Soap Bar ('Kia Ora' brand)
Maker and role
Warnock Brothers Limited, Manufacturer
Production date
Circa 1890
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Object detail
Accession number
2007.10
Maker
Production period
Description
Caramel coloured long bar of soap made from tallow, known as Bar Soap, produced by Warnock Brothers, Richmond Road. Has design embossed into front of bar stating 'FIRST KIA WB ORA GRADE'; brand name of soap was Kia Ora, WB refers to initials of maker, fern fronds on design also.
Brief History
This soap is thought to date from around the 1890s and was made in the Richmond Road factory of Warnock Brothers. The factory was situated on the bank of Cox's Creek in Richmond Road and also contained a tannery, wool-scouring works, oil works for pressing oil from copra and a bone works for manufacturing blood and bone fertiliser.
Warnock Brothers soaps were well-known, and their range included Kia Ora bar, Natura bar, and Electric pumice sand soap.
Tallow, or fat from animals that had been slaughtered, was used to make candles and soap such as this Kia Ora soap bar. The soap would have been used for household cleaning and for laundry work, not for personal hygiene.
Warnock Brothers soaps were well-known, and their range included Kia Ora bar, Natura bar, and Electric pumice sand soap.
Tallow, or fat from animals that had been slaughtered, was used to make candles and soap such as this Kia Ora soap bar. The soap would have been used for household cleaning and for laundry work, not for personal hygiene.
Marks
FIRST KIA WB ORA GRADE Engraved
Media/Materials
Credit Line
Warnock Brothers Limited. Circa 1890. Soap Bar ('Kia Ora' brand), 2007.10. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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