The Ashburton Club and Mutual School of Arts was established in 1885, occupying premises in Fowler’s Buildings on Tancred Street. Not long after its formation, the club’s membership quickly rose to above three figures, which necessitated a move to their own purpose-built premises on Burnett Street.

On April 15 1891, the club’s new building, an airy, gothic two-storeyed structure, was completed on Burnett Street. Inside were a variety of purpose-built rooms, including a bar, refreshment areas, public lecture theatre, library, lift and a commercial room (specifically for farmers to conduct business on Saturdays and sale days). Each room was equipped with a chimney, there was an ornamental balustrade on the staircase and all built areas showcased the talents of the best local craftspeople.

The club’s facilities grew as membership continued to climb. It was especially popular with rural members who could avail themselves of the large horse yard on sale days and Saturdays, conduct business in the town, and enjoy a game of quiots (a ring tossing game), bowling or the rifle range, along with the myriad of other choices which lay inside the establishment.

Besides the exceptional array of refreshments on offer, the club was also a popular choice due to its threepenny half pints of colonial ale, which considerably undercut other similar establishments in the area. In a Sunday sermon during 1899, The Reverend Woodthorpe lambasted the institution, which received a scathing response from an Ashburton Guardian reporter, who praised the club for its decision not to open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, even though it was legally entitled to.

The district goes dry

Following a general vote regarding the prohibition of alcohol, the club, along with the rest of Ashburton, was declared ‘dry’ on June 30 1903. However, there was some disagreement over the Solicitor-General’s power regarding the dictation of terms to a registered club with a charter, and the 600 members remained able to indulge on the premises until 30 June 1905, when new legislation deemed the club to be ‘no licence’.

Despite its loss of license, the club continued to flourish in its sporting, cultural and social areas along with supporting various charitable events.

In December 1928, the bar re-opened, due to an alteration to the Ashburton Electoral area, which now included an area deemed ‘wet’, creating confusion regarding the area’s previously ‘dry’ status. In 1932, in front of a packed courthouse, the club secretary, Mr F Loftus, received a conviction for selling alcohol on the premises.  The magistrate himself noted the ambiguity of the situation, and the gentleman’s fine was minimal.

New premises

The building received a new, brick frontage (as depicted in photograph), along with extensions to the billiards room and the ‘social side’ of the club in the early 1940s. The spacious hall, complete with stage, became the venue of choice for many events over ensuing years.

This grand old building, which had survived the ups and downs of one hundred years of existence was demolished on October 19 2019. The new building we see when we pass by on Burnett or Tancred Streets was fully reopened in late 2021.

The words of Sir William Nosworthy, speaking at the club’s jubilee in 1934, perhaps best sum up the history and character of the Ashburton MSA, when he congratulated those who had “stood firm against the opposition which had been so strong in the early days” (likely referring to the no-license matter, as well as other difficulties the club faced early on). He had every confidence that despite any difficulties in the future, the strength of the institution and its leadership would ensure its continued success.

By Jacqueline Paterson