Belt Road Dairy, 344 Devon Street West (1884/1930)

Now known as the Belt Road Dairy, this building was originally constructed in 1884 by William Rowse Tremain as his family residence; the front shop premises were added in 1930.

We know a great deal about William's life and his personal finances during the period in which he owned the property, as he was subjected to bankruptcy proceedings in 1887, and was harshly criticised for living 'beyond his means'.

Newspaper reports of the proceedings reveal that William Tremain and his family shifted to New Plymouth in September 1880, and William was employed in building the first breakwater at Moturoa. In March 1884, Tremain purchased Sections U and V of Part Town Belt A from Newton King and seems to have commenced building the house himself soon after - he had no capital and purchased the section and constructed the house entirely on credit. The timber for the house was purchased from the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company, and money was loaned to Tremain from both Newton King and Richard Cock Junior. 

Upon getting into financial difficulty, Tremain rented out the Devon Street house and leased land himself on Hurford Road to try and earn some extra income - this required building another, albeit primitive, dwelling for him, his wife, and their seven children on the new property. The new venture failed, and Tremain ended up further in debt, with bankruptcy proceedings commencing in April 1887. 

Tremain seems to have redeemed himself, later moving to Coastal Taranaki, where in the late 1890s he was foreman of works for the Waimate Road Board. It seems William and his wife Elizabeth later moved to Epsom, Auckland, where they probably spent the remainder of their lives. 

In 1924 the two original sections (U and V), were subdivided into three sections by then owner Richard Burke. A permit was later granted to Burke by the Borough Council on 8 February 1930 for 'additions' on Section U, cnr Devon St and Belt Road, and probably relates to the construction of the shop premises at the front of the dwelling - the builder for this addition was W. J. Girling, and the estimated cost was £110. The 1930-32 editions of Wises Street Directory list Mrs Sarah Giles, confectioner, as the occupier of the shop and dwelling; the 1933 edition lists Thomas Moore, confectioner, as the occupier and the 1934 edition lists Joseph Hinds, confectioner, as the occupier. 

Related items:

Bankrupt Estate of William Rowse Tremain (Taranaki Herald 30 April 1887)

Meeting of W.R. Tremain's Creditors (Taranaki Herald 2 May 1887)

Bankruptcy Court (Taranaki Herald 19 May 1887)

Bankruptcy Court: Day 2 (Taranaki Herald 20 May 1887)

Taranaki DP134 Sheet 1 (1886), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Taranaki DEED14 Sheet 1, ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Taranaki DP4535 Sheet 1 (1924), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Taranaki Land Deeds Index I14, page 443. (Archives New Zealand)

CT TN16-121