Story: Waikato places

Firth Tower Museum

Firth Tower Museum

The Firth Tower Museum outside Matamata is on land that was once the centre of the huge estate of Josiah Clifton Firth, known locally as ‘the Duke of Matamata’. Firth poured money into clearing land, introducing the latest agricultural machinery and opening the Waihou River for navigation so he could send farm produce to Auckland markets. In 1882 he built a reinforced concrete tower as a lookout and fortification.

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Matamata-Piako District Council

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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Waikato places - Matamata', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/27343/firth-tower-museum (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, updated 11 Jun 2015