(57) Walter Guthrie and Company, corner Spey and Dee Streets, c.1880

Component — Box: ICC-0998

Identifier: S27520001_057

Staff Only

Walter Guthrie and Company, corner Spey and Dee Streets

Scope and Contents

South West corner of Dee and Spey Street intersection. Block 1, Section 22.

Featuring: Walter Guthrie & Company Ltd.

For the previous building on this site see photo 64, and subsequent building see photo 84.

Dates

c.1880

Conditions Governing Use

This item has no known copyright restrictions. Please acknowledge Invercargill City Libraries and Archives, Ref: A0105 S27520001_057, when re-using this image.

Biographical / Historical

Walter Guthrie (1839 – 1902) was born in Largo, Fifeshire, Scotland. Emigrating in 1863, he founded the business “Guthrie and Larnach’s New Zealand Timber and Woodware Factories Company Limited” with partner William James Mudie Larnach, in Dunedin.

In 1878, Guthrie and Larnach acquired Robert Tapper’s business and land [see photo 64] (including the timberyard on the north east section) and announce the erection of a new brick building on the south west Dee Street section. [Southland Times 23 Sep 1878]. Tenders were advertised by architect FW Burwell [Southland Times 21 Sep 1878] but no progress was made at the time.

In 1881 Guthrie and Larnach dispose of the Dee Street corner retail branch to William Paisley, a local general merchant [Southland Times 29 Apr 1881]. Paisley then contracted F.W. Burwell to demolish the wooden structure and build a new concrete and brick property on the same section [Southland Times 2 July 1881].

See photo 84 for information about William Paisley, the beginnings of the brick building, and the continued association of Walter Guthrie.

Sources: Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago and Southland Provincial Districts]; Papers Past.