Nelson City Council

Founders superb displays

Buildings

A small selection of the 31 displays and buildings in the park are listed below.

St Peter's Church

St Peter’s-by-the-Strand, named for its location on the shores of the Haven, served the Anglicans of Atawhai from 1874 until 1983 when it was moved to Founders. It now has new stained glass windows and other artefacts from old Nelson churches.

When the church was built it was described as ‘quite an ornament for the passing traveller to behold with its belfry and three gilded crosses’. The original belfry was demolished as unsafe in 1941, but is now rebuilt, complete with the clock that used to tick off the hours at Nelson College until the 1929 Murchison Earthquake tumbled the clock tower. St Peter’s has a lovely atmosphere and makes a very special setting for weddings or other services.

Fire Station

Nelson’s first fire station, the small building still standing in Albion Square, near Queens Gardens, was built in 1859, but was replaced by a building like the one at Founders. This replica building was presented to Founders by the Nelson Lions Club.

Rutherford's Cottage

The Rutherford cottage at Founders Park is open once again, housing a Kerstiens of Nelson outlet.

Closed for over seven years, reopened in 2007, the cottage is a three-quarter size replica of Ernest Rutherford’s birthplace and was built by the district’s Lions Clubs but never fully realised as a park display. The cottage will house both Founders display items and packaged chocolates for sale.

Rutherford was one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century, shaping modern science and creating nuclear physics.  He is well known for unlocking the secrets of the atom and atomic energy. Born in Brightwater in 1871 he undertook his schooling in Foxhill and Havelock before time at Nelson College.  As an adult, Rutherford won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and in 1931 became the First Baron Rutherford of Nelson.  Although he died 70 years ago, his legacy still lives on.

Pitt and Moore Legal Office

Pitt and Moore celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2004 and you can visit their replica office at Founders Heritage Park Lawyers office. The out tray and the company seal sit on the desk, and a box of cigars is waiting on the mantel for a leisurely chat between lawyer and client. Life may have been slower paced, but it wasn't all easy. In those days before photocopiers transformed office routine, a book of handwritten copies of letters is a reminder that law clerks used to put in long hours of painstaking copperplate, all handwritten with a scratchy pen and ink.

Photography Studio

The fascinating history of photography is now on show at Founders Heritage Park, featuring an old style back drop against which people are welcome to take their own photographs. A wide selection of old cameras, a dark room and many historic photos are on display.

General Store

The General Store contains many of the goods that would have been found on the kauri shelves of your local store 100 years ago.

Two Māori brand Nelson apple cartons, Auckland Weekly magazines from 1889,, rabbit traps and a glass jar of menthol lollies thought to be 100 years old are just a few of the items featured in the display.