Wyllie Cottage closed for return to 1896

A blessing was held at Wyllie Cottage yesterday morning before it was closed to visitors for Tairāwhiti Museum to begin emptying its contents in preparation for the restoration of the building.

“The cottage will be closed to the public from Tuesday 27 October to allow the museum to carefully remove hundreds of artefacts before work on the building begins in 2016,” says the museum’s director Eloise Wallace.

Council have received a grant of $165K from the Lotteries Commission to help fund the restoration of the 143 year-old building, which will be a joint project between Council and the museum.

A plan to restore the cottage to its original features and colour scheme was presented to the Community Development Committee on Wednesday 21 October.

Conservation Building Surveyor Tracey Hartley was appointed by Council in 2014, to provide a plan to preserve the building.

Ms Hartley explained to the Committee that it requires major redecoration and repair work particularly to the verandah, the roof of which is leaking.

The cottage’s condition following the 2007 earthquake and general deterioration was an opportunity to return some original features that had been lost when the building was refurbished in 1975.

As the first European building on the Taruheru side of the river, built by James and Kate Wyllie in 1872, Wyllie Cottage is a significant historical asset.

Physical and photo evidence exists showing form and detail of the cottage’s original curved corrugated metal roof, its post decorative brackets and a corrugated metal balustrading.

The restoration will reclaim the original verandah along with the lost features such as the 6 over 6 light sashes into the windows on the north and south sides of the building.

Ms Hartley says it will address long-standing defects and reinstate a historically accurate decorative scheme both internally and externally, with the overall effect of enhancing the heritage significance and understanding of the cottage.”

Repairs will also be made to the cottage’s foundations, spouting and timber joinery along with improvements to install a sprinkler system, stormwater drainage and sub floor ventilation, new wiring and UV light filters.

A major upgrade to the displays, interpretations and care of objects displayed within the cottage will also be incorporated in the project thanks to a grant from Eastland Community Trust.

“The museum will use the grant from ECT to redevelop the displays and interpretation within the cottage as part of this project,” says Ms Wallace.

“Wyllie Cottage is a much-loved part of the city-scape, enjoyed by both visitors and tourists alike. This project will significantly enhance visitor accessibility and experience and in telling the rich stories of a building and its inhabitants, we hope to increase understanding and recognition of what is a unique heritage asset for our region.”

There will be a public presentation at the museum on 19 November at 5.30pm, and an opportunity for a final walk-through of the cottage in its current form.

Works will commence in the new year and is likely to take around 4-6 months.

ENDS

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