Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

'Going into the Brancepeth Station Library was like suddenly being in the 19th century, for someone had literally walked out the door 100 years ago and left it there', recalls Victoria University's Professor Lydia Wevers.

The stained and scorched collection, containing more than 2000 volumes of popular fiction and general works, is a rare example of an intact 19th century library. Its discovery attracted world-wide attention.

'The library tells us much about the everyday activities and intellectual lives of those living on a Wairarapa sheep farm in the 1890s. And insights from primary sources like this are unique in our social history' says Professor Wevers. Wevers and station owner Edward Beetham explore Brancepeth station with Jack Perkins.