View Hill is a sheep farming district, about five miles from West Oxford. The flag railway station of the name on the Springfield-West Oxford line is forty-six miles from Christchurch, and stands at an altitude of 948 feet above the sea. Like the rest of the Oxford district, View Hill was originally covered with bush, which has been mostly cleared, except away back on the mountain ranges. It is a school district, and has a very good library. The post office is conducted at the local store, and there is a blacksmith's shop in the township. View Hill, which is in the Oxford riding of the Ashley county, had a population of eighty-three at the census of 1901.

The View Hill Post Office was established about 1880, and has been conducted since 1889 at the store of Mr. J. P. Pole. Three marls are received and despatched weekly.

Mr. James Potts Pole, Postmaster at View Hill, has been a Canterbury settler since arriving at Lyttelton by the ship “Pekin,” in 1863. He was for ten years in the Malvern district, and removed to View Hill in 1878. Mr. Pole has been engaged in the timber trade for a number of years, and since 1889 has conducted the local store and post office.

View Hill Public School was established about 1875. It has a long narrow glebe of about five acres in extent. The building is of wood and iron, and contains two large class rooms and two porches. There are twenty-six names on the roll, and the average attendance in the first quarter of 1902 was twenty-two. There is a teacher's residence of six rooms on the property.

Miss Matilda Harvey, Teacher of the View Hill School, was born in London, and came to Lyttelton by the s.s. “Aorangi,” in 1884. After serving a pupil-teachership at Woolston, and having a year's training at the Normal College, Christchurch, Miss Harvey was appointed to Wakanui side school, where she was in charge for four years before her appointment to the View Hill school in March, 1902.

Ashworth, Abraham, Farmer, Grange Farm, View Hill. Mr. Ashworth was born in Lancashire, England, in 1837, and was brought up to farming by his father, though he was engaged as engine driver at the print and dye works in his native place for four years. Mr. Ashworth arrived in Lyttelton by the ship “Mystery,” in 1862. He found employment as a farm labourer for two years, and worked for a similar period on his brother's farm at Flaxton. Mr. Ashworth was also engaged at farm work at Ohoka for seven and a half years, and began to farm on his own account in 1872. He has 126 acres of freehold, with 150 sheep, five horses, and five head of cattle. Mr. Ashworth was married, in 1864, to a daughter of the late Mr. James Power, of Waterford, Ireland.

Standish and Preece, photo.
Mr. A. Ashworth.

Baxter, John, Point Farm, View Hill. Mr. Baxter was born in Kirkmuirhill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1837. His father was a timber merchant, and Mr. Baxter gained some experience in that line in his early days, and has been largely interested in the business for the greater portion of his life. He came out to Lyttelton by the “David G. Fleming,” in 1863. For ten years he was engaged in saw-milling on Banks' Peninsula, and settled at View Hill in 1873. Mr. Baxter worked the Point sawmill for some ten years, and since the greater portion of the bush has been cut out, has engaged in farming. He served for a term on the licensing bench, and was for many years member of the View Hill school committee, of which he was chairman for about eight years. Mr. Baxter was married, in 1867, to a daughter of Mr. Daniel Young, sometime of Lanarkshire, and has one son and one daughter surviving.

Mr. and Mrs J. Baxter.

Mounsey, John Armstrong, Farmer, Forest Farm, View Hill. Mr. Mounsey was born in 1864 at Rangiora, and went to school in that town and at Woodend. He was brought up to country life, and began farming on his own account in 1886. Forest Farm is 100 acres in extent, and Mr. Mounsey is also part owner of another property of 550 acres at Burnt Hill. For one year he served as a member of the Oxford Road Board, and has been a member of the View Hill school committee. Since the formation of the Cust Mounted Rifles he has been a member of the corps. Mr. Mounsey was married, in 1888, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. Brown, of Oxford, and has two sons and three daughters.

Tolputt and Clarke, photo.
Mr. and Mrs J. A. Mounsey.

Smith, Henry, Blacksmith and Farmer, View Hill. Mr. Smith was born at Churchill, Oxford, England, in 1859. He was apprenticed as a blacksmith, and worked at his trade till he came to New Zealand in the s.s. “Rimutaka,” in 1885. In 1886 he settled at View Hill, and established himself in business as a blacksmith. Mr. Smith leases 367 acres of land, on part of which his smithy and residence are situated, and he is also part owner of 558 acres of freehold at Burnt Hill. He is an old English Oddfellow. Since residing at View Hill he has taken an active interest in local affairs. He is a member of the View Hill school committee, of which he was for some time chairman, and has successfully assisted the local library, which is kept at the schoolhouse, and is one of the best libraries in the country districts. Mr. Smith was married, in 1890, to a daughter of Mr. Stephen Mounsey, of View Hill, and has three sons and two daughters.

Mr. and Mrs H. Smith.

View Hill Estate, Oxford, contains an area of 4280 acres of freehold and carries 5700 sheep. The homestead is pleasantly situated on the banks of the River Eyre, and is surrounded by a well-grown plantation of shelter trees, with an artificial lake in front. It originally formed part of the View Hill run, of 19,000 acres, the lease of which terminated some years ago.

Mr. J. R. Gorton, J. P., sometime proprietor of View Hill Estate, was a native of Suffolk, where he was born in 1832, and was educated at Marlborough College. He came to the Colonies in the barque “Persia,” and landed in Port Phillip on the 28th of May, 1851. Subsequently, he was appointed overseer on a sheep station, which position he held till 1855, when he purchased his first station and was for sixteen years a squatter in Victoria and New South Wales. Disposing of his interest in his runs he visited England in 1871, and came to New Zealand in November, 1872. Early in the following year Mr. Gorton acquired “View Hill,” but after the lease fell in he was quite satisfied with the freehold portion of the estate. He was appointed to the commission of the peace in 1876, and had been twice chairman of the Oxford Road Board. He was a member of the Oxford Domain Board, was president of the library committee for two years, chairman of the school committee for several years, and was captain of the Rustic Cricket Club. Mr. Gorton was first married in 1869, to Miss Burt, who died in 1888, and secondly in 1891 to the eldest daughter of Dr. Weld, by whom he had two sons and one daughter. He died in December, 1900.

Wright, Amos, Farmer, Point Farm, View Hill. Mr. Wright was born at Nottingham, England, in 1852, and arrived at Lyttelton with his parents by the ship “Zealadia” in 1858. In 1875 he settled at Oxford, and two years later bought land in the Manawatu district, in the North Island. After being there about six years he returned to Canterbury, and settled at View Hill. Mr. Wright married a daughter of the late Mr. J. Short, of Wellington, and has three daughters and one son.

Woodstock Station is situated on the north side of the upper reaches of the Waimakariri river, near View Hill. It comprises 9,000 acres of leasehold and 853 acres of freehold, about 700 acres of which have been ploughed for grass. A very comfortable six-roomed dwellinghouse, several large outbuildings, and stockyards are built on a wellplanted spot on the river bank. The station, now owned by Mr. R. O. Dixon, was previously the property of Mr. R. McKay, and of the late Mr. W. McKay, who died on the 17th of October, 1901.

Mr. Angus McKay, son of the late Mr. W. McKay, and Manager of the Woodstock station, was born at Brookdale, Malvern, in 1883. He was educated at Springfield, Porter's Pass, and Mount Grey Downs schools. Mr. McKay was brought up to farming by his father, and took charge of Woodstock station in 1901.