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Eltham
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In the major dairying region of Taranaki, historic Eltham is known as a town of industrial firsts. New Zealand's dairying sector had many starts here. Chinese businessman Chew Chong exported the country's first butter from Eltham to England in 1884. He also built the first dairy factory in 1887. In 1906, the first Rennet company was built in Eltham. In 1906, Eltham's Bridge Street became the first tarsealed road in New Zealand, to handle the rapidly developing local economy.
Dairying and cheesemaking in particular remain key focuses for this lovely little town. Mainland Cheese operates a large factory in central Eltham that specialises in gourmet cheeses. These great cheeses can be sampled and purchased at the Taranaki-famous cheese-bar on Bridge Street.
Eltham was named after a town in Kent in England. The town was first settled by colonists in the 1870s and retains its very pretty, Victorian/Edwardian character. Many of the buildings in the central Eltham business are built in beautiful Victorian/Edwardian style. The Eltham Village Working Party, which was formed in late 1993, set out to enhance the village theme of central Eltham even further. The result is a marvellous urban upgrade where streetlights, plants and paving complement the heritage-style buildings.
A walk down Eltham's Bridge Street is a walk through time. Buildings in the town are significant for their architecture and their importance to Eltham's social and economic history. Eleven of the buildings are registered as significant buildings with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Specially-designed heritage walks through Eltham will take you past some of Taranaki's most significant buildings. They include:
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THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING |
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Constructed in 1911, this beautiful two-story building housed the Eltham Borough Council. The Public Library and Reading Rooms occupied the upper floor. An impressive collection of early photographs of Eltham is on display in the foyer - come in and have a look!
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THE TOWN HALL |
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The Town Hall was built between 1910 and 1911 to replace the original hall in Railway Street. The wood-and-iron building incorporates a large auditorium and meeting hall. The Town Hall has a marvellous stage design and attracted a considerable number of touring companies to Eltham. Silent films were also shown in the hall from an early date. Now nearly 100 years old, the Town Hall is continually being restored and technically upgraded by the Friends of the Eltham Town Hall.
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ST JOSEPH'S SCHOOL/CHURCH HALL |
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These buildings were constructed in 1898 on Preston Street. The buildings were moved to Stanners Street in 1913. In 1923, a new school building was added. The first of the three buildings on the site is the original church building.
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WILKINSON'S BUILDINGS |
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Businessman and politician CA Wilkinson is known to many people in the area as the father of Eltham. He was Mayor of Eltham from 1941 to 1947 and an Independent Member of Parliament for 22 years. He built several of Eltham's shop buildings and initiated the important tarsealing of Eltham's Roads in 1906. His former home Ashleigh Lodge is one of Eltham's most impressive older buildings..
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ELTHAM POST OFFICE |
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The fine old Eltham Post Office building in Bridge Street was built in 1904. The manual telelphone exchange operated out of the upper floor of the building until 1957.
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SOUTH TARANAKI i-SITE VISITOR CENTRE |
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55 High Street
Hawera
Contact:
- Tourism and Events Manager: Fiona Greenhill
Phone: 06 278 8599
Fax: 06 278 6599
Email: visitorinfo@stdc.govt.nz
Hours are:
Monday - Friday 8.30am-5.15pm
Weekends and Public Holidays 9.30am-4pm (December-April) 10am-3pm (May-November). Closed Christmas Day.
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Eltham Heritage Inventory (1.7MB)
This file offers a detailed inventory of heritage sites in Eltham for people who would like more information regarding this important historic town. The file is in Adobe format, so please click on the image below to download Acrobat Reader if you do not have it
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*Click here or on the image to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader which can display pdf
files on your computer
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Historic Places Map |
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