From Tauranga City Library’s archives
A monthly blog about interesting items in our collection
At Tauranga City Libraries there is a collection in the archives labelled “Ams 12 – Guinness Brothers” that has largely been unheeded since it was donated back in 1975. However, very recently, it has been wheeled out to be examined in the light of day, catalogued and digitised and is proving to be a very intriguing find, indeed.
This collection begins in 1882 with the formation of Mann and Co.'s bond store – which stood in a prominent location at No. 1 The Strand – and ends in the early 20th century with the records of Guinness Bros. Despite being formed of just three files, it contains a wealth of material: papers relating to customs bond and the construction of the warehouse, ephemera linked to the businesses and photographs of the owners enjoying their free time. As such, it offers a glimpse of business life in Tauranga during the later 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Guinness Bros Building, The Strand c. 1920. Tauranga City Libraries Image 99-1157 |
The Bond Store was originally built for James Alexander Mann in 1883 as a warehouse for storing imported goods. It was well-situated near the waterfront and the two main wharves, which were the main entry place for goods arriving at Tauranga by sea.
James Mann sold the business in 1908 to Guinness Brothers. The Guinness Brothers Limited’s original directors were brothers Sidney Oswald Guinness and John (Jack) Arthur Daniel Guinness, along with their mother Jessie and step-father John Green. The brothers are indeed descendants of Arthur Guinness, founder of the famous stout brewery at St James’s Gate in Dublin. Jack and Sid’s grandfather, Francis Hart Vicesimus Guinness, was the grandson of Arthur Guinness and after a number of years living in India, he brought his family out to New Zealand to start a new life in 1852.
Francis’s fourth son, Frank Hart Guinness, met and married Jessie Bannatyne, whose family was in the hotel business in Otago. Together, they were the licensees of several Dunedin Hotels. Frank died aged 44 at the Douglas Hotel in Dunedin, leaving wife Jessie and seven children. She remarried John George Green and they had one son, George Leslie Green 1902. The family moved to Christchurch in 1903 where they were again in the Hotel business and by 1908 they were on the move again. They left Christchurch on the vessel “Ellingmite” en route to Tauranga with the youngest six members of the family.
With the boys’ future in mind, Jack being 24 years and Sid 22 years, Mr Green purchased a business from Mr J.A. Mann that consisted of the direct importing business, a wholesale wine and spirit licence, farm machinery and a retail store selling general hardware, groceries and petrol.
As importers, producers and stockists of agricultural equipment, Guinness Bros. played an essential role in the development of the Bay of Plenty's agricultural industry. They did considerable business in the backblocks, extending from east of Opotiki to west of Waihi.
They adapted well to trends, opportunities and changing needs of their community, and weathered the highs and lows, such as two World Wars (Guinness men were killed in both wars, including younger brother Cecil who worked as a storeman at Guinness Bros.).
The business and its owners were an important part of the community and were prominent in Tauranga’s recreational and social scenes. They were also influential in civic matters, as can be witnessed by a letter in the archive collection dated 25 February 1909, : Ams 12/3/3 – Department of Trade and Customs Wellington.
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Tauranga City Library Archive Collection – Ams 12/3/3 |
In the early part of 1909, the Government was contemplating closing the Port of Tauranga because of the drastic drop in revenue (Guinness, 1978). A direct approach by Guinness Brothers to the Minister of Trade and Customs urging that Tauranga continue as a Customs Port, elicited a favourable reply from the Government and the Port continued its trade. The fortunes of the port and of the warehouse business changed for the better, as by 1914 nearly 20,000 tonnes of imports were landed at Tauranga, and 466 tonnes exported.
Guinness Brothers businesses remained in the Bond Store for 70 years, plus a further eight years just for their wine and spirits business. When occupied by Guinness Brothers the Bond Store was a familiar landmark and popular retail outlet, becoming one of Western Bay of Plenty’s iconic and leading firms.
On this note I will leave you this quote from an article in the Journal of the Historical Society (45):
“The name Guinness is surely woven into Tauranga’s past and present; it is an old, old name with a ring of quality about it, a quality embellished into a flourishing retail and wholesale business built from the sturdy independence, the faith and the outlook of the brothers...” (Morris, 1972)
Sources
Bay of Plenty Times, 1 April 1968,
including special feature on 60 year anniversary of Guinness Brothers. (Ams
12/5/8).
Guinness, Olga. E. Guinness
Brothers Limited 1908-1978. Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society
Number 61; 1978.
Morris, E.W. How it began - No. 3,
Guinness Bros. Journal of the Tauranga Historical Society
Number 45; 1972.
Smith, Rod. Guinness Down Under – The famous brew and the family come to Australia and New Zealand. Tauranga; Eyeglass Press Ltd. 2018.
The items from this archival collection is on our schedule for digitisation, and will be added to Pae Korokī once digitised. For more information about other items in our collection, visit Pae Korokī or email the Heritage & Research Team: Research@tauranga.govt.nz
Written by Jody Smart, Heritage Trainee at Tauranga City Library.
