09/07/2024
Wellington Museum has been gifted the incredible Castle Chemists collection by the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. This iconic pharmacy, founded by John Castle in the late 1800s and still operating at 139 Riddiford St, Newtown, is rich in history and character.
The Castle family valued education and broke barriers, with five of their children becoming pharmacists, including two pioneering women. John Castle was one of the few New Zealand men to sign the Women’s Suffrage Petition, helping to secure the right to vote for women in 1893.
We can’t say when the Castle Chemists collection will be on display, as good things take time. Our collections kaimahi (staff) need to catalogue dozens of bottles, books, and apparatus, and ensure the chemicals stored in the bottles are safe long-term. Rest assured, under the care of Wellington Museum, the fascinating stories of the Castle family and these touchstones to our past will be preserved for future generations to ponder and enjoy.
Read more about the family's journey and the history of these tāonga in our latest blog: https://bit.ly/3zC9hZr
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Image: A selection of the bottles in the Castle Chemists collection • Pharmacist Ronald Castle preparing medicine at his shop on 139 Riddiford Street, Newtown, Wellington - Photograph taken by Jack Short. Dominion Post (Newspaper): Photographic negatives and prints of the Evening Post and Dominion newspapers. Ref: EP-Industry-Medicines and pharmaceutical-03. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23042736 • Pharmacist Shahlaa Silah is just the third owner of the historic John Castle Chemist at Newtown's Riddiford St. Juan Zarama Perini
Wellington Museum
