A Little Piece Of History

Without the generosity of Metalcraft Roofing the restoration of the Whitford’ Pony Club’s iconic old brickworks workers’ cottage might never have happened. The cottage provided accommodation for workers at one of the first brick foundries in Auckland which was established on a 640-acre block of land by John Granger in 1898 and has become, arguably, the most important historic landmark in the Whitford region.

On numerous occasions The Whitford Pony Club tried to raise funds for the restoration, without any success, and when the Historic Places Trust controversially decided it wasn’t worth classifying for preservation, the future of this 100 year old historic building looked bleak.

In recent years the cottage had become in dire need of repair. The original roof was becoming a dangerous hazard and the timber trusses were rotting away, as too were the windows. Recognising the significance of the cottage to the local community, Metalcraft Roofing contacted the Whitford Pony Club and offered to support the restoration project.