Tophouse facts for kids
Tophouse is a small, quiet area in the Tasman District of New Zealand's South Island. It's about 8 kilometers northeast of Saint Arnaud. You might also hear it called Tophouse Settlement.
The name "Tophouse" comes from a hotel built there a long time ago, in the 1800s. This hotel helped people called drovers. Drovers were people who moved large groups of sheep from one place to another, like between Canterbury and Marlborough. The original Tophouse hotel is still open today! For many years, "Tophouse" meant just the hotel. But now, it also refers to the whole area around it. On February 20, 2001, the New Zealand Geographic Board officially named the area "Tophouse Settlement."
About Tophouse
Tophouse is located close to State Highway 63. This main road helps people travel through the region.
Tophouse and Railways
A long time ago, there were big plans for Tophouse to become an important railway hub. In the 1880s, people thought about building a major railway line, called the Main North Line, through Tophouse. This line would connect Christchurch to Marlborough and Nelson.
The idea was to extend an existing railway line, the Waiau Branch, from Culverden through Hanmer Springs to Tophouse. From Tophouse, the railway would split into two branches. One branch would go down the Wairau River valley to Blenheim. The other branch would go to Nelson.
These plans were considered for many years, right up until the 1930s. However, a different route was chosen in the end. The railway was built along the coast, going through places like Parnassus and Kaikōura, instead of the inland Tophouse route.
Tophouse School
Tophouse once had its own school. It opened in 1914, which means it taught children for many years. However, the school is now closed.
