre/71 hectare farm.
The chapel, built in 1977, was 'new' in a 1982 photo caption.
An article on the 1980 awards ceremony mentioned problems with bureaucracy. The Hutt Valley Drainage Board had tried to designate almost all of the lower farm for a sewage treatment plant, and the proposed acquisition of the Pumpkin Cottage land had not allowed for the land's possible industrial or commercial value. All told, legal costs had risen to five figures
The 1981 article quoted 385 boarders and 240 day boys.
The main block had been strengthened against earthquakes by March 1992.
Two new staff houses were being built in June 1993.
A 1939 fire in the boxroom caused some minor damage, as did a 1942 earthquake.
After the war, with the boarding roll increasing rapidly, American huts were brought from Guadalcanal, and served the college for 'a good many years' until Redward House was built in 1961.
The 1968 Wahine storm felled 70-100 trees at the front of the college and on the 176-acre/71 hectare farm.
The chapel, built in 1977, was 'new' in a 1982 photo caption.
An article on the 1980 awards ceremony mentioned problems with bureaucracy. The Hutt Valley Drainage Board had tried to designate almost all of the lower farm for a sewage treatment plant, and the proposed acquisition of the Pumpkin Cottage land had not allowed for the land's possible industrial or commercial value. All told, legal costs had risen to five figures
The 1981 article quoted 385 boarders and 240 day boys.
The main block had been strengthened against earthquakes by March 1992.
Two new staff houses were being built in June 1993.
Photos
Location
DescriptionCatholic boys' school; day pupils and boardersCoordinates[1] The chapel
Coordinates[1] The chapelDetails
EstablishedMarch 1931Location TypeEducational
Location TypeEducationalMore Information
More informationSt Patrick's College website
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Saint Patrick's College; buildings.. Upper Hutt City Library, accessed 18/03/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/24148