Renwick Museum holds many books bequeathed by Herbert Watson who set up the library & museum. Herbert, a teacher, had worked on the collection for 50 years. It was soon recognised that he had kept many teaching books from his career and that they were a unique collection.
Over the years many people have added to the collection as it has become more widely known. Recently it has been possible to fill some gaps from far afield by purchasing via on-line auctions. A computer catalogue has been developed for quick reference. Renwick Museum now accepts only the books that fill gaps in existing sets. Extensions to the building, opened in 2007, have enabled the further development of the collection which also includes a collection of Children's fiction before 1940.

The Watson Memorial Library collection includes a number of texts relating to early European settlement, and a New Zealand reference collection.

We also offer a Lending Library for the Renwick community, of recently published books, in conjunction with Marlborough District Library.

Click on 'Start Exhibit' above to begin a guided tour, or click on an image to the left to go directly to that record, or click on 'Table of Contents' above for a list of all records in the exhibit.

For more information about the museum including location and opening hours, click here Renwick Museum Details