HistoryCoton's cottage was first built in 1864 by Bentley and Sarah Coton. Set on 50 acres of land on the Canterbury Plains, the cottage originally consisted of five rooms including an attic bedroom. The first Church of England services were held in this cottage before a church was built in the Hororata area. The Cottage, furnished from the Hororata Historical Society's collection, is an example of a typical 19th century dwelling on a small Canterbury holding.
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ConservationIn 1971, the cottage and a quarter acre of surrounding land was gifted to the Government as a reserve. Cotons' Cottage became a historic reserve three years later, and the day-to-day management of the reserve was transferred to the Hororata Historical Society.
The cob cottage was rebuilt in 1977-1978 by the Hororata Historical Society, under the guidance of the NZ Historic Places Trust, and has been further restored since the 2010-2011 earthquakes. |
Interior Room Views
This land was part of the original Haldon Run - leased by Samuel Bealey in 1854. Bealey was a Cambridge graduate who came to New Zealand immediately after obtaining his degree. He and his brother John took up 8 runs of 40,000 acres - the land between the Selwyn and Rakaia Rivers. He became the 3rd Superintendent of Canterbury. Bealey Avenue in Christchurch and Bealey Road (between Hororata and Aylesbury) are named after him. His branding iron is in the Hororata Museum.
Other big runs in the area were the Hororata Run taken up by 'Honest' John Cordy of Suffolk, and Terrace Station taken up by John Hall, who was later to become Sir John Hall, Premier of New Zealand 1879-1882. His last major political act before he retired was to pilot through the bill which gave women the vote. His telegram to Kate Shepherd, one of the leaders of the suffrage campaign, read "Bill passed by two - hurrah!" Sir John left a legacy in his will for a vicarage to be built in Hororata, an endowment towards a vicar's stipend, and money for a new church - St John's - which was built at the Downs Road corner.
These three runholders met in Bentley Coton's humble clay cottage for church services before there were any churches in the area. Bentley Coton, who built this house of clay, worked on the Waireka Run (near Darfield). He bought 50 acres out of the Haldon Run, the first land near Hororata to be freeholded. He dug the clay from behind the cottage and built the house for his wife and himself in 1864. They milked a few cows and made butter which they sold at five and a half pence per pound.
Mr Ray Oliver, who eventually became the owner of the land, gave the house and a quarter acre to the Queen (actually it was sold for 10 cents, money had to be passed over to conclude a legal transaction) for a Public Reserve. The Hororata Historic Society under the guidance of the NZ Historic Places Trust (now Heritage NZ) pulled down the remains of the derelict cottage and completely rebuilt it to the exact specifications of the original. A concrete foundation was added and a piece of tin was added to the peak of the roof. The walls were 18 inches thick, and the exterior was whitewashed with a mixture of quick lime, tallow and water.
As a tribute to the early pioneers, the front fence for the museum and cottage came from the original runs. The big front gate comes from the Waireka Run, the arched gate was made by Hororata's first blacksmith John Thorne, the curly standards are from the Snowdon Run (Windwhistle), the black wire from the Point Run (Windwhistle) and the three wire fence standards and posts and little front gate are from Sir John Hall's Terrace Station. The rebuilding took an approximate 1900 hours and was done entirely with volunteer labour. The cottage has a Category Two rating. This means it is classified as a place of historic, cultural heritage significance or value of local or regional interest.
Other big runs in the area were the Hororata Run taken up by 'Honest' John Cordy of Suffolk, and Terrace Station taken up by John Hall, who was later to become Sir John Hall, Premier of New Zealand 1879-1882. His last major political act before he retired was to pilot through the bill which gave women the vote. His telegram to Kate Shepherd, one of the leaders of the suffrage campaign, read "Bill passed by two - hurrah!" Sir John left a legacy in his will for a vicarage to be built in Hororata, an endowment towards a vicar's stipend, and money for a new church - St John's - which was built at the Downs Road corner.
These three runholders met in Bentley Coton's humble clay cottage for church services before there were any churches in the area. Bentley Coton, who built this house of clay, worked on the Waireka Run (near Darfield). He bought 50 acres out of the Haldon Run, the first land near Hororata to be freeholded. He dug the clay from behind the cottage and built the house for his wife and himself in 1864. They milked a few cows and made butter which they sold at five and a half pence per pound.
Mr Ray Oliver, who eventually became the owner of the land, gave the house and a quarter acre to the Queen (actually it was sold for 10 cents, money had to be passed over to conclude a legal transaction) for a Public Reserve. The Hororata Historic Society under the guidance of the NZ Historic Places Trust (now Heritage NZ) pulled down the remains of the derelict cottage and completely rebuilt it to the exact specifications of the original. A concrete foundation was added and a piece of tin was added to the peak of the roof. The walls were 18 inches thick, and the exterior was whitewashed with a mixture of quick lime, tallow and water.
As a tribute to the early pioneers, the front fence for the museum and cottage came from the original runs. The big front gate comes from the Waireka Run, the arched gate was made by Hororata's first blacksmith John Thorne, the curly standards are from the Snowdon Run (Windwhistle), the black wire from the Point Run (Windwhistle) and the three wire fence standards and posts and little front gate are from Sir John Hall's Terrace Station. The rebuilding took an approximate 1900 hours and was done entirely with volunteer labour. The cottage has a Category Two rating. This means it is classified as a place of historic, cultural heritage significance or value of local or regional interest.