Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

What a lovely lot of bottles in the garden

By Lin Ferguson
Whanganui Chronicle·
19 Apr, 2016 09:22 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

DEDICATED: Marton collector of collectibles and old bottles Francis Wilson.PHOTO/LIN FERGUSON

DEDICATED: Marton collector of collectibles and old bottles Francis Wilson.PHOTO/LIN FERGUSON

WHEN Francis Wilson was a small boy he discovered a fascination for treasures he dug up.

He found a wealth of old chipped china, some tiny bottles and old toys.

Marton born and bred Francis said that because there were old rubbish holes buried throughout the district a concentrated bit of digging would always produce a treasure or two.

"And I loved to dig."

He discovered antique flower-patterned teacups, chipped saucers, old china toothpaste containers, pottery pickle jars. All sorts of old and beautiful artifacts, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As a boy he also carefully collected old matchboxes and a variety of small tins, but as a young adult he discovered the beauty of old bottles.

"I was digging out a gatepost one day, and I heard a clunk and I dug up an old bottle that had had a glass marble in it.

"Kids used to love those old marble bottles because the marbles were the best you could get. They were indestructible."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Today Francis, 71, is retired and living in what is believed to be Marton's oldest cottage, Kendrick Cottage, built in 1863.

"James Kendrick came out from Britain in 1856. He built this cottage, beautiful kauri timber, and he and his wife, Mary, had 10 children here. Hard to believe, isn't it? It's not a very big house."

Francis worked for the Rangitikei Catchment Board for years. The board, formed in 1945, took on the duties of Regional Water Board in 1968 due to the Water and Soil Conservation Act 1967. From April 1, 1972 the Wanganui Catchment District came under the boards.

"I got very tired of it all and took the job as caretaker at Marton School and loved every minute of it. I never looked back."

Francis was an old boy of Marton School and Rangitikei College and said even now he could walk downtown and have some large chap call out "Hello, Mr Wilson".

"I never know who it is, because they were probably a very small boy when I last saw them rushing around the school grounds."

Francis now has a collection of more than 3000 antique bottles and jars, all in perfect condition. And that's not taking into account all his precious collectibles.

To display his bottles he's built a round wooden building in his back garden. Rows upon rows of gleaming bottles line the specially built shelves.

The array is mesmerising.

A few weeks ago the community tour Marton Man Sheds was organised, and Francis' house and shed were on the viewing list.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Viewers loved his collections of antique china, books, bottles, old meccano sets, NZ Railway cups, essence and perfume bottles, school slate boards and slate pencils, and Victorian shoes.

"There was something for everyone. They all loved my old house."

Some of the men who took the tour raced home and brought their wives back for a look, he said.

"Well, there is something for everyone. Lovely old dolls, paintings, and the pretty china jars that face cream used to come in, old teapots and china plates."

His array of beautiful china lids used to close jars are like delicate paintings and Francis has them displayed in a special place of their own.

"They are very pretty, aren't they?"

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Francis said he supposed his place was now actually a museum, because there were so many antiques crowding every room. "I love people to visit. I've even had bus tours from the Wairarapa."

Outside, the gardens are filled with with fruiting vines and trees, large vege gardens, wood piles (ready for winter), his bottle house and even an old red phone box from Mangamahu.

"I make all my own jam, and I will be bottling a lot of winter cole pears this year."

He said it was a shame the regional antique bottle collectors' clubs had finished.

"I really enjoyed going to the bottle club. There are still bottle collectors' clubs in the cities, but that's a bit far for me now."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape books return to premier final

07 Jul 05:01 PM
Premium
Opinion

Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

07 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape books return to premier final

Taihape books return to premier final

07 Jul 05:01 PM

Cooks Gardens hosts Saturday's finals day.

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Council funding critical to continue Masters Games

Council funding critical to continue Masters Games

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP