Russell's ancient building a must-see

New Zealand Historic Places Trust information release
5 January 2004

What has Asterix the Gaul got to do with one of New Zealand's oldest buildings?

At first glance, not a lot - but with a bit of imagination you might find some fascinating connections, according to Kate Martin, the Historic Places Trust's manager at Pompallier Mission, Russell, Bay of Islands.

"As well as being this country's oldest industrial building, Pompallier Mission is unique in New Zealand in that it is constructed of rammed earth - a traditional building technique brought to New Zealand by Catholic missionaries from Lyon in southern France," she says.

The roots of this construction method can be traced back to the ancient Romans who introduced this building method to France. Conquering Gaul, the Romans founded a city they called Lugdunum, today known as Lyon, a place the French cartoon character has been known to visit in his various adventures.

"The mass felling of trees in the region for shipbuilding during the Napoleonic Wars, meant a great shortage of timber in the Rhone Valley. People resorted to the rammed earth construction traditions again out of necessity," says Kate.

In Russell during the 1840s, and in severe financial strife, the French missionaries also turned to rammed earth.

"What they ended up making was something straight out of the Rhone Valley, a French provincial building. Visitors today can experience pioneer mission technology in all its pre-Industrial Revolution glory - complete with a working press, tannery and hands-on demonstrations and stories of mission book production," says Kate.

"It really is a fascinating place with many layers of history. And the last place on earth people would expect to see an example of such an ancient building style."

Enjoy your heritage - visit Pompallier.

For more information:

Contact: Kate Martin, Property Manager