The killing shed at Totara Estate in North Otago is the building on the left with three skylights. This is where the sheep were slaughtered for the first shipment of frozen meat to the United Kingdom in 1882. After killing, the carcasses were cooled in the meat house on the right (with one large and two small ventilators in the roof), then sent by train to Dunedin and loaded onto the Dunedin. The killing shed had a concrete floor which was said to be unusually smooth because it had been mixed with blood. A grating on the floor allowed the blood to drip into a gutter and into a trough for the pigs. Most New Zealand farms had killing sheds – but few were as historic or large as this.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
by Jock Phillips
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.