The Colonial Cottage Museum
Encyclopedia
The Colonial Cottage Museum is Wellington's oldest building and is classified as a "Category I" ("places of 'special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value'") historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust
.
The cottage was built in 1858 and is located on Nairn Street in the suburb of Mount Cook
, Wellington
. The Cottage was built in a late Georgian style
and is similar to other houses built from that time through to about 1870. The Cottage was built by William Wallis who arrived in New Zealand in September 1857 with his wife Catherine.
The articles within the cottage, with some exceptions, all date from between 1850 to 1880. Several items belonged to the family, others were donated from other settler families and others have been loaned or purchased.
had created tidal waves that swamped Wellington town's water supply leading to several deaths from typhoid.
William had been apprenticed as a carpenter on The Crystal Palace
in London. He also built hospitals in the Crimean War
, which allowed him the skills and capital necessary to emigrate to the comparatively new colony. The cottage is almost entirely built of native New Zealand timber and was built by hand. His original tool chest remains in the cottage collection.
The Wallis family had 10 children altogether, but after their seventh child the family relocated to a larger house, which William also built, next door. Their descendants remained in the cottage until the late seventies when the Wellington City Council earmarked the cottage for demolition so that council flats could be built in its place. Only the tenacity of Winifred Turner, a granddaughter of William and Catherine and the last person to live in the cottage, saved the cottage and its historical value was finally recognised.
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is a non-profit trust that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings in New Zealand...
.
The cottage was built in 1858 and is located on Nairn Street in the suburb of Mount Cook
Mount Cook, Wellington
The suburb of Mount Cook in Wellington in New Zealand stands on the southern fringe of the central city alongside Te Aro and to the north of Newtown...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. The Cottage was built in a late Georgian style
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
and is similar to other houses built from that time through to about 1870. The Cottage was built by William Wallis who arrived in New Zealand in September 1857 with his wife Catherine.
The articles within the cottage, with some exceptions, all date from between 1850 to 1880. Several items belonged to the family, others were donated from other settler families and others have been loaned or purchased.
The Wallis family
William and Catherine were newlyweds who undertook an arduous seventeen week journey by ship to arrive in New Zealand. Like many immigrants they came in search of a better life. Unlike many immigrants, Wallis purchased the Nairn Street site only after he viewed it. He chose the location specifically because there was a stream at the bottom of his town-acre site. Wallis was aware of the necessity of a safe water supply after the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake1855 Wairarapa earthquake
The 1855 Wairarapa earthquake occurred on 23 January at about 9 p.m. In Wellington, close to the epicenter, shaking lasted for at least 50 seconds. The magnitude of the earthquake is estimated to have been in the range 8.1-8.3, the most powerful recorded in New Zealand since systematic European...
had created tidal waves that swamped Wellington town's water supply leading to several deaths from typhoid.
William had been apprenticed as a carpenter on The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
in London. He also built hospitals in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, which allowed him the skills and capital necessary to emigrate to the comparatively new colony. The cottage is almost entirely built of native New Zealand timber and was built by hand. His original tool chest remains in the cottage collection.
The Wallis family had 10 children altogether, but after their seventh child the family relocated to a larger house, which William also built, next door. Their descendants remained in the cottage until the late seventies when the Wellington City Council earmarked the cottage for demolition so that council flats could be built in its place. Only the tenacity of Winifred Turner, a granddaughter of William and Catherine and the last person to live in the cottage, saved the cottage and its historical value was finally recognised.