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Nairn Street Cottage

Nairn Street Cottage

Te rohe - Location
PO Box 893 Wellington 6140 New Zealand

Ngā haora mahi - Opening hours
Open Boxing Day to February 10am – 4pm daily. Otherwise weekends only 12pm – 4pm. Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Te utu - Admission
Adults: $8
Children (4 – 16 years): $4

Beautifully presented, Wellington’s oldest identified building was built in 1858 as a family home by William Wallis. This was a time when candles were made from meat fat and nails had to be imported. Completed just before Catherine, William’s wife gave birth to the first of their ten children, the cottage remained within the family’s ownership for the next 127 years.

Classified by New Zealand Historic Places Trust as having ‘outstanding significance’ the Cottage and its authentically presented garden, which are walking distance from the CBD, is an excellent example of how the first colonials blended their lives from their Victorian homeland with the dictates of a new country.

The best example of its type in New Zealand, the architectural style of Nairn Street Cottage typifies the immigrant of the time – a person bringing the skills, crafts and strong work ethic necessary to establish a new life in a new country.

Ngā momo kohinga -
Collection Strengths

Social history

Ngā wāhi -
Facilities

  • Reference library

  • Public programmes

  • Guided tours

  • Membership club

  • Parking

  • Shop

  • Other facilities

    Lecture Hall /Museum brochures /Tourist brochures / Special offers

Whakapā mai -
Contact

Kei te mahere -
On the map