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Wash house copper with piped hot water.1930s.
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DescriptionA 1930`s wash house copper with piped hot water. Note the firebox cover below and the flue cleaning slot.
ContributorHeather Newby
ContributorHeather Newby
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Location (city or town)GreymouthEventA 1930`s Wash house copper with piped hot water
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Category TagHousehold
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CommentsHeather Newby Mum washed all our clothes like this till she got a wringer washing machine.
Alan N Barb Cochrane yap we did as well
Brian McIntyre Hell that could be our old wash house if i didnt know better
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman Looks like ours in Blackball, I chopped kindling to light the copper to get hot water.
Jan Ward Wash house outside. Lighting the copper, concrete tubs, wringing out the clothes, hand fed though the wringer that sprang back at you with an almighty bang if the clothes got tangled. Washing, line dried, wooden pegs, & wonderful neighbours that would bring your washing in, if you were out & there was a threat of the frequent West Coast rain. How could you have wash day blues??
Brian McIntyre Jan Ward one day when I was working with my ex son in law alongside a house whom we casually knew the people and it started to rain. Without any hesitation i went next door and took the washing off the line and put it basket and all in their porch out ...See More
Jan Ward Brian McIntyre the young uns today would just use driers.
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui my mum had one of these very hardy strong wahine back in those days they never complained was lit and boiled for us to have a bath through the winter, we swam in the Arahura river all through the summer and yes neighbours would get washing in if it looked like rain and they knew you were not home awesome wonderful times and a great childhood I have no regrets enjoyed every moment of my life growing up at the Pa.
Brian McIntyre Mums favourite dryer was the clothes line in the kitchen. Load it up then pull it up. Wait 5 mins and it was dry. Stiff but dry. Of course the coal range had to be going
Malcolm Howell This was a common sight in a wash house. In Greymouth a lot of the residents had the "copper" heated by gas. I have even seen the xmas ham and crayfish cooked in the "Copper". Then came the washing machines (with their manual wringers) in the late 40's / early 50's and these "Coppers" started to slowly disappear. All the washing tubs were made of concrete then.
Patricia Herd Kirby Maybe it's a Coast thing. I have lived around NZ being married to Forestry and it was a done thing. Still do it in the big town of Wanganui, so does the old boy.
Martin James I still have one. . Not much changes
Brian McIntyre We have very similar memories Malcolm Howell
Martin James I seem to remember a gas copper in the laundry in our hokitika house. I think the gas works had long gone though. Were they on the east edge of Cass Square?? The neighbours had a combination gas stove and solid fuel water heating unit, as did to my great aunt Marion in Marlborough street Greymouth.
Gavin Case still got a inside clothsline inside in my house in murry street
Lyn Wallace Good for cooking crays too. Yum
Laurie Anisy Remember dad using the copper to make soap, caustic soda was part of the recipe.
Glynnis Gutteridge oh that so reminds me of our washouse when I was a child.
Jo Pearce Hahaha our house here in Ross still has it's copper sitting in the corner of the laundry, we did get the flue taken out when we re-roofed a couple of years ago though.
Brian McIntyre Laurie Anisy and cutting that soap up into blocks. I think that there was dripping in it too with the caustic soda
Peter Westwood Brian is that how you built up that other wardrobe of yours
Brian McIntyre Gavin Case were you a friend of my brother Kevin. Somewhere I have a photo of a big house fire at the home of Mick and Jean Case in Murray St. You any relation? I drove past a couple of weeks ago and the concrete retaining front fence is still there about 30 years after the fire
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui when I got married 47 years ago my first washing machine OMG was a agitator one that had a broken wringer so I washed the cloths in the tub and used the hand wringer next to it was hard but I soon got a new one with 2 little ones it was certainly needed with 2 little ones it was certainly needed LOL I never ever complained as I knew what my mum had to do especially trying to dry napkins for all my younger sibblings gee we all could write books of our childhoods, I am wrting my history for my whanau my 3 girls my grandchildren and my 3 great grandchildren it is called "Memories of a Pa girl" got to keep those times alive
Doug Reinheimer had one of these in Blaketown, copper plus twin concrete tub with hand wringer in middle - not sure why they would want to pipe hot water into copper
Janaka Mary Bartlett Looks like our copper from years ago.
