Viking longhouse & ship, Haroldswick, Unst, Shetland

More information: Shetland Amenity Trust

Longhouse

From information panel on site:
Today there are the remains of at least 60 Norse longhouses in the island, the largest number of rural sites anywhere in the Viking World. Three were excavated between 2006-2010 at Hamar, Underhoull and Belmont. Archaeologists discovered that none of the sites were exactly the same. Some had stone walls, some turf walls, some had beaten earth floors, some were paved with stones and one even had a wooden floor. This replica longhouse has been built using the information obtained during the excavations. It is based on the discoveries from Hamar, but has side rooms added - like those found at Underhoull.

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Thermopolia, Pompeii & Herculaneum, Italy

From the Pompeii website:
Although the excavated part in Pompeii (which amounts to two-thirds of the old urban area) has 89 thermopolia, small cook-shops where hot food was sold, it does not mean that the wealthy owners of large atrium houses used to dine out. The lower classes frequented such places. When passing through Pompeii, one can see many dwellings and shops within the large houses, which overlook the street and often consist of a single room. Craftsmen and merchants lived and worked here, often living with their families on the upper floors. These homes rarely have a kitchen. Therefore one would dine out, in one of the many thermopolia that offered hot food. Unchanged: Although the excavated part in Pompeii (which amounts to two-thirds of the old urban area) has 89 thermopolia, small cook-shops where hot food was sold, it does not mean that the wealthy owners of large atrium houses used to dine out. The lower classes frequented such places. When passing through Pompeii, one can see many dwellings and shops within the large houses, which overlook the street and often consist of a single room. Craftsmen and merchants lived and worked here, often living with their families on the upper floors. These homes rarely have a kitchen. Therefore one would dine out, in one of the many thermopolia that offered hot food.

Another thermopolium here.Thermopolium, Pompeii, Italy

Thermopolium of Vetutius Placidus. From website, "this thermopolium "represents social mobility in Pompeii in Roman times, where merchants and craftsmen also held a high social status, reserved only to landowners in older times. Drinks and hot food were served in this place, as the name indicates, stored in large jars placed in the richly decorated masonry counter of the tavern. The news stand on the back wall is of great interest; extremely well-maintained, it consists of a lararium dedicated to the protectors of the household(Lari), the Genius protector of the owner, as well as the god of trade (Mercury) and the god of wine (Dionysus). The house is at the rear, interconnected with the shop"

Selling counter of the Grande Taberna, Herculaneum. The large storage jars are easily visible here. The doorway shows the groove that the door slid across.

Thermopolium, Pompeii, Italy

From the street. There's an entrance to the left and a counter to the right

From the Pompeii website:
Although the excavated part in Pompeii (which amounts to two-thirds of the old urban area) has 89 thermopolia, small cook-shops where hot food was sold, it does not mean that the wealthy owners of large atrium houses used to dine out. The lower classes frequented such places. When passing through Pompeii, one can see many dwellings and shops within the large houses, which overlook the street and often consist of a single room. Craftsmen and merchants lived and worked here, often living with their families on the upper floors. These homes rarely have a kitchen. Therefore one would dine out, in one of the many thermopolia that offered hot food.

This is one of them:

More thermopolia here

Paddle Steamer, Echuca, Victoria (upper deck)

Alexander Arbuthnot 2
I didn't get a photo of the whole ship so I'll have to use one from Wikipedia Commons

Paddle Steamer Alexander Arbuthnot, Echuca Paddlesteamers. Photos from July 2019

The Alexander Arbuthnot is the last paddle steamer built as a working boat on the Murray River, Australia. The ship was built by the Arbuthnot Sawmill at Koondrook, in 1916, as a barge, and named after the sawmill's founder. She was fitted with an engine and superstructure in 1923. The engine was built by Ruston & Hornsby of England and was once used in an earlier boat called The Glimpse.
Wikipedia.

Her normal schedule was to tow two outrigger barges upstream from the mill, with two men to each barge. She would drop them off at a landing where the barges would be loaded with logs and then floated, unaided by the steamer, downstream back to the mill. Meanwhile, PS Alexander Arbuthnot would return to the mill, collect another barge and ply downstream to Campbell’s Island where she would await the loading of the barge and tow it back. Each barge was capable of transporting about 300 tons for red gum logs.
Echuca Paddlesteamers

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Horse-drawn Hearse

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Part of the horse-drawn vehicle collection at Swan Hill's Pioneer Settlement.

This Hearse was manufactured in Scotland, probably towards the end of the nineteenth century, and was imported for use in the suburbs of Melbourne. Once horse-drawn hearses started to fall out of favour with the more modern citizens of the City, it was transferred from Ravens Undertakers in Kew to their branch in Nagambie and then later again to Castlemaine.

Earlier hearses were much plainer, simply black, glass sided boxes, which looked very depressing. Towards the end of the nineteenth century though, there was a move towards a more flamboyant, if still understated, look and the cost of a funeral would be affected by the type and amount of decoration required on the Hearse and horses.

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Coach, Melbourne Museum

Cobb & Co Coach, at ">Melbourne Museum.

The associated info panel says"
This coach is believed to have been built in Geelong in about 1880 for the Western Stage Company, which ran coaches throughout western Victoria under the 'Cobb & Co' banner. Pulled by four or five horses, the coach carried up to 17 passengers. Mail and luggage were stowed in the compartment below the driver's seat, and on the rear luggage rack or roof.

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Guard’s Van, Echuca, Victoria

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Port of Echuca Discovery Centre

From information panels:

Guard's Van
In Australia, guard's vans were often also used for carrying parcels and light freight and usually had large compartments and loading doors for such items. Some of the larger vans also included a compartment for passengers travelling on goods services or drovers travelling with their livestock. The small compartment at the front of this van would have been used to carry passenger's pets or a drover's dog.

Guards Van (Brake Van) (ZL 448)
...
This of is an example of the most numerous type of brake van used by Victorian Railways over a very long period. It was built at Newport Workshops and entered traffic in 1914. In 1961 it was altered to. incorporate long travel draft gear.

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Locomotive, Echuca, Victoria

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A2 steam locomotive, Port of Echuca Discovery Centre

The A2 class was an express passenger locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1907 to 1963. A highly successful design entirely the work of Victorian Railways' own design office, its long service life was repeatedly extended as economic depression and war delayed the introduction of more modern and powerful replacement locomotives.
Wikipedia.

Video of restored locomotive.

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Paddle Steamer Gem, Pioneer Settlement, Swan Hill

From the information panel just before going aboard,  the Gem was built in 1876 as a barge, but a year later "was fitted with’4 40 horsepower steam engine, wood fired boilers and upper works enabling her to be employed carrying freight and passengers on the River Murray as a steamer.

In 1882, she was "cut in half using simple hand tools and the two pieces dragged apart by bullocks. A new 12 metre section was inserted in the space and an extra deck was added to allow more room for both passengers and cargo."

"In service, her lower deck was used for cargo storage; engine room, dining room and galley. Passenger accommodation was located on the middle deck, while the top deck was used for the wheelhouse and to accommodate the crew. The Gem also had a Smoking Room at the rear of the upper deck for gentlemen and a Music Room for the ladies at the front of the middle deck."

Exterior photos.

Go aboard!

Lower deck

Middle deck: cabin, music saloon

Upper deck

Horse-drawn Omnibus

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Part of the horse-drawn vehicle collection at Swan Hill's Pioneer Settlement.

The horse-drawn Omnibus was a French invention which came to Australia via England in the mid nineteenth century, it was the equivalent of the modern suburban bus. Similar to the Family Wagonette in that it has parallel side seats, panelled sides and a rear entrance. Unlike the Wagonette though, it also has a fixed top, and windows.

The Omnibus displayed here is a basic model suited to a provincial Mallee town. It lacks the glass widows and the rooftop seating that were found on omnibuses in major cities. The history of this vehicle before arriving at the Settlement is, unfortunately, unknown.

Railway Station, Echuca, Victoria

Railway station at Echuca including interior, public toilet, platform & some surrounding structures.

The railway reached Echuca in 1864, and transformed the town into a major river port, with the opening of the Echuca Wharf and substantial urban growth in the 1870s. In 1876, the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company opened their 71 km (44 mi) long private railway northwards to Deniliquin. The brick station building at Echuca was provided on opening of the line, along with a double gable roofed brick goods shed, and three road locomotive depot. The station building was expanded in 1877, a large water tower being erected in the same year (demolished in 1977), and the iron footbridge was added in 1880. The concrete rail bridge over the Murray River to the north of the station opened in 1989, replacing a road and rail bridge which opened in 1878.
Wikipedia.

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Gatekeepers Cottage, Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Hobart

Following the resignation of Dr Story in 1845 after a mere twelve months as superintendent (Secretary Manager), the Royal Society decided to build a separate house for the Superintendent, possibly to make up for the relatively low salary. Designed by the Colonial Architect, Porden Kay, it was situated near the northern end of the Arthur Wall, and initially had two rooms and kitchen downstairs, with a (very) steep stairway to a small attic.

The Gardens and Government House are fortunate in lying on top of a delta-shaped deposit of fine sandstone, easily cut and shaped, whilst the remainder of the Domain is largely dolerite, a hard igneous rock much more difficult to work. Building was completed the same year it was begun, but appears never to have been occupied by any of the Superintendents, though it was certainly well-used. In its time it was home to an Overseer / gatekeeper, served as a porter’s Lodge and Tea Rooms: this last was not a success.
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

Right: Guide to cottage layout (not to scale)


Room 1 to right. Room 2 to left.

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