Guided Tour of Bolton Street Cemetery

This is a special opportunity to learn about Wellington’s first cemetery and the history of early buildings that were once within it.

Hear about the historic ‘time ball’ procedure which was used to provide a time service to the town from January 1870 until its site was taken over in 1906 for the tomb of Prime Minister Richard Seddon.

Find out about the original mortuary chapel --- replaced by the replica chapel, now the Bolton Street Cemetery Museum. Hear the stories concerning the cottage (now gone) built for the Public Sexton, and the other cottage (pictured), built on Bolton Street for the Anglican Sexton in 1857, which is still in good condition and which we will visit as part of the tour.

Our guides will also talk about the disruption caused by the construction of Wellington’s urban motorway in the 1960s.

The Friends of the Bolton Street Cemetery are an enthusiastic group of volunteers, some living in the neighbourhood and some are descendants of people buried in the cemetery.

For more details contact:
Kate Fortune
kate_fortune@hotmail.com
021 109 4001

Not suitable for wheelchairs. Please wear sturdy shoes as some paths are steep and can be slippery. Care is required.