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The
Founding of Ellerslie |
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ELLERSLIE DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Picture: Robert Graham. Leon Leicester Collection.
 Robert Graham and the Founding of Ellerslie
The history of Ellerslie began in 1848 when a young Scottish entrepreneur, Robert Graham, purchased two blocks of land bounded by Great South and Panmure Roads. Although he initially wished to name the area 'Elderslie' after his family home in Larnarkshire, the name was altered to 'Ellerslie' either as the result of a clerical error or due to the prior existence of a town called Elderslie in Otago. The estate was gradually expanded to incorporate land between Great South Road, Remuera Road, and the outskirts of St John's College. Several years later Robert journeyed to America where he courted and married Sophia Swann, returning to New Zealand with their first-born child in April 1853. A family homestead named 'Ellerslie House' was constructed at the top end of 'Ladies Mile' - originally no more than a bridle track connecting the estate to Remuera Road where Robert's brother resided. Although the track later became officially known as Bella Street, Robert nicknamed it 'Ladies Mile' after his wife who rode along it every morning.
In subsequent years a large number of labourers developed the land. The Ferguson family were employed as shepherds on the estate and remained in Ellerslie throughout their lives as one of the first families to settle in the district. Robert expanded his agricultural interests elsewhere in the colony, including the purchase of land near the Thames goldfields that was subdivided into a settlement called 'Grahamstown'. He also became a pioneer in New Zealand tourism, beginning in 1845 when he acquired 20 acres at Waiwera and constructed a tourist hotel with landscaped gardens. Throughout the late nineteenth century hundreds of visitors travelled to Waiwera by steamer to enjoy the hot mineral baths. Robert similarly seized the potential of geothermal land in Taupo for tourism and from the mid 1850s was drawn to colonial politics, elected to the House of Representatives in 1855. In 1862 he became the Auckland Provincial Superintendent and retained a seat on the Provincial Council from 1868 until the abolition of the provincial system in 1875.
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