The former Outram Primary School infant building, on the grounds of the Taieri Historical Society’s museum and park near Outram Glen, has been given a makeover.
Taieri Historical Society committee member Peter Thomson said it had been many decades since the schoolhouse was last painted.
The building was transported to the site in the mid-1990s and had been looking ‘‘very scruffy’’ with flaking paint and rotten wood cladding.
Now it looked significantly better, as cladding had been replaced, corrugated metal roofing sheets repaired and new guttering installed.
Throughout the repair process, the look and feel of the schoolhouse had been preserved.
‘‘Any timber that was specially shaped or anything, we tried to keep it the same and we had special runs of timber done.’’
The entire exterior was subsequently painted in a vintage shade of white in keeping with its age.
Funding for the upgrades was thanks to grants and donations, including from the Dunedin City Council Heritage Fund.
Other contributions toward the cost of repairs included funds from an Outram Primary School reunion and the Bathgate family.
The society was also grateful to former member Albie Kerr, who died about four years ago and left it a significant bequest in his will.
Much of the painting and repairs were carried out by local contractors.
The renovations on the building, which dated back to the 1800s, would help preserve the structure for future generations.
‘‘It is not just about moving buildings here but it is about preserving buildings,’’ Mr Thomson said.
Mr Thomson said his connection with the school began when he was only a 5-year-old Outram Primary School pupil.
‘‘I came into this room to be taught and we had a cast iron potbelly stove, it used to glow up hot in the wintertime.
‘‘If you didn't have the damper quite right and you loaded too much coal on you'd get a bit of an explosion and there'd be a puff of smoke.’’
The Taieri Historical Society and Museum is open on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm until May.
At other times, people can view information panels outside many of the buildings, which provide some historical details.
