On Nov 1st, 2023, the Wilson Cement Works Exhibition opened at the Warkworth & District Museum - in Warkworth, north of Auckland - sharing stories about the historical Wilson Cement Works (1883 - 1929) and the impact it had on the history of the Warkworth township.

 

In the late 1800’s, Nathaniel and John Wilson formed John Wilson and Co – built a kiln, produced hydraulic lime, and manufactured the first Portland Cement in New Zealand. From then on, cement manufacturing became a thriving industry throughout New Zealand. Yet unfortunately, only the ruins of the original Warkworth factory remain, and this site is now owned by Auckland Council. As a local resident of Warkworth who has studied History/Art history and Architecture, the challenge of building this model was a great opportunity for me to research and understand more about the early processes involved in the making of Portland cement. ​

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This model of the Wilson Cement Works is a 3-D interpretation based on an existing architecture site plan, informative documents & journals, and visual information gleaned from historical photographs taken over time, from different viewpoints. The site was never static, it was constantly evolving. During its entire period of industrial activity (1866 - 1929) the products and the manufacturing processes underwent many shifts and changes. Improvements in production methods often required the installation of new machinery. Existing buildings were adapted and/or new buildings were constructed. Some notable structures became redundant e.g. the vertical cylindrical kilns - and were eventually removed.

 

The model of the Cement Works plant took 2 months to make. With only one blueprint of an early site plan (enlarged to scale), a more recent hand-drawn map, an isometric drawing of the ruins, plus a selection of historical photographs from different angles, the buildings were identified and then constructed one by one. 

First a maquette of each structure was made from paper/card. Once the template fitted together and the scale seemed accurate (based on photos and surrounding structures), each building was constructed using balsa wood and sandpaper for the roofs. 

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Project coordinator & model construction - Ursula Christel

Frame & wharf - John Tate; Steamboat - Peter McKinnon