Langham Hotel, Auckland

The Langham Hotel is a five-star hotel in Auckland, New Zealand. [" [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/11/story.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10459068 Chief concierge, Langham Hotel, Auckland] " - "New Zealand Herald", Wednesday 22 August 2007] It occupies the historic site of Partington's Windmill, a local landmark until its demolition in 1950.

History

Built on land purchased by Charles Partington (an immigrant from Oxfordshire in England), the windmill was built in 1851 using bricks made on the site from clay dug nearby. In 1856 an important sideline was introduced - the baking of biscuits - using equipment specially imported from Reading, Berkshire in the United Kingdom, presumably from Huntley & Palmer's who already baked biscuits there.

During the New Zealand land wars which raged from 1861 to 1866, four firearms were always kept in the mill which was directly threatened by the Māori when they attempted to take Auckland at the outbreak of the Invasion of Waikato. During the wars, Charles Partington served with the British cavalry and the mill supplied the troops with food, chiefly biscuits, but also flour and crushed corn.

After a turbulent history of commercial ups-and-downs and family arguments, the mill effectively died when the then owner, Joseph Partington, died in 1941 leaving no will. An early advocate of health food, Partington had recently been living the life of a recluse but had kept the mill working. The estate was eventually sold despite attempts by the Windmill Preservation Society to save it, and in 1950 the windmill was demolished.

Present operation

The Langham Hotel was subsequently built on the windmill's site and is located near numerous Auckland attractions and landmarks such as the Auckland Domain, Auckland CBD, and Auckland War memorial Museum. It offers a complimentary city bus shuttle so guests can easily access the attractions.

The hotel's restaurant, Partington's, is named after the windmill founder and has won various awards, including Restaurant of the Year in 2006 [Restaurant Association of NZ, [http://www.restaurantnz.co.nz/ Restaurant Association of NZ] , "Restaurant Association of NZ", October 16, 2007, accessed October 16, 2007 ] .

References

External links

* [http://auckland.langhamhotels.co.nz The Langham Hotel Auckland Official Website]