William Winstone

William Winstone (1 June 184323 June 1924) was a prominent early Auckland businessman who emigrated to New Zealand from England in 1859. He co-founded the company that evolved into Winstone Aggregates (still operating ) alongside his brother, George Winstone. Their haulage, quarrying and building supply business was involved in major Auckland city building projects during the late 19th century.

Early years

William Winstone was born to parents Charles Winstone and Mary Winstone (née Vowles) at Hodders' Farm in Barrow Gurney, Somersetshire, on 1 June 1843. He grew up working on the family farm, and gained experience handling horses, which would be an interest that continued throughout his life. He was educated at Failand School. He left England to avoid the family farming occupation. He left with thirty shillings to his name, and this was divided between him and a fellow emigrant while onboard. Winstone arrived in Auckland after 86 days at sea, on 1 September 1859. It was not a prosperous period in the fledgling Auckland city, with little work available. He quickly took a job planting potatoes. He left the city to work as a teamster for a year at a farm in Drury, south of Auckland. He worked with horses, ploughed and did other manual labour including drain digging. He continued working on South Auckland farms for the next few years, before moving back to the city.

New Zealand Wars

Upon the Waikato invasion of 1863 during the New Zealand Land Wars, Winstone was back in Auckland city trying to get into the "carrying trade", providing haulage by horse and cart. The convoy of horses and carts travelled through rough track in the bush over two days, first from Auckland to Drury, and the next day the team continued over the Razorback to Mercer. Winstone recounted transporting an iron screw steamer in 1863, the Gymnotus, with a team of 14 horses and a timber wagon. The vessel was the first privately owned steamer on the Waikato river, and transported cargo for the military during the Waikato action. They formed a partnership shortly after George's arrival, creating W. & G. Winstone Limited with a pooled capital of £630. William started out with an eighty percent share to George's twenty percent, but it later shifted to a fifty-fifty split. Winstone was quarrying basalt at the Mount Eden quarry, intended for the Auckland Stock Exchange building on Queen Street, which would be one of the most impressive commercial buildings of late colonial Auckland. The accident happened when the blasting powder he and his employee, Benjamin Thomas, were using ignited unexpectedly, and they were caught in the resulting explosion. Winstone was closest to the explosives, and the explosive powder got in his face and eyes, his left hand and arm were injured, and his leg badly cut. Thomas was also severely injured, having received a blow to the head. Winstone was briefly presumed dead by the first responders. A doctor, Mr Pierce, quickly arrived on the scene and attended to the men's injuries. It was hoped Winstone would not lose his eyesight following the accident, but he became blind in one eye, and lost half his vision in the other. That year, Ellen's 10-year-old nephew Frederick Brock Winstone arrived in New Zealand aboard the Caduceus, and William and Ellen adopted him as their son.

The 1870s proved to be a profitable decade for W. & G. Winstone Ltd despite the flagging New Zealand economy. This was due in part to the company winning government carting contracts in Premier Julius Vogel's public works schemes, and supplying building materials.

Stables & Failand In 1882, William Winstone bought a large block of Mount Albert land from Edward Allen. He would build and shift two homes on this land later in the decade, but likely used it for paddocks to rest the company horses before George set aside 8 hectares of his Mount Roskill farm for the purpose in 1900. The building initially housed 30 Clydesdales, and the working complex was built around it, becoming home to around 200 horses. Six stablehands lived onsite at the rear of the stables, and William Winstone built his villa called 'Failand' in 1882, situated in front of the stables, facing out onto Symonds street.

The Symonds Street complex continued to grow along with the business, and by 1895, stored 24 drays, 5 furniture vans, 4 spring top carts, 2 flat top trolleys, 1 timber wagon, jinker, and flat top cart, and stabled the associated horses. William remained active in the business, and stayed on as one of the joint directors until his death. William also became a member of the Mount Albert Road Board after joining in 1899.

The year 1904 was a time of great change in William Winstone's life. Ellen, his wife of forty-five years, died aged 73, on 22 October 1904. The partnership of W. & G. Winstone Ltd was dissolved, and a new company created, called Winstone Ltd. William and George senior were company directors, alongside Frederick Winstone and George's two sons Percy and George. A far cry from the financial situation the brother's partnership had begun with, Winstone Ltd started out with a capital of £20,000, and a yearly turnover of £56,000.

In April 1919, William's son Frederick Brock Winstone died suddenly of a heart attack. thumb William Winstone in 1922William had suffered an illness prior to the event, but he was able to attend the Winstone Ltd Diamond Jubilee on 11 March 1924.

Over William's inception of the business up to his death, the company had grown from one man and his horse and cart, to having 200 horses, 24 motor trucks, a fleet of coastal vessels, engineering, coachbuilding, harness and blacksmith establishments, quarries, scoria, shingle and sand deposits, and a brick and tile works.