Yaldhurst Museum facts for kids
The Yaldhurst Museum is a cool place to visit in Yaldhurst, Christchurch, New Zealand. It's near the Christchurch International Airport and other fun spots. This museum is famous for its huge collection of old vehicles. It first opened its doors to visitors way back in 1968.
Contents
Discovering Yaldhurst Museum's Past
How the Museum Started
A man named Alfred Thornhill Cooper, also known as Jake Cooper, created this museum. He loved collecting old vehicles and started his collection in 1950. In 1963, he bought his family's old home, Dudley House, in Yaldhurst. He wanted to build his museum there.
Building the Museum Site
The property had a two-story house built in 1876. It also had two stables and a small shed on about 8 acres of land. Jake Cooper built more display areas and storage buildings. The museum officially opened to the public on Boxing Day, December 26, 1968. It was first called the Yaldhurst Museum of Transport and Science.
Exploring the Museum's Collections
What You Can See Inside
Many items at the museum are shown just as they were originally. You can see all sorts of vehicles here. This includes cars, racing cars, and even big commercial trucks. There are also motorcycles, scooters, and power-cycles.
Other Cool Exhibits
You can also find old horse-drawn carriages and bicycles. The museum has tractors and farm equipment too. There are stationary engines, military items, and fire engines. The original Yaldhurst School building is also at the museum. It was moved there in April 1984.
Amazing Horse-Drawn Vehicles
A Journey Through Time
The museum has a huge collection of horse-drawn vehicles. There are 119 of them, gathered from all over the South Island of New Zealand. The oldest one is an American Buggy from 1810.
Types of Carriages and Carts
You can see many different types of vehicles. These include gigs, swamp drays, and park drags. There are also broughams, phaetons, and bakers' carts. You might spot surreys, expresses, rigs, and sociables. Governess carts, night carts, and milk carts are also on display.
A Special Hearse
One very rare vehicle is a hearse from around 1886. It was used by funeral directors Macdonald and Weston in Invercargill. People say it carried the body of New Zealand Prime Minister Richard Seddon when he passed away in 1906. This hearse is one of only three known to still exist in New Zealand. The other two are in Naseby and Auckland.
Fantastic Car Collection
A Wide Range of Cars
Yaldhurst Museum has 137 cars in its collection. You can see cars from many famous brands. These include Austin, Dodge, Singer, and Morris. There are also Ford, Triumph, Willys, and Plymouth cars. You can even find Jaguar, Wolseley, and Chrysler vehicles.
Rare and Unique Cars
Some cars are very rare. One is a 1938 International car coupe. Only five of these were made in New Zealand. Another special car is an early 1908 Daimler.
The Fire Station Display
The museum has a replica fire station. It holds nine fire engines. One is a Merryweather manual appliance from about 1874. There's also a 1924 Leyland 6-cylinder appliance. A 1938 Ford V8 appliance is also there. This Ford fire engine helped at the J. Ballantyne & Co department store fire in Christchurch on November 18, 1947.
Historic Printing Presses
The Museum's Print Shop
The museum has a special print shop. It holds a large collection of printing presses and related equipment. Most of the machines are letterpresses. There are also several small offset presses.
The Impressive Wharfdale Press
The most impressive machine is an 1863 Wharfdale flat bed tumble cylinder press. It needs two people to operate it. This newspaper press was made by W. Dawson and Sons in Otley, England. It was first used in Invercargill around 1863 to print the Southland Times newspaper.
Still Working Today
In 1914, the press moved to Waimate to print the Daily Advertiser. It came to the museum in 1972. This amazing machine is still working today. Sometimes, the museum even demonstrates how it prints!