Kelvin Henham Laurie, cook the xmas then wash the cloths lol
Kevin Barron We had one, only thing missing is the dish with the blue o and the old bar of sunlight soap
Bryan Williamson I can remember ours in the Family home. Dad use to have everyone give him the Xmas Hams to cook. They were really nice cooked in the copper.
Bob Jamieson not flue cleaning slot; flue damper to control burning rate!
Brian McIntyre Ursula Tauwhare Tainui. GOOD ON YOU for writing your life story for your children and grandies too. I had bowel cancer 21 years ago an decided to write my life story too just in case the cancer came back again. It s now like an on going diary of import...See More
Brian McIntyre Yes Kevin Barron the old blue bag and the big pole for lifting the washing out of the copper and into the concrete tubs
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui Good on you Brian good luck, I am doing it in between working cut my days to 3 now so will have more time on my second year writing yes it is a bit of a living book but that is all good the most work is getting permission from the people in the photographs.
Brian McIntyre Glass scrubbing board too
Brian McIntyre Ursula Tauwhare Tainui I have seven copies, one for me and the others for our children whose books i regularly update. I wont be publishing my "Life of Brian" I am so glad that I have done it and many of my chapters have appeared on this site
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui I am not publishing either but just being careful Just enough copies for my whanau it will be up to them who they share with and who they allow to read it.
Vernon Pattinson thats the same set up as we had in our wash house in the 50s 60s
Brian McIntyre You are right. I even have writen about my introduction to sex when i was 9 and she was 14. No names here of course. Ursula Tauwhare Tainui
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui Funny Brian might not go that far could turn out all wrong lol
Brian McIntyre You are right Doug Reinheimer i am sure we did not have hot water to our copper which was remote from the house
Martin James Bob Jamieson that soot door is used for both. I still have a copper like the one in the pic.
Colleen Anne Byrne i remember the copper and the tubs
Paul Hutchison My mother used to cook Xmas hams i n the one we had when I was a kid, some years she would have a dozen or more to cook for the locals, 3 or 4 at a time depending on the size.
Tess Cochrane Anita Thompson
Brenda Brown wheres the CopperStickfor turning clothes over..
Anita Thompson Memories ay?
See Translation
Tess Cochrane For sure ..
Anita Thompson Cass still has the concrete tubs!
Tess Cochrane Oh-I was going to say that their generation wouldn't even know what it was ...
Suzanne Mcgeady My Mum would hang the jam berries in the 'jelly' bag using the wooden copper stick across the copper. Jelly bag was always the big flour bag, washed. Or the copper was used to cook the Christmas Puddings in the boiling water, in the pudding cloths.
Helen Hadland My very first introduction to a copper was at the Waitara Maternity Annexe where I worked nursing and every Saturday after having cleaned all the brasso, the cleaning cloths were to be boiled up, put through a wringer and hung out to dry. Just part of the nursing job at a small Maternity Hospital.
Carrolyn Baker Dad always cooked the ham in their one
Doug Reinheimer yer- electric milk truck,a free sav from the local butcher and a b/w tv that could pick up Skippy the Bush Kangaro from Austraila-Where have all the good times gone
Laurie Anisy Hay Brian, I know names but my lips are sealed(The Marist Oath)
Brian McIntyre Laurie Anisy i do know three undertakers who could bury you for me
Brian McIntyre Doug Reinheimer I remember those electric milk trucks where the driver stood to drive it and just walked in and out of it
Laurie Anisy Hope I am not one of them.
Brian McIntyre No Laurie Anisy your opposition lol
Heather Newby Mum used to come in from hanging up the clothes on the line in the winter and all her fingers would be blue with cold. Sometimes the sheets would become stiff as boards on the line in winter.
Laurie Anisy And Brian I no where as well, so there......
Brian McIntyre Dont frighten me Laurie Anisy
Laurie Anisy Secrets safe, end of story.
Scott Mitchell So remember that
Laura Nathan Haha memories
Jean Wilson Nana had one in Kumara
Janice Bellis My mum had one of these and my dad cooked the Christmas ham in it each year.I can't remember if mum had a washing machine by then,bet she was stinked off if she did'nt.
