The Victorian era refers to the period during which Queen Victoria was on the British throne. It covers more than sixty years from 1837, until Victoria's death 1901. New Zealand underwent some dramatic changes during this time, as the changing society, new technologies and considerable alteration of the landscape transformed the country forever.
In 1962, the cottage once inhabited by the old Pumphouse engineer and a plot of spare land at Western Springs became the first items in the creation of a Victorian Village. The engineer's cottage still stands on its original site and is now one of nine major Victorian buildings at MOTAT, plus various other outbuildings, covering the period 1848-1900.
The Victorian Village collection consists of a chapel, schoolhouse, cellblock and even an operating forge. The collection also includes household furnishings, utensils, tools, personal items and toys from the Victorian period.
The Blacksmith forge operates every Sunday from 10am to 5pm.
