Vallance Cottage was built in 1896 by Scottish gold miner William Vallance — who used hand-made, sun-dried bricks to construct it.
The Central Otago District Council (CODC), who help manage the building, hoped raising awareness of how it was constructed would encourage people to appreciate its importance as a piece of local history.
Senior pupils from St Gerard’s and Terrace Primary School’s took part in tours of the cottage and made their own mud bricks — replicating the process Mr Vallance used almost 130 years ago.
CODC worked with Enviroschools and the Earth Building Association of New Zealand to put on a series of mud-brick making workshops.
CODC property and facilities officer Bex Snape said there was no better way to celebrate the building than to gain an appreciation of how it was made.
"The idea is ... [the bricks] will go back to the school and they can be repurposed within the school."
She hoped the children could take ownership and pride in their learning and pass it on to their families.
"[An] awareness — of how lucky we are to have a little of history preserved and how important it is to keep it," she said.
The cottage was gifted to the community by the Vallance family in the mid-1990s and underwent a massive restoration effort by the Vallance Cottage Working Group, made up of descendants, community members, and CODC staff.
An open day will be held at the cottage tomorrow including a tour of the cottage and a display of mud brick making techniques.
