56 rue Grehan, Akaroa, lost French history

This post concerns a former Libeau French settler cottage and kiln/ stables business from the nineteenth century in Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, but the cottage and business have all but disappeared. They were built by my great, great, great grandfather Joseph Libeau Sen. who, with his first wife Magdelaine, were original settlers of the doomed French colony.

This is as far back as I can go, visually, 1920s. In front of the stables are Josephine Mary Libeau (m. Brocher, my great, great grandmother) and her second husband irishman Joseph Sergison. 

Her father Joseph Libeau Snr (original French settler arriving on the Comte de Paris in 1840) built the kiln and produced bricks, later helped by Josie’s first husband (the ‘dastardly’ double murderer Etienne Brocher) and sometimes Joseph’s son Donatien. 

The kiln was then closed in and became stables. The site fell into disrepair in the late 19th century and by the time these photos were taken circa 1918 the site wasn’t well maintained by the aging couple.

FORMER LIBEAU BRICK KILN AND SETTING 56 RUE GREHAN Christchurch City Council 2015
Archeological report [edited]

HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE

 The Rue Grehan Brick Kiln has historical and social significance for its association with the well-known Libeau family and contractor Edward Morey, as evidence of early industry in Akaroa and as remnant of one of the earliest known brick kilns in New Zealand. It is likely that the kiln was first built in the late 1850s or early 1860s. The oldest known surviving kiln in New Zealand is currently the Upohongaro kiln ruin in Wanganui, which dates from 1857.

The land on which the kiln is located was purchased by Joseph Libeau sen. from fellow French settler Pierre Gendrot in 1857. In 1860 Joseph subdivided the site for his eldest son Joseph jun. and family and a cottage (54 Rue Grehan) was built to accommodate them on their return to Akaroa from a period farming at Duvauchelles. There is no reliable date for the commencement of brick-making on the site, but this would seem a likely date. Architect Samuel Farr, who left Akaroa for Christchurch in 1862, recalled ‘a brick-kiln, belonging to Lebeau [sic] on Grehan Road’ (Star 15/12/1900). Joseph was reputedly involved in the operation of the kiln for about eight years before returning to his farm.

By the mid 1870s, the brickworks was being operated by Akaroa builder and builder’s merchant Edward Morey, who had earlier built Holy Trinity Church in Lyttelton and St John’s Church in Okain’s Bay. He offered the ‘Grehan Road Brick Yard’ for sale in July 1877. The Libeau family appear to have then resumed their interest, and the works were carried on by another two of Joseph senior’s sons, Donatien and Alfred until Donatien’s bankruptcy in 1885. Donatien then went abroad where he made a name for himself as a competitive walker and cyclist. There is no evidence that the yard operated after this time.

By the 1880s brick-making on an industrial scale had commenced in New Zealand, and the small Rue Grehan operation would no longer have been economic. At some time after this date, the kiln remains were adapted to serve as a stable.

The Rue Grehan Brick Kiln has technological and craftsmanship significance as evidence of early industry in Akaroa, and as a remnant of one of the earliest known brick kilns in New Zealand. The remaining clay-mortared brick fabric, which includes arched portals and stubs of the chamber walls, would indicate that the kiln was of an early type superseded by the new, larger and technologically more advanced Hoffman-type kiln from the late 1870s.

 It has historical and social significance for its association with the Libeau family and Edward Morey, as evidence of early industry in Akaroa. 

The Libeau Brick Kiln has archaeological significance as it remains comparatively undisturbed, and has the capacity to reveal considerable information on early brick production in mid-nineteenth century New Zealand. 56 Rue Grehan remained in the hands of Joseph Libeau senior’s descendants until the death of his grandson Augustus Sergison in 1966. 

At one time it became a rental home, unfortunately, as that was bound to degrade it. After that it was sold and  used as a holiday home from this time until its demolition in 2012. 

The kiln remains and sustained slight damage in the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-2011. The current owners built a garage at the front of the property to live in while building a new house in front of the stables. They have also greatly modified the gardens that were there so there is now much less evidence of the old fruit trees planted by Libeau settlers. Little can now be seen from the road.

