Mrs Herbert's Residence, 23 Rogan Street (1906/1910)

The section on which 23 Rogan Street is located was listed for sale by land agent F. P. Corkill in the early 1900s - he was the owner of a number of sections in the area, having purchased them a few years earlier as part of Richard Chilman's estate. 

The property was purchased by Mrs Ella Constance Herbert, and she had the original portion of the present house constructed on the section. A permit for construction of the house was granted by the Borough Council to Mrs Herbert on 3 August 1906; Frank Messenger was the architect, and the estimated construction cost was £595. Mrs Herbert operated a small boarding house from the building, and the property became known as 'Ellerslie'.

In October 1910, Mrs Herbert sold the property, and a large sale of Mrs Herbert's furniture was held later that month on account of her leaving the province. Soon after, the recently retired Rev Frank George Evans engaged Frank Messenger to design additions to the house, and a permit for 'alterations' with an estimated cost of £326, was granted by the Borough Council on 25 October 1910. 

A feature of the Rogan Street frontage is the stone wall and garage. The stone wall was constructed in 1922, with architects Messenger, Griffiths and Taylor advertising for tenders for "cobble-stone wall and concrete work to residence in John Street", during May 1922. The garage is particularly interesting, being of a similar age and style to the house - it was possibly constructed as a trap shed, or a very early motor garage.

Related items:

Town Section 1756, Taranaki Land Deed Index I3 page 62. (Archives New Zealand)

Taranaki DP1698 Sheet 1 (1901), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Taranaki DP7279 Sheet 1 (1952), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Taranaki DP9246 Sheet 1 (1963), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)