Cabragh House facts for kids

Cabragh House is an old timber house in Nelson, New Zealand. It was built around 1897 and shows what homes looked like in the late Victorian era. It's also important because it was once connected to the Cabragh House School. The house next door, called Amber House, used to be the school building itself. Both houses are considered historic sites.

Where is Cabragh House?

Cabragh House is located on Weka Street in Nelson. When the house was first built, it was very close to the shoreline of the Nelson Inlet. Over time, new land was created by filling in parts of the sea. This means the shoreline has moved much further away from the house today.

Who Owned Cabragh House?

In 1901, a man named John Pearson Hornsby, who was an accountant in Nelson, bought the land where Cabragh House stands. There were already two houses on this land. The larger two-storey house (now 46 Weka Street, then 36) was where Mr. Hornsby and his daughters lived. The smaller, single-storey house (now 48 Weka Street, then 38) was used as a private school. This school was for girls and young boys.

The school was run by Mr. Hornsby's daughters, known as the Misses Hornsby. They were Charlotte (Lizzy), Ruth, and Janetta. An old photo from the late 1890s shows the house and mentions the school. City plans also suggest the houses were built around early 1897.

The Cabragh House School

The Cabragh House School became quite well-known in Nelson. Miss Janetta M. Hornsby was the Principal. She was very talented and also taught music, singing, and languages. She even had teaching rooms in another part of Nelson.

Even though the Hornsby sisters ran the school, they never actually owned the houses themselves. Their father, John Hornsby, owned the property. In 1908, he took out a loan on the house at 38 Weka Street. This money might have been used to improve both buildings. For example, the Amber House (the school building) might have had a two-storey porch added around this time.

Around 1918, the house numbers changed. Amber House became 46 Weka Street and was used only for classrooms and boarding students. Cabragh House became 48 Weka Street and was used as a home.

John Hornsby passed away in 1919. After his death, the property was sold. His daughter Charlotte received a part of it, and she later sold it to Henry Canning in 1928.

The Cabragh House School stopped operating around 1927 or 1928. A big reason for this was the growth of Nelson Central School. As the public school grew, private schools like Cabragh House School became less necessary.

What Does "Cabragh" Mean?

The name "Cabragh" likely comes from the Irish or Gaelic languages. This makes sense because the Hornsby family had Irish roots. It might be a different spelling of "Gabragh," which means an area of rough land used for grazing animals.