The original cottage was deliberately burned down by new owners in 2012, a real tragedy. They simply wanted the land. Today the stables/kiln is closed in but seems to be used as a shed. It is sad to see it like this and maybe its days are numbered but by closing it in may preserve it a bit longer.

Photos show Joseph Libeau sen., the house as it was in 2006 (with my daughter and I outside it), and burnt to the ground in 2012 - I still feel the horror, the stables as they are today. Similar Libeau cottages in this street are now worth in excess of $900,000.

 

 

Sliding into Musical Oblivion

After four years of dashed hopes, thousands of hours of home practice, a great many two-course meals cooked for unappreciative musicians, two expensive music courses where I never had a set drummer who could be bothered turning up and practising, I am feeling obliged to accept reality and call it quits for now on my time as a bassist. I'm about to disappear completely from the scene.

Disappointment is too minor a word for it. I never expected to have to deal with the darker side of humanity when all I have ever wanted to do was play my bass in a serious band. A band that held itself together, a band where members practised numbers and attended band rehearsals regularly, where female members were treated with respect and courteous communication occured. It never happened.

Instead I have been pursued by multiple predatory males posing as 'friends' who would never accept I was only in it for the music; stalked outside my bedroom (very scarey), ghosted, sexually aggressed (thankfully in a minor way, but still) and bullied much of the time, even in front of others. I get rung on the phone at midnight by guys trying to get me over to their places to play so I can be 'plugged in' as they refer to it. When I don't eventually succomb to their efforts to persuade me to have a 'relationship' with them they suddenly never contact me again and thus my ability to perform disappears.  I have had utter consistency in deplorable behaviour from people who have, in many cases, been playing for decades. It's not a gender thing or even necessarily an age thing though the guys around my age are the worst. I am not exaggerating - just a few examples so you can get the picture as to why I have reached this dreadful decision.

Last year, after travelling 50kms there and back each week for band practices over five months, I was summarily fired from the band because on one occasion I told a guy's big dog to stop jumping up on me and raking my thighs with its claws because it hurt. I simply told it to stop, I didn't even swear.  "Take your shitty little bass and your shitty little amp and fuck off," he snarled at me. I learned I had no value and thus didn't warrant any respect for my dedication to the group.

Three years ago I was invited to audition for a 3-piece so confirmed keys and prepared the songs. When I turned up the guy deliberately changed the keys of all the work I had prepared. I asked him why he had invited me to audition and he replied it was because I 'looked good in leather', and then grabbed my bass out of my hands and helped himself to my expensive Fender (bad muso etiquette).

On another occasion last year after practising music and having some home-cooked nosh a guy suddenly strips off his shirt in my lounge and insists on staying overnight. I shouldn't have to deal with this. I give them NO encouragement and always clearly lay out the ground rules at the beginning but it just keeps happening, getting ugly when things don't match their agenda. Is it because I am a female bassist? I don't know but it is unacceptable behaviour and now there isn't even that. Do ageism and misogyny exist in the Christchurch music scene? Hell, yes!!

With no-one to play with I can't perform or even do open mics so I cannot progress and it's certainly not fun alone at home. I feel I am a competent-enough bassist now for any rock, blues and even a bit of jazz and could handle country quite easily. I read standard notation, tabulation and chord charts, I work really hard, can create my own walking bass lines, always present myself well at performances and have good quality gear but it has been to no avail. No genuine opportunities in four struggling years so I've run out of options. It shouldn't be THIS hard.

THIS all began when I started teaching myself bass during the covid lockdown and surprised myself at how my instrument seduced me. I've learned a lot of theory and explored the real estate of my fretboard. I've also managed to get much of my singing voice back after my vocal chords were damaged by a long stint in ICU in 2022 so I'm interested in singing background as well as some lead vocals. I'm more confident in creating my own basslines but really wish I could have been at least once in a situation with a competent and reliable drummer to complement me in the rhythm section.

I've played with the best - I play covers with top bands on YouTube to prepare my repertoire (lol). That's all very well but it is very solitary and what I really want is working in with other dedicated musicians.

I've met quite a few local musicians but mostly their interest is superficial and extremely temporary. Many have drugs, alcohol and mental health issues they are not dealing with. There are quite a few with toxic personalities and I've had enough of being bullied every time I see them. For the past few years I've turned up at events on my own hoping to run into fellow musos who would like to put a group together, but it hasn't happened. My experience of putting my own band together was truly demoralising.

