More Info →Sledge 3 Mabel Street, Levin

Description

This sledge was used tomove a house from Lake Horowhenua to 3 Mabel Street. It was photographed during the demolition of the house at 3 Mabel Street in 1985.

According to Corrie Swanwick:

'The demolition shows how the sledge was built. Two skids, 10 inch by four inch, and 25 feet long were beautifully shaped with an adze at the fronts from bottom to top so that the runners would not dig in. A craftsman then could shape timber with an adze almost as smooth as a woodworking plane. There were 14 cross struts joined in with half dovetail joints, all being very accurately cut in.

'Rollers for final adjustment were used and left under the runners. The sledge was left under as the foundation. Only about one inch of one runner at the bottom had rotted after 80 years on the ground. The rollers, though soft, had not collapsed. The timber used must have been of excellent quality.'

Identification