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The drapery business was successful, and the Alcorn children enjoyed a prosperous household with a governess and private schools. This life changed dramatically, however, in 1877 when a fire in the shop destroyed the business and killed a younger daughter of the family, Winifred, aged four. The
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Mary had a great love of music; she played the piano at concerts such as a
Wakanui fundraising concert in 1893 and also sang in the church choir at the Ashburton Wesleyan Church. She and her sisters were also accomplished seamstresses, winning prizes at school competitions for their lacework,
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In 1906, Alcorn and her sister
Margaret opened a shop in the new Kennedy Building on Lambton