23 Sophia St
1886
Architect Meason & Marchant
Builder Palliser & Jones
It is a Victorian with classical element's built of brick and plaster. It was the first building by Meason & Marchant. In 1928 and identical addition was built. The ground floor was used as a garage for the seven Model T Ford cards which formed the fleet for the Timaru Herald's mail run contract with the Post Office.
Significant elements include pilasters, capitals, cornice, string cource, timpany, window detailing and parapet.
This building is the The Timaru Herald's first Sophia St premises, which was occupied by the newspaper from 1886 to 1984. But the papers history goes back much further.
in July 1864 The Herald is established by Alfred George Horton, helped in first year, by Fred Edmond Younghusband and Ingram Shrimpton; first weekly issue printed on Saturday, June 11, in small detached kitchen run by former whaler and town character Sam Williams; paper eventually moves further west on George St. In 1866: Herald becomes bi-weekly, printing on Wednesdays and Saturdays (with the arrival of telegraph). In 1868 the Herald office, next to the Excelsior Hotel), burns down along with 38 other wooden buildings on, or neighboring, Great Southern Rd, now Stafford St. Staff tried to save what was possible from the burning building. While some were tasked with carrying out cases of type and taking down presses, others threw paper from the windows onto the street. Before much was done in this way the men had the fire falling upon them through the roof, and were compelled to desist. The principal portion of the newspaper type was saved, but the whole of the jobbing type, frames, and other materials were destroyed. Herbert Belfield, joint proprietor who later bought the paper in 1871, lost his dog to the blaze. "It refused to leave the office as long as its owner remained, and not seeing its owner leave, in the end was buried in the flames." Learn more here
Herald is offered temporary premises and prints single sheet for "a week or two" afterwards. Main South Road site is rebuilt.
1871: Horton sells to Herbert Belfield, who became joint proprietor in 1866. In the same year, The Herald's two-storey premises on corner of Sophia St and Royal (Ross) Arcade is opened; becomes Herald's home for nearly 100 years. 1887: Edward George Kerr, owner of South Canterbury Times, buys Herald; both papers operate from Sophia St building - Herald as a morning publication, Times as an evening publication. 1905: The Timaru Herald Co Ltd is formed, owned principally by members of Kerr family who lived at Harlau House. Learn more here
The Sophia Street building, erected in 1885 and extended in 1928. In 1939 the Timaru Post, the company's evening newspaper since the mid-1930s, ceased publication after 40 years. In 1954 a new press room and a paper store were built at the rear of the Sophia Street premises and the company's Crabtree rotary press was commissioned on October 2. Three years later the printing press was extended to take a maximum of 48 pages and the Herald became the first newspaper in New Zealand to offer two-colour printing. During 1960-61 the interior of the second storey of the Sophia Street building was reconstructed and a new factory built. In 1964 the Herald celebrated its centenary. In 1977 the newspaper changed to front-page news, the first issue in that format being published on February 8. Learn more here
The material to be published the next day came in from several sources and in several ways. I imagine it was assembled in suitable order and passed on to the linotype operators to type for printing. This was not a simple procedure. The linotype machines were monstrous machines and if seen today would seem like something out of this world. They had an extremely hot area in which lead was placed to melt. The operator would type his article on a keyboard which was then transferred to "lead slugs" and assembled in order as columns for the paper. One interesting point to note is that the letters on the "lead slugs" were back-to-front so that when the pages were assembled for printing the words were of course around the correct way. The proof readers were the next to see the assembled columns before the pages were passed on to the printing machines. Learn more
Did you know? In 1984 Herald moves to Banks St; building is officially opened by then-Prime Minister Robert Muldoon.
Can you find? The historic photo on the wall? Can you see the ear sculpture on the former telecomunications building across the road?
Get a selfie with the paper boy
The Sophia Street Timaru Herald Office before the extension
Timaru township. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008713-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29947494
The South Canterbury Jubilee Parade on Sophia Street, Timaru, in January 1909. Depicts the procession travelling north, led by a horse-drawn float (wagon) with a large banner reading "Timaru Rowing Club" passing the intersection with Perth Street. The lodge building that became the Timaru Trades Hall appears in the background. Handwritten on verso "Procession on Sophia St" Glass plate negative and copy print. South Canterbury Museum 1657
Postcard - Timaru April 1876 Herald Office on Great South Rd and other buildings. (Stafford street just down from Theatre Royal). The obscured building on left is the Criterion Hotel, later renamed the Excelsior. - Curtosy of Jason Westaway
The Timaru Heralds newly built office were located on this site. Following the destruction of the building the by 1868 fire. The Timaru Herald temporarily relocated to "Captain Cains" New Stone Bond" until its new premises were re-built on this site within 6 months of the fire. A dog belonging to Mr Belfield who was one of the Herald owners, was burnt to death as it refused to leave the office as long a its owner remained, and not seeing its owner leave, in the end was burned in the flames.
A colour slide showing the old Timaru Herald building on Sophia Street, Timaru, circa 1985. The slide mount bears the processing date "Oct 85NZ". South Canterbury Museum 2016/053.015