Riverlands Cob Cottage

The Redwood Run and Earth Architecture

Charles Redwood established the Riverlands Run,¹ with the cottage constructed on the property between 1854 and 1868.^{2, 3} Dwellings south of the Wairau River required alternative building systems due to a lack of readily accessible timber supplies.⁴ Workers combined clay, water, and chopped tussock grass to build thick, structural walls up to 40cm thick.^{5, 6}

Structural examinations revealed that the builders incorporated horse manure into the puddled clay walls.⁷ The manure contained undigested chaff, which served as an essential reinforcing component to bind the earth mixture.⁸ Alongside the Molesworth cob cottage, the dwelling stands as one of the premier surviving examples of pioneer earth architecture in Marlborough.⁹

Pastoral Accommodation and Rural Use

The cottage housed members of the Redwood family alongside a succession of farm labourers and itinerant shearing gangs.^{10, 11} As pastoral operations expanded across the Wairau Plain, simple cob structures offered essential shelter for rural workers in a region with scarce timber resources.¹² The humble building provided a functional base for daily farm operations on the run.¹³

Schoolroom, Bookies, and War Base

The building adapted to several community functions over the subsequent decades.¹⁴ Pupils gathered inside the cottage between 1906 and 1909 when the structure operated as the local Riverlands School.^{15, 16} The property later functioned as a quartermaster store and area base for the Home Guard during the Second World War, a store room, a hay shed, and a shelter for stud sheep.^{17, 18}

Local historical records reveal that the cottage also served an informal purpose during its history.¹⁹ Bookmakers attending the nearby racecourse used the roadside building as a secret headquarters.²⁰ This varied record reflects how rural communities repurposed simple earthen structures for educational, military, and practical needs.²¹

Restoration and Preservation

The Goodwin & Associates and the Historic Places Trust initiated a major restoration programme in 1960.^{22, 23} Work parties cleared dense overgrowth, rebuilt degraded mud walls, reshingled the roof, and furnished the interior with historical displays.²⁴ Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga formally registered the building as a Category 2 Historic Place on 25 November 1982 under List No. 1471, covering Lot 1 DP 3554.²⁵

Following restoration, the cottage opened to museum visitors in 1965.²⁶ Ongoing conservation planning includes foundation engineering works to address rising damp and structural stability, protecting the historic landmark for public education.²⁷