Brian McIntyre My Mum had no wahing machine either Janice Bellis but back then they did not know muh different. I bought Mum a washing machine when I started work 1957
Dave Maitland Remember these well
Doug Reinheimer Big Big mistake Brian McEnaney should have brought ur mum a lawn mower she was happy doing the washing
Dianne Broome I haven't got the copper but have got the concrete tub in my laundry.It bloody great lol
Doug Reinheimer sorry brian mcenaney wrong button
Brian McIntyre You might have been right there Doug Reinheimer and both were reliant on the weather
Doug Reinheimer 4 sure - But that's where they get the power from, so don't take it away from them
Don Hutton Looks very much the same as the one we had, the "metalcrete"(?) tubs also. It was gas heated. Mum made soap in the copper during the war.
Brian J Hunter and the xmas ham was cooked in it...not that we ever could afford one.
Bill Liddell Have 2 of these
Heather Newby Dad used the copper inner for cooking mussels on the beach at 12 mile.We would light a fire and cook mussels in the copper .Some of us would collect mussels off the rocks and one would gather watercress and Mum would slice and butter the bread, Then we would have mussel sandwiches.
Alan Acker God we had one at the old pub twin concert tubs hand wringer between the old man used to cook the Xmas hams in it
Marianne Kelly I remember my gran cooking xmas puddings in hers, she stirred the washing in the copper with a big, smooth stick.....it wasn't wise to annoy her when she had that in her hand - and she'd put a blue bag in the concrete tub with the washing - wonder what modern day grandchildren would think of that.
Peter Jacobs Remember it well
Raewyn Louttit Looks like my mums old Wash house
Doug Reinheimer this blue bag - what was it used 4
Rosemary Thomas Doug my mum used to use the "blue bags" in the rinse to make the clothes white smile emoticon
Allan June Wall We had one in our first house but I never used it got it pulled out to make way for a washing machine
Rodger Biddington Where's all the crayfish on the floor ready to be cooked smile emoticon
Kathy Fazio Lol l remember we had the same washouse in our house when l was around 8yrs old
Les Holmes Germanicus I used mine until recently.
Irene Cook yea us to .
Kevin Gwatkin old memories. Copper boiled up on sunday nights to get hot water for the bath! Sunday chores - so much for a day of rest! Like many others Mum used it to wash clothes in as well as provide hot water for washing etc. there was always a fire under it and it was my job to keep the kindling wood bin full.
Lee Williams A lot of household's had a washouse like this into the 1950's,and outside loos til the '60's !
Glynnis Gutteridge I loved it in the winter months if I was asked to do the weekly washing, I would shut the washouse door and crank the old copper up, I would soon have the washouse warm,i was a bit scared of the wringer tho, it could bite, tongue emoticon our clothes was dried on the lines in the kitchen above the coal range, during the winter, ahh those were the days.
Les Holmes Germanicus I am going to set up mine outside. I still have the curved bricks and cast iron fire door.
Doug Reinheimer gave my one away. and got $20 for the coal range
Doug Reinheimer NZ- the copper, coal/wood range replaced by Gas Works in most towns( run from Westcoast coal) – Hydro Power for the South and the Maui Gas Field in the North – Whats next
Doug Reinheimer Whats next – the never ending social media site called Face Book
Brent Woolhouse Hey Doug Reinheimer they your old soccer boots in the laundry tub? Need a clean though.
Heather Newby Mum used to boil nappies in the copper
Ian Aitken Remember these
Christine Farrell
Christine Farrell i remember too Mum used to boil nappies
Ave Muir Grew up with one of these, good on you mum and dad, ❤️❤️for what you did for us kids with the one we had at Camerons
Paul Wright had one in our house in the 60s just like that one
Mary Kearney Dad always cooked the Christmas ham in it on Christmas eve while we were at church. Came home to a heavenly smell of hot ham and wet sacks.
Linzi Woods Hope he took the dirty sox out first :)
Tina Ross Remember those
Linzi Woods Yes, didnt have time to sit all day and watch "soaps" too busy doing the daily chores.....probably why we were healthier ....added to the fact we didn't have tv..... :)
Colleen Anne Byrne Looks just like the corner of our wash house but minus the copper stick for lifting out the boiled clothes
Roger Sloan We still had one in the early 70s.
