Nairn's Street Cottage

Nairn Street Cottage provides a captivating glimpse into the Wallis family’s life spanning 120 years of residency in Wellington. Over this period, three generations inhabited the cottage. Once earmarked for demolition, Winifred Turner, a descendent and the last person to live in the cottage, campaigned to save her former home. The cottage was established as a museum in 1980. 

Guided tours offer a vivid portrayal of the experiences of these early British colonists and their descendants, encompassing both social and technological changes from 1857 to the late 1970s. Each room serves as a time capsule, representing a distinct era that invites visitors on a chronological journey.

The nursery from the 1860s still has its original English wallpaper and most of the home’s furnishings are from the 1800s. Notably, one room displays a toy church reserved for Sunday play, and beneath a bed rests a chamber pot to avoid the lengthy trek to the outhouse during night. In the kitchen, there are signs of modernity such as a dial telephone and a TV. The back of the cottage contains a heritage garden.