Is this decision permanent? It will be if I never get honest interest from musicians who do not have a predetermined 'relationship agenda', or are not people who mean what they say. I remain open to possibilities but have to accept they are unlikely.

I shall have to reinvent myself again in some different way.

I haven't yet packed my gear away in the spare room, in case I want to potter on my beloved instrument, from time to time, but there is an immense sadness I will just have to deal with; losing hopes and dreams and my creative outlet. At least I can say I gave it my best and treated other musicians with enthusisam and courtesy. I'm cleaning out many of my Facebook 'contacts'/fake friends as part of my grieving and moving on.

So 2025 is going to be a different sort of year and all the poorer for the loss of music but I'll put my brain into coming up with stuff to keep me meaningfully occupied.

My heartfelt thanks to those musicians who did attend band practices and who did appreciate working with me. You kept me going as long as I have. 

Rue Grehan, Akaroa - French historical cottage

 

I am a member of the Libeau French family. They are one of the families that originally settled Akaroa, hoping it would be be part of France. As we all know they were in for a shock when they arrived in 1840 (10 years before the main English settlers) to see the British flag flying from Green Point instead of the Tricoleur. 

For such a long time Akaroa managed to hold on to what made it special, it's Frenchness, but in recent years due to unsympathetic persons in league with a wilfully ignorant media that specialness has been scraped away and much genuine heritage information lost. Part of my life's mission, if you like, is to try to preserve some of the knowledge disappearing with folks my age and older. How to do this? Get it online. This is the first in a three-part series on settler cottages associated with my Libeau family and the current situation in Akaroa.

When I came back to NZ from France I did consider moving to Akaroa but properties are very expensive there, there is almost no serviced land to build a new home nearby and the one subdivision on the scraped top of the hills above Duvauchelles had amazing views with incredible winds sweeping across the harbour and no flat land for gardening. And then there’s the ‘hill’; a major impediment if you need anything that tiny Akaroa cannot supply, especially a fully equipped hospital. So, no. It’s too isolated for many older folks who may at some point lose their licenses.

One of our historic Libeau cottages came up for sale at the end of last year. I was determined to have a look though I didn’t have the money to buy it. 

This former workers’ cottage built by Joseph Libeau Snr is steeped in our history and it looks lovely from the outside. The garden is charming but as I wandered around with a practised eye I noticed that the paintwork in most areas was poor quality and literally seemed to be painted over the defects. There were cracks and pieces of trim missing, with no attempt to fix things up for the open homes. Lights not working, some furnishings were threadbare. I have included a link to a short real estate video on this property and am unsure how long it will remain online.

 The owners had made a pleasing effort with the garden layout and maintenance. It was suitably cottagey.

I noticed some crockery embedded in concrete beside the garden. I was informed that they were the remains of plates unearthed when improvements were made to the heating of the house. A nice touch, I thought, that a bit of our history is visible every day in the garden.

The kitchen seemed typically old French style prevalent even today, hard to work in with almost no cupboards. It did seem to be in a reasonable state though I don’t know if
it has enough power points and lights. Lots of interesting clutter. Generally the presentation was patchy at best, rather too jumbly though mostly clean but they may have been better to have staged the lounge area instead of the old ‘tatty stuff’ that degraded it all.

If I had had the money I would have liked to have bought it as a holiday home and improved the interior but not at the prices expected. This property has been sold every few years, owners don’t stay. One of the previous owners was nosing around the day I was ‘nosing’ too. It is not the most ‘upmarket’ of the Libeau cottages still existing. Section 501sqm, house 100sqm,  3 bedrooms and one bathroom. 

Improvements have added a lot of charm and it looks good in the photos but up close there’s clearly better upkeep to be done. I'm pleased the cottage is still being lived in though, to preserve it.

60 Rue Grehan is listed Historic Place category 2 number 7354 as of 12th December 1996.

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Lot 1 DP 55440 (RT CB33F/498)     $760 000 was the previous selling price and the current owners wanted significantly more in the $800,000s. The sale price was $810,000 November 2023. It is already valued well over $900,000.

Watch a short video on the cottage still online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iXQ4xmvhnc