Anne-Marie Dixon Sure do remember these
Pam Mcmanus Remember my mum having a wash house just like this.
Linda Howard Oh yes....I can’t remember ours having a tap to feed the copper though.
Bruce Hughes 1970's and 80's for us!!
aren Potter All in house we bought when we got married.
Judy Fishburn I can remember my mum using these
Des Kennedy Had one of these in our Tainui St home
vonne Lawson Dad used to cook all the Xmas hams for Dalzells butchers in Runanga in our copper.
Lyn Whittle Mum & dad had one in Sturge St
Mel Higson We had 1 of these whn i was a child
Christine Hoets Oh we had a copper in our wash house Mum would light it to do the washing , she had a big sick to push the clothes around ,and too lift the clothes out into a tin bath , we also had a big tin bath Murry McKendry Also good for Christmas puds too
Leonie Rasmussen We had one at Kaniere.
Lyn Mallinson We had one at lake coleridge. Mum use to put blue o tablets in the copper
Jocelyn Donaldson Looked similar in the 1960's too.
Garry Wick We had one in Dobson also
Trevor Keith Scott Hi Gary Great to hear from you after ALL these years ....whats been happening with you and family?
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman Looks like our wash house, Blackball, c.1960. Joan Duncan Mum had one of those i had to turn the handle at the tub xxx
Heather Newby a wooden paddle thingee?
Alan Smith Yes the wooden stick was no good on the ass LoL
Frank ODonnell We had them back in the 70s where great
Glenda O'Donnell Yes frank I can remember our one
Arlene Hutcheon Looks like my grandmothers wash house, without the copper.
Yvonne Lawson We had one of those. At Xmas Dad used to cook the hams for Dalzells butchers.
Pauline Matene Yep, my Mum and my Nana both had these
Richard Leach Oh heavens that’s a modern one it has water taps not water bucketed from the creek like mum had to do
Shona Ratana Yes our home in Dobson had a copper also my grandparents home in Taylorville. I think washing machines came along about the end of 1940s early 50s for our families much to the relief of most women and men
Louise Langdon Shona Ratana hi I had one in 1980s in my house in Pitt st cobden
Shona Ratana Hi Louise Yes I well remember my Dads Mum Making Xmas puddings in ours Think I was very young then?
Trevor Keith Scott AH the fond memories of cutting the wood for the Fire, filling Copper with rain water, lighting fire and keep going to heat water. I almost went orgasmic then!! not forgetting the mangle between the two tubs, hand operated at that. Products from the co…See More
Trevor Keith Scott Also used for doing (chickens & Ducks after plucking) Pork meat, Lamb and beef ready for freezing, also preserves. It was used for a lot of things!
Bob Laing We had one similar to this
Garry Wick We had one too !
Trevor Keith Scott I know your Mum & Dad had one Garry when we used to come and see you......How are you mate? it has been a looong time now! I looked in the mirror the other day and got a hell of a shock, some strange bloke was looking back at me with grey to white hair, turned around to punch the bugger and he wasn't there....my patient wife explained that it was "ME" Time has a lot to answer for.
Garry Wick I'm fine Trev . Staying safe , hope you are too
Peter Cruse Remember Father used to cook the xmas ham in ours.
Margaret Stewart Gosh that brings back memories! We're so lucky now with our mod cons
John Walker Mum used to make "Apple and Elderberry Jelly" in ours. Great on toast.
Trevor Keith Scott It had so many uses......not like to days with different machines and ALL electric power. The old Copper was Man & Woman Power.
Myron Caldwell You were lucky have running hot water to the copper. Cold water only until boiled in the copper or the kettle.
Nicki Killner Helped mum (Joan Furlong) using one on many an occasion. Lol
Tom Kilkelly Lived in taylorville our neighbour over the road Mrs Loubere had a tap at the back door which the water came from a dam up the hill in the bush the water was bucketed into the copper and then bucketed into the bath
Linden Kilkelly Hahaha, we were Flash then Tom, had a hot water cylinder hooked to the kitchen stove...and I got first Bath....hehehe
Trevor Keith Scott Did you ever have dirty water Tom? used to get a little rain now and again and that could cause dirty water.
Alan N Barb Cochrane yap we did as well
Brian McIntyre Hell that could be our old wash house if i didnt know better
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman Looks like ours in Blackball, I chopped kindling to light the copper to get hot water.
Jan Ward Wash house outside. Lighting the copper, concrete tubs, wringing out the clothes, hand fed though the wringer that sprang back at you with an almighty bang if the clothes got tangled. Washing, line dried, wooden pegs, & wonderful neighbours that would bring your washing in, if you were out & there was a threat of the frequent West Coast rain. How could you have wash day blues??
Brian McIntyre Jan Ward one day when I was working with my ex son in law alongside a house whom we casually knew the people and it started to rain. Without any hesitation i went next door and took the washing off the line and put it basket and all in their porch out ...See More
Jan Ward Brian McIntyre the young uns today would just use driers.
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui my mum had one of these very hardy strong wahine back in those days they never complained was lit and boiled for us to have a bath through the winter, we swam in the Arahura river all through the summer and yes neighbours would get washing in if it looked like rain and they knew you were not home awesome wonderful times and a great childhood I have no regrets enjoyed every moment of my life growing up at the Pa.
Brian McIntyre Mums favourite dryer was the clothes line in the kitchen. Load it up then pull it up. Wait 5 mins and it was dry. Stiff but dry. Of course the coal range had to be going
Malcolm Howell This was a common sight in a wash house. In Greymouth a lot of the residents had the "copper" heated by gas. I have even seen the xmas ham and crayfish cooked in the "Copper". Then came the washing machines (with their manual wringers) in the late 40's / early 50's and these "Coppers" started to slowly disappear. All the washing tubs were made of concrete then.
Patricia Herd Kirby Maybe it's a Coast thing. I have lived around NZ being married to Forestry and it was a done thing. Still do it in the big town of Wanganui, so does the old boy.
Martin James I still have one. . Not much changes
Brian McIntyre We have very similar memories Malcolm Howell
Martin James I seem to remember a gas copper in the laundry in our hokitika house. I think the gas works had long gone though. Were they on the east edge of Cass Square?? The neighbours had a combination gas stove and solid fuel water heating unit, as did to my great aunt Marion in Marlborough street Greymouth.
Gavin Case still got a inside clothsline inside in my house in murry street
Lyn Wallace Good for cooking crays too. Yum
Laurie Anisy Remember dad using the copper to make soap, caustic soda was part of the recipe.
Glynnis Gutteridge oh that so reminds me of our washouse when I was a child.
Jo Pearce Hahaha our house here in Ross still has it's copper sitting in the corner of the laundry, we did get the flue taken out when we re-roofed a couple of years ago though.
Brian McIntyre Laurie Anisy and cutting that soap up into blocks. I think that there was dripping in it too with the caustic soda
Peter Westwood Brian is that how you built up that other wardrobe of yours
Brian McIntyre Gavin Case were you a friend of my brother Kevin. Somewhere I have a photo of a big house fire at the home of Mick and Jean Case in Murray St. You any relation? I drove past a couple of weeks ago and the concrete retaining front fence is still there about 30 years after the fire
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui when I got married 47 years ago my first washing machine OMG was a agitator one that had a broken wringer so I washed the cloths in the tub and used the hand wringer next to it was hard but I soon got a new one with 2 little ones it was certainly needed with 2 little ones it was certainly needed LOL I never ever complained as I knew what my mum had to do especially trying to dry napkins for all my younger sibblings gee we all could write books of our childhoods, I am wrting my history for my whanau my 3 girls my grandchildren and my 3 great grandchildren it is called "Memories of a Pa girl" got to keep those times alive
Doug Reinheimer had one of these in Blaketown, copper plus twin concrete tub with hand wringer in middle - not sure why they would want to pipe hot water into copper
Janaka Mary Bartlett Looks like our copper from years ago.
Kelvin Henham Laurie, cook the xmas then wash the cloths lol
Kevin Barron We had one, only thing missing is the dish with the blue o and the old bar of sunlight soap
Bryan Williamson I can remember ours in the Family home. Dad use to have everyone give him the Xmas Hams to cook. They were really nice cooked in the copper.
Bob Jamieson not flue cleaning slot; flue damper to control burning rate!
Brian McIntyre Ursula Tauwhare Tainui. GOOD ON YOU for writing your life story for your children and grandies too. I had bowel cancer 21 years ago an decided to write my life story too just in case the cancer came back again. It s now like an on going diary of import...See More
Brian McIntyre Yes Kevin Barron the old blue bag and the big pole for lifting the washing out of the copper and into the concrete tubs
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui Good on you Brian good luck, I am doing it in between working cut my days to 3 now so will have more time on my second year writing yes it is a bit of a living book but that is all good the most work is getting permission from the people in the photographs.
Brian McIntyre Glass scrubbing board too
Brian McIntyre Ursula Tauwhare Tainui I have seven copies, one for me and the others for our children whose books i regularly update. I wont be publishing my "Life of Brian" I am so glad that I have done it and many of my chapters have appeared on this site
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui I am not publishing either but just being careful Just enough copies for my whanau it will be up to them who they share with and who they allow to read it.
Vernon Pattinson thats the same set up as we had in our wash house in the 50s 60s
Brian McIntyre You are right. I even have writen about my introduction to sex when i was 9 and she was 14. No names here of course. Ursula Tauwhare Tainui
Ursula Tauwhare Tainui Funny Brian might not go that far could turn out all wrong lol
Brian McIntyre You are right Doug Reinheimer i am sure we did not have hot water to our copper which was remote from the house
Martin James Bob Jamieson that soot door is used for both. I still have a copper like the one in the pic.
Colleen Anne Byrne i remember the copper and the tubs
Paul Hutchison My mother used to cook Xmas hams i n the one we had when I was a kid, some years she would have a dozen or more to cook for the locals, 3 or 4 at a time depending on the size.
Tess Cochrane Anita Thompson
Brenda Brown wheres the CopperStickfor turning clothes over..
Anita Thompson Memories ay?
See Translation
Tess Cochrane For sure ..
Anita Thompson Cass still has the concrete tubs!
Tess Cochrane Oh-I was going to say that their generation wouldn't even know what it was ...
Suzanne Mcgeady My Mum would hang the jam berries in the 'jelly' bag using the wooden copper stick across the copper. Jelly bag was always the big flour bag, washed. Or the copper was used to cook the Christmas Puddings in the boiling water, in the pudding cloths.
Helen Hadland My very first introduction to a copper was at the Waitara Maternity Annexe where I worked nursing and every Saturday after having cleaned all the brasso, the cleaning cloths were to be boiled up, put through a wringer and hung out to dry. Just part of the nursing job at a small Maternity Hospital.
Carrolyn Baker Dad always cooked the ham in their one
Doug Reinheimer yer- electric milk truck,a free sav from the local butcher and a b/w tv that could pick up Skippy the Bush Kangaro from Austraila-Where have all the good times gone
Laurie Anisy Hay Brian, I know names but my lips are sealed(The Marist Oath)
Brian McIntyre Laurie Anisy i do know three undertakers who could bury you for me
Brian McIntyre Doug Reinheimer I remember those electric milk trucks where the driver stood to drive it and just walked in and out of it
Laurie Anisy Hope I am not one of them.
Brian McIntyre No Laurie Anisy your opposition lol
Heather Newby Mum used to come in from hanging up the clothes on the line in the winter and all her fingers would be blue with cold. Sometimes the sheets would become stiff as boards on the line in winter.
Laurie Anisy And Brian I no where as well, so there......
Brian McIntyre Dont frighten me Laurie Anisy
Laurie Anisy Secrets safe, end of story.
Scott Mitchell So remember that
Laura Nathan Haha memories
Jean Wilson Nana had one in Kumara
Janice Bellis My mum had one of these and my dad cooked the Christmas ham in it each year.I can't remember if mum had a washing machine by then,bet she was stinked off if she did'nt.
Brian McIntyre My Mum had no wahing machine either Janice Bellis but back then they did not know muh different. I bought Mum a washing machine when I started work 1957
Dave Maitland Remember these well
Doug Reinheimer Big Big mistake Brian McEnaney should have brought ur mum a lawn mower she was happy doing the washing
Dianne Broome I haven't got the copper but have got the concrete tub in my laundry.It bloody great lol
Doug Reinheimer sorry brian mcenaney wrong button
Brian McIntyre You might have been right there Doug Reinheimer and both were reliant on the weather
Doug Reinheimer 4 sure - But that's where they get the power from, so don't take it away from them
Don Hutton Looks very much the same as the one we had, the "metalcrete"(?) tubs also. It was gas heated. Mum made soap in the copper during the war.
Brian J Hunter and the xmas ham was cooked in it...not that we ever could afford one.
Bill Liddell Have 2 of these
Heather Newby Dad used the copper inner for cooking mussels on the beach at 12 mile.We would light a fire and cook mussels in the copper .Some of us would collect mussels off the rocks and one would gather watercress and Mum would slice and butter the bread, Then we would have mussel sandwiches.
Alan Acker God we had one at the old pub twin concert tubs hand wringer between the old man used to cook the Xmas hams in it
Marianne Kelly I remember my gran cooking xmas puddings in hers, she stirred the washing in the copper with a big, smooth stick.....it wasn't wise to annoy her when she had that in her hand - and she'd put a blue bag in the concrete tub with the washing - wonder what modern day grandchildren would think of that.
Peter Jacobs Remember it well
Raewyn Louttit Looks like my mums old Wash house
Doug Reinheimer this blue bag - what was it used 4
Rosemary Thomas Doug my mum used to use the "blue bags" in the rinse to make the clothes white smile emoticon
Allan June Wall We had one in our first house but I never used it got it pulled out to make way for a washing machine
Rodger Biddington Where's all the crayfish on the floor ready to be cooked smile emoticon
Kathy Fazio Lol l remember we had the same washouse in our house when l was around 8yrs old
Les Holmes Germanicus I used mine until recently.
Irene Cook yea us to .
Kevin Gwatkin old memories. Copper boiled up on sunday nights to get hot water for the bath! Sunday chores - so much for a day of rest! Like many others Mum used it to wash clothes in as well as provide hot water for washing etc. there was always a fire under it and it was my job to keep the kindling wood bin full.
Lee Williams A lot of household's had a washouse like this into the 1950's,and outside loos til the '60's !
Glynnis Gutteridge I loved it in the winter months if I was asked to do the weekly washing, I would shut the washouse door and crank the old copper up, I would soon have the washouse warm,i was a bit scared of the wringer tho, it could bite, tongue emoticon our clothes was dried on the lines in the kitchen above the coal range, during the winter, ahh those were the days.
Les Holmes Germanicus I am going to set up mine outside. I still have the curved bricks and cast iron fire door.
Doug Reinheimer gave my one away. and got $20 for the coal range
Doug Reinheimer NZ- the copper, coal/wood range replaced by Gas Works in most towns( run from Westcoast coal) – Hydro Power for the South and the Maui Gas Field in the North – Whats next
Doug Reinheimer Whats next – the never ending social media site called Face Book
Brent Woolhouse Hey Doug Reinheimer they your old soccer boots in the laundry tub? Need a clean though.
Heather Newby Mum used to boil nappies in the copper
Ian Aitken Remember these
Christine Farrell
Christine Farrell i remember too Mum used to boil nappies
Ave Muir Grew up with one of these, good on you mum and dad, ❤️❤️for what you did for us kids with the one we had at Camerons
Paul Wright had one in our house in the 60s just like that one
Mary Kearney Dad always cooked the Christmas ham in it on Christmas eve while we were at church. Came home to a heavenly smell of hot ham and wet sacks.
Linzi Woods Hope he took the dirty sox out first :)
Tina Ross Remember those
Linzi Woods Yes, didnt have time to sit all day and watch "soaps" too busy doing the daily chores.....probably why we were healthier ....added to the fact we didn't have tv..... :)
Colleen Anne Byrne Looks just like the corner of our wash house but minus the copper stick for lifting out the boiled clothes
Roger Sloan We still had one in the early 70s.
Anne-Marie Dixon Sure do remember these
Pam Mcmanus Remember my mum having a wash house just like this.
