Glentunnel: Brickmaking History, Trails and Golf

Glentunnel combines rural industrial history with different ways to spend your stay. Pottery, brickmaking and coal mining shape the town’s story; there is also a path between Glentunnel and Coalgate, as well as golf.

Industrial History in the Museum and Architecture

The Glentunnel Museum has an extensive collection on the history of the region. Its focus is the rural industrial history of pottery and brickmaking, as well as coal mining. These themes show different sides of the region’s working history: clay and bricks on the one hand, coal on the other. Anyone interested in the development of rural life will find a way into the subject here through objects and industrial history, rather than a single historical narrative.

The museum also has an extensive library documenting the lives of the early settlers and the industries associated with them. It complements the collection with a look at the people and living conditions connected with these industries. The museum and library offer different emphases: the collection focuses particularly on regional industries, while the library documents early settlers and the industries associated with them.

Glentunnel Library is also a distinctive building in the town. The octagonal brick building was designed in 1886 by the prominent Christchurch architect Samuel Hurst Seager. Its design uses bricks and terracotta tiles made by the nearby Glentunnel Brick, Tile, Terra-Cotta and Pottery Works. Here, architecture and local industrial history come together in a tangible way: the materials point to an industry that is part of Glentunnel’s history. Glentunnel Library and Gateposts are historically and architecturally significant as a reminder of this industrial past.

St Andrew’s of the Glen is another historic landmark in Glentunnel. Broughton regards the church in the Glentunnel-Coalgate area as the only early Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian church to have remained at its original site and continued to be used as a church. For travellers interested in church history, this place adds a religious and architectural dimension to the themes of industry and early settlement.

Shared Path and Golf: Different Ways to Spend Your Time

The Coalgate to Glentunnel Shared Path connects the two historic rural settlements of Coalgate and Glentunnel. The path is 2.6 kilometres long, flat, well developed and off-road. This lets you include a walk in your stay, rather than focusing exclusively on the museum and buildings.

The Hororata Golf Club offers a different activity: visitors can enjoy a casual round of golf there. The course stretches for 5,600 metres from the stone tees. If golf is one of your travel interests, this is a clear option to consider when deciding what to focus on during your holiday. The path and golf offer different ways to spend time outdoors; the history of the museum, library and church building provides a cultural counterpoint.

When looking for holiday accommodation in Glentunnel, you can use these interests as a starting point: if you mainly want to explore industrial and settlement history, the wealth of themes at the museum and library lends itself to a cultural focus. If you would rather plan a route, consider the Shared Path; golf enthusiasts can include a round at Hororata Golf Club in their plans. This lets you choose Glentunnel based on the experiences that matter to your trip, without combining the different offerings into a single itinerary.

Discover More Places

Explore Doyleston, Rolleston, Darfield, Windwhistle, Lake Coleridge, Coalgate and Kirwee.

For the broader travel overview: Selwyn District.