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Fairfield House and garden
The spirit of a gardener made early marks on the land at the top of Trafalgar Street, on Sections 1089 and 1089a. Settler Neil MacVicar, upon receipt of the land from the Crown in 1851, set about...
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Frederick Nelson Jones
Frederick Nelson Jones could not stand to remain idle, whether photographing life in Nelson, restoring music boxes or creating Pixietowns, he was always finding something to do. It is easy to see why...
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All Saints Anglican Church Nelson
All Saints Anglican Church in Vanguard street, as "Noah's Ark", has withstood floods and fire, but is well maintained and well used today.In September 1862, the Vestry of Christ Church (the Church on...
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Trathens Store
Trathen’s – department store shopping in NelsonThe sophistication of department store shopping was introduced to Nelson by the Trathen family, whose flagship building with high, art deco windows stood...
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Art and Architecture of Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Trafalgar Street in Nelson lost many of its historic, and iconic, buildings in the 1980’s. This was a time when there was a drive to modernise cities, and little protection or care for heritage...
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Nelson's Public Art
Nelson has a range of public art works, many of them located in the central city area near the Maitai River.A good starting point to explore the works is Millers Acre. This has always been at the heart...
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Brian Neill
In 2014 Nelson Youth Council conducted a series of interviews for Heritage Week 2015. They spoke with people involved in areas of health and medicine. This is one of a number of stories which were...
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Trafalgar Centre and its legends
The Trafalgar Centre is the largest indoor multi-purpose events centre in the Nelson / Tasman Region. Built in the early 1970s as a sports stadium, the Centre also hosts major cultural and...
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Edwin Hare Dashwood (1825-1882)
In researching Samuel Newport, my wife's great great grandfather, and other family members, I discovered transcripts of letters written by Samuel in November 1842. One letter was to G.H. Dashwood Esq....
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Nelson Baptist Church
Founded in 1851, Nelson Baptist Church in Bridge Street was the first Baptist Church in New Zealand. Church services initially took place in Campbell's School (now the Suter Art Gallery).Two months...
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Maungatapu Murders - The notorious Burgess Gang
The trial of the notorious Burgess gang caused a sensation in the small town of Nelson in 1866. Murder was a rare crime and this one involved not just one, but five victims, and everyone was desperate...
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Mayors of Nelson
Mayoral Memorial Walk Mayoral memories walk, Nelson City Council.Click to enlarge or download as PDFThis walk maps the early history of the Nelson City Council under the leadership of some Mayors who...
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Wakefield's Libraries
From the Nelson Examiner, 23 July 1856Local IntelligenceOPENING OF THE WAIMEA SOUTH LITERARY INSTITUTION. On Thursday last, the first building erected in Waimea South for a Literary Institution was...
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Early Nelson College
Fire, earthquake and a Nobel laureateNelson College was established in 1856 with high hopes that Nelson would become the ‘Eton of the South’.Nelson College. Principal's Residence on the left. Copy of...
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Education in Nelson - 1842-2002
The Nelson Province played an important role in the history of New Zealand education. It was the first Province to initiate free public education, based on Matthew Campbell's secular school system,...
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Settlement in Stoke
Stoke was once a swampy area with numerous small streams. When Maori arrived in this area, it was a wetland with numerous streams draining water from the hills to the sea. Covered with flax and raupo...
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Nelson essentials - water and sewage
‘Bright pure water’ and sewageNew Zealand’s early cities reeked of rotting rubbish, dead animals and excrement, and water sources were often contaminated. By contrast, Māori settlements were hygienic,...
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John and Anne Batt
Married and Gone to New Zealand - John and Anne Batt seek a new life in Nelson in 1842My great grandparents lived in two small adjacent villages in Hampshire: Barton Stacey and Chilbolton – just three...
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Nelson's early settlement
Nelson's early history is a fascinating story, one filled with many tales of hardship endured by the early European settlers, who left their homes in England in search of a better life, but with little...
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Early colonial life in Nelson
Nelson’s early EuropeansWho were the first European colonists to Nelson? What kind of people were they?They were tough and inventive. Nelson’s first European houses were often built from little more...
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