Over the past year we have been working quietly away on our project to record the Wooden Artefacts in Karori Cemetery.
Katrina, Amanda, Sarah and Philippa have been walking the rows in the cemetery to see if there are any wooden crosses, wooden headstones/headboards, wooden grave surrounds. When found, each wooden item has been photographed and then details are recorded.
We have found over 50 items, the majority being crosses. The oldest are on graves dating from 1893. While many are hidden away in the bush and grass, some of these wooden artefacts are quite prominent.
If you have been following us for a while, you would have seen the wooden cross that we fundraised to restore in 2021. The Friends are now considering the approach that we will take to preserve these wooden artefacts for the next 100 years.
Our First Project
For our first conservation activity, we decided to investigate what could be done to the wooden grave surround on the grave of Felix Thomas Good Carter. Felix Carter was buried in the Church of England section on 27 June 1893.
The majority of the totara posts and the connecting chain had at some stage been placed at the head of the grave, as they appear to have deteriorated at their bases. They were in pretty poor condition, however one post was still standing in its original location.
We are grateful to Wellington City Council who connected us with a craftsman who has been able to preserve the posts and reinstate them to their previous location. The Friends have used our own funds to preserve this grave surround.