Linda Howard Oh yes....I can’t remember ours having a tap to feed the copper though.
Bruce Hughes 1970's and 80's for us!!
aren Potter All in house we bought when we got married.
Judy Fishburn I can remember my mum using these
Des Kennedy Had one of these in our Tainui St home
vonne Lawson Dad used to cook all the Xmas hams for Dalzells butchers in Runanga in our copper.
Lyn Whittle Mum & dad had one in Sturge St
Mel Higson We had 1 of these whn i was a child
Christine Hoets Oh we had a copper in our wash house Mum would light it to do the washing , she had a big sick to push the clothes around ,and too lift the clothes out into a tin bath , we also had a big tin bath Murry McKendry Also good for Christmas puds too
Leonie Rasmussen We had one at Kaniere.
Lyn Mallinson We had one at lake coleridge. Mum use to put blue o tablets in the copper
Jocelyn Donaldson Looked similar in the 1960's too.
Garry Wick We had one in Dobson also
Trevor Keith Scott Hi Gary Great to hear from you after ALL these years ....whats been happening with you and family?
Jeffrey Paparoa Holman Looks like our wash house, Blackball, c.1960. Joan Duncan Mum had one of those i had to turn the handle at the tub xxx
Heather Newby a wooden paddle thingee?
Alan Smith Yes the wooden stick was no good on the ass LoL
Frank ODonnell We had them back in the 70s where great
Glenda O'Donnell Yes frank I can remember our one
Arlene Hutcheon Looks like my grandmothers wash house, without the copper.
Yvonne Lawson We had one of those. At Xmas Dad used to cook the hams for Dalzells butchers.
Pauline Matene Yep, my Mum and my Nana both had these
Richard Leach Oh heavens that’s a modern one it has water taps not water bucketed from the creek like mum had to do
Shona Ratana Yes our home in Dobson had a copper also my grandparents home in Taylorville. I think washing machines came along about the end of 1940s early 50s for our families much to the relief of most women and men
Louise Langdon Shona Ratana hi I had one in 1980s in my house in Pitt st cobden
Shona Ratana Hi Louise Yes I well remember my Dads Mum Making Xmas puddings in ours Think I was very young then?
Trevor Keith Scott AH the fond memories of cutting the wood for the Fire, filling Copper with rain water, lighting fire and keep going to heat water. I almost went orgasmic then!! not forgetting the mangle between the two tubs, hand operated at that. Products from the co…See More
Trevor Keith Scott Also used for doing (chickens & Ducks after plucking) Pork meat, Lamb and beef ready for freezing, also preserves. It was used for a lot of things!
Bob Laing We had one similar to this
Garry Wick We had one too !
Trevor Keith Scott I know your Mum & Dad had one Garry when we used to come and see you......How are you mate? it has been a looong time now! I looked in the mirror the other day and got a hell of a shock, some strange bloke was looking back at me with grey to white hair, turned around to punch the bugger and he wasn't there....my patient wife explained that it was "ME" Time has a lot to answer for.
Garry Wick I'm fine Trev . Staying safe , hope you are too
Peter Cruse Remember Father used to cook the xmas ham in ours.
Margaret Stewart Gosh that brings back memories! We're so lucky now with our mod cons
John Walker Mum used to make "Apple and Elderberry Jelly" in ours. Great on toast.
Trevor Keith Scott It had so many uses......not like to days with different machines and ALL electric power. The old Copper was Man & Woman Power.
Myron Caldwell You were lucky have running hot water to the copper. Cold water only until boiled in the copper or the kettle.
Nicki Killner Helped mum (Joan Furlong) using one on many an occasion. Lol
Tom Kilkelly Lived in taylorville our neighbour over the road Mrs Loubere had a tap at the back door which the water came from a dam up the hill in the bush the water was bucketed into the copper and then bucketed into the bath
Linden Kilkelly Hahaha, we were Flash then Tom, had a hot water cylinder hooked to the kitchen stove...and I got first Bath....hehehe
Trevor Keith Scott Did you ever have dirty water Tom? used to get a little rain now and again and that could cause dirty water.
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West Coast New Zealand History (8th Apr 2020). Wash house copper with piped hot water.1930s.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 10th Jun 2026 13:36, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/12077