Charles W Martin
Descriptive Data
TypeAgencyParallel NameCharles William MartinDate RangeCirca 1870 - 2 April 1929DescriptionCharles William Martin was born in Croydon, Surrey, England around 1870 and came out to New Zealand on the ship 'Conflict' in 1874 with his parents, Joseph and Ann Martin. He had five siblings, Frederick, Grace Bertha (Mrs Robert James Deare, married 1898, teacher at Trinity Wesleyan Sunday School), Annie Matilda (Mrs George Deare, married 18 December 1902, d. 1908), Laura Beatrice (b. 1878 in New Zealand, d. 1879) and Joseph James (b. 1883 in New Zealand, d. 1918). The Martin family lived at 11 Wilson Street in Newtown, Wellington.
His father was a cabinet maker and upholsterer and had a shop in Newtown. Charles did not go into the family business, instead working for a time at Thomas Ballinger and Co., Ltd before opening his own eponymous business in 1900. It moved to the C W Martin Building in 1905.
Charles married Maud Prebble in 1892, a friend of his sister Laura. They had five children - Harry Joseph (b. 1893), Charles Benjamin (b. 1894), Ivy Ann (b. 1895), Laura (b. 1907) and Hector William Martin (b. 1911). They lived at 10 Green Street before moving to Hornsey Road in Melrose.
Alongside his plumbing and electrical work, he was also an inventor. Among his inventions are a washing machine and an oven, which can be found at Te Papa Tongarewa. The washing machine has not survived. Family accounts say it was lost at sea on its way to England to be patented.
The Martin family were members of the Trinity Methodist Church in Newtown. Charles William was also heavily involved in the Newtown Bowling Club, once serving as its president. He is also listed as being Chief Petty Officer of the Wellington Naval Auxiliary Volunteers [WNAV], a founding member of the Old Navals Rifle Club and a member of Lodge Tutanekai and Lodge Renown.
In 1911, He travelled to England with the contingent of the WNAV to march in the coronation parade of George V.
He died in 1929 during a trip to Blenheim with the Newtown Bowling Club after falling from the running board of a moving vehicle.
CW Martin, the business, operated out of the CW Martin building from 1905 until 2007. Many members of the Martin family were involved in its operation throughout the years. Though it no longer operates out of the Tory Street building, in 2024 it was still owned and operated by Peter Martin (son of Hector William Martin).
External LinksPERSONAL ITEMS Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 76, 3 April 1929, Page 11
His father was a cabinet maker and upholsterer and had a shop in Newtown. Charles did not go into the family business, instead working for a time at Thomas Ballinger and Co., Ltd before opening his own eponymous business in 1900. It moved to the C W Martin Building in 1905.
Charles married Maud Prebble in 1892, a friend of his sister Laura. They had five children - Harry Joseph (b. 1893), Charles Benjamin (b. 1894), Ivy Ann (b. 1895), Laura (b. 1907) and Hector William Martin (b. 1911). They lived at 10 Green Street before moving to Hornsey Road in Melrose.
Alongside his plumbing and electrical work, he was also an inventor. Among his inventions are a washing machine and an oven, which can be found at Te Papa Tongarewa. The washing machine has not survived. Family accounts say it was lost at sea on its way to England to be patented.
The Martin family were members of the Trinity Methodist Church in Newtown. Charles William was also heavily involved in the Newtown Bowling Club, once serving as its president. He is also listed as being Chief Petty Officer of the Wellington Naval Auxiliary Volunteers [WNAV], a founding member of the Old Navals Rifle Club and a member of Lodge Tutanekai and Lodge Renown.
In 1911, He travelled to England with the contingent of the WNAV to march in the coronation parade of George V.
He died in 1929 during a trip to Blenheim with the Newtown Bowling Club after falling from the running board of a moving vehicle.
CW Martin, the business, operated out of the CW Martin building from 1905 until 2007. Many members of the Martin family were involved in its operation throughout the years. Though it no longer operates out of the Tory Street building, in 2024 it was still owned and operated by Peter Martin (son of Hector William Martin).
External LinksPERSONAL ITEMS Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 76, 3 April 1929, Page 11
Charles W Martin. Archives Online, accessed 30/04/2026, https://archivesonline.wcc.govt.nz/nodes/view/926476