More for the Tinsmith

We have been keeping our eyes peeled for more to flesh out (so to speak) our Tinsmith Collection. There has been a significant collection in storage since it was obtained in 1976. The other day we pulled fair bit of it out of the loft and moved it into our new store room, so Linda can start cataloguing it in her spare time. Then we will have some idea of what we have.

So we were excited the other day to find a couple of things in a load of what would otherwise be considered rubbish, that came in with a Super Spreader collected from Berwick.

Firstly, there was this tin - possibly a commercial bread loaf tin. It had obviously been consigned to the shed, and used for storing parts. What took our eye is that it is a quite complex piece of work by a Tinsmith - you start to see their work everywhere, when you start to look.

Below is a close-up of one end - the tin has been formed by cutting to a pattern, folding it over and then riveting on another two strips. The rim has then been formed by turning the tin over wire.

So yes, we know it is in dreadful condition, but we have a Fairy Godfather called Glenn in the workshop, and we may ask him if he is able to clean this up.

In the same load were two wooden containers of the type used for bits and pieces in workshops, before plastic and mass-produced tinware became common. Both were made from end-pieces of wood, with the first one having a base of tongue-and-groove lining board scraps.

Normally, these are the types of items that are discarded when there is a clean-up. In this case we will accession them in, and use them to store some of the myriad small parts we already have found in the Tuck Tinsmith Collection.

Bullion Box

We have been reviewing items held in the National Bank, and were especially taken by this one. It is a Bullion Box, on loan from the National Bank Heritage Collection.

It is described as "Robust wooden box with hinged lid and rope handles at each end. Four holes with wax residue show that the lid was secured by nails or screws with wax seals concealing the heads."

We also hold on loan a Key Box on Loan, and a Letter Copying Press.

Our collection also includes a number of chairs donated by the National Bank when it was set up in 1970. We have two of these beautiful chairs carved with the Bank's logo. Lovely to look at, but one wonders how they would have been if you were sitting on them for a long period.

But the carving is exquisite:

Bushy Park

One of the things about cataloguing at Old Gippstown is that we ultimately create a record for everything - including all the buildings. Researching them has been a particular joy.

The building above is Bushy Park, on site, tucked away in a corner to give it some remoteness from the "town". This is the oldest section from the buildings at Bushy Park, between Boisdale and Briagolong, a station established in the 1840s by Gippsland pastoralist Angus McMillan. It was built in the late 1840s, using pit-sawn timber, and added to over the years.

Which is why we were delighted to find this photograph of it in an album loaned by Ollie Dobratz, who moved the building to the park in 1969 - forty years ago.

You can see a larger copy HERE.

This photograph shows the section on the left that was moved to Metung, and the section in the centre front, that was moved to Old Gippstown. Behind them is the Billiard Room, which was demolished on site. To the right, almost totally out of the picture (you can just see a corner), is the section that remained on site.

We are fortunate indeed that Ollie has preserved this collection. Our early records are very important to us, so we were also very happy to receive the Minute Books of the Ladies Auxilliary (Later the Old Gippstown Pioneers) last week. They will add immeasurably to the collection

Visit by Johan Scheffer

Today we were privileged to have Johan Scheffer, Upper House Member for Eastern Victoria Region call to inspect the work on our new store room. He is shown here, on the right, with manager Michael Fozard, inspecting some of the temporarily boxed books from Dr J.M. Andrew's library. These are original Penguins, published leading up to the beginning of World War II, dealing with political events in Germany and Spain. They formed an important part of the Yallourn doctor's library.

It was particularly a pleasure to brief Mr Schefer on the Building Better Regional Museums grant that fitted out the store room - which is almost finished - as well as the Significance Study that has been funded by Heritage Victoria - as he has a background as a museum volunteer. It is good to know there are people out there representing us who have some idea what we are on about, especially when we are talking of improving standards.

Unfortunately BBRM grants are not being offered this year, as the program concentrating on the metropolitan, not regional area, but it did give us a leg up when we needed it.

Spanners, and More Spanners

One thing leads to another. Eddie has been working away in the Garage, and started cataloguing the spanners. So we went out on the web looking, and found George Radion's most excellent website on Australian Spanners. George is a most helpful person, one thing led to another, and he came visiting yesterday. So we went hunting for spanners in uncatalogued locations, other than the Garage.

This is just the start of what we found in the Blacksmith's:

Memo - Spanners are very heavy animals. You need a wheelbarrow when spanner hunting. The big one on top is an early Blacksmith's Wrench, but minus its wedge. We have since found another with a wedge.

George then spent hours, picking up each spanner, telling us what it was, while we wrote quick notes and tagged them. This is the wheelbarrow at the end of the day:

We have 54 different spanners tagged, with the blue box on the top being multiple buggy spanners still needing sorting, and spanners with no maker's name, which are not recognisable by George.

There were only a few he didn't know. This one (we have a couple) has him beat:

It is stamped 1918, with other numbers and letters, and is rather large - call back for the numbers soon. I will write them down next time I am out there.

Eddie sure has a lot of cataloguing in front of him, but we will have an excellent spanner display at the end. The Buggy Spanners are heading for the Wheelwright's (next to the Blacksmith's), and the others will be going to the Garage - unless we find their original machine.

How many Pressed Tin Patterns....?

How many pressed tin patterns do you think there are in the National Bank building?

The very-eagle-eyed may spot Linda and Linda approaching the bank as part of their building examination last Wednesday for the Significance Study. You won't spot Rodney (new to the team), as he was behind the camera. Thanks Rodney!

They were all just about to realise just how important the pressed tin interiors were in the bank. On a quick count, there are at least eight different patterns of pressed tin used. Unfortunately there was little time to take good photographs that day - it requires a bit of thought how to photograph all-white pressed tin.

So this is just one of the corners, to give some idea how the ceiling, cornices and walls are all pressed tin, down to the stained boards halfway up the walls.

Stand by in the near future for some good shots of the tin.

The building? It was built in 1889 at Meeniyan, in South Gippsland for the Colonial Bank of Australasia. This became the National Bank in 1914. The first manager was H.D.McKay. It as moved to Old Gippstown in 1970, and has a false masonry front in painted wood.

Amazing what you find (ie the tin), when you seriously look at a building for the first time.

Henricus Historical Park and Links

It really gets interesting when you start to run around the net looking for other historical parks. I was particularly taken to find Henricus Historical Park in Virginia. Especially as they are looking at fences, just as we are.

Meanwhile, over at what has now become Australasian Heritage Parks, Howick Historical Village in New Zealand has added an excellent range of photographs (especially interiors), to the earlier ones posted by Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum.

Other Historical Villages

Fancy a wander around other Heritage Parks / Pioneer Villages / Open Air Museums in Australia and New Zealand?

Here is a start, with some links:


Australia

Queensland

Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum

Hervey Bay Flickr photos


Miles Historical Village


South Australia

Loxton Historical Village


Victoria

Coal Creek (Korumburra)

Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement

Wimmera Mallee Pioneer Museum (Jeparit)


New Zealand

Howick Historical Village