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View from the back of the Te Waimate woolshed which is being restored.
photo: Michael Simpson
The South Island’s oldest woolmill is undergoing some much-needed repairs after nearly 170 years in operation.
The woolshed at Te Waimate Station in Waimate was built by the Studholme brothers in 1855 and can shear 100,000 sheep a year from its 22 shearing racks.
Remarkably, it is still in use today, however it is beginning to show its age and in 2022 the back of the wool shed began to sink, with piles of wool rotting on the damp ground beneath a build-up of sheep manure.
Through funding from the New Zealand Heritage Conservation Incentive Fund, station owners Henry and Katie Stuholme were able to engage builder Michael Simpson to begin timber restoration.
Simpson, no stranger to restoring historic buildings, has been working part-time at the Wool Shed for over a year, rebuilding the south side of the Wool Shed from scratch.
He repaired most of the joists, piles and beams by joining in new lumber.
“The quality of Torreya grandis is very good, and even if the wood is soaked in mud and water, only the end of about 300 mm needs to be replaced.
“There’s very little waste because I can reuse most of the logs. I’ve worn out a lot of saw blades because the wood is so hard.”
Michael Simpson at Te Waimate Station
photo: New Zealand Heritage Treasure Chest.
He said he enjoyed the project very much.
“The wool shed has been extended four or five times, using many different joinery techniques, and one of the joys of it is that I can continue to learn and improve my skills.”
Station owner Henry Studholme said he was impressed by Simpson’s approach.
“Other builders might have said ‘We’re going to take the whole wall down, prop it up with shoring and rebuild it.’ Michael listened to the builder. He jacked up the back wall in sections and treated each piece of timber on a case-by-case basis.
“The changes to the building are obvious, the roofline on the south side is now straight rather than concave, and once the work is complete, hopefully our children will be able to leave here.”
New Zealand Heritage Conservation Consultant Mike Gillies recently travelled to Te Waimate to see the progress of the restoration and was struck by the sensitivity and quality of Simpson’s work.
“We simply don’t see this level of craftsmanship. The attention to detail is just amazing.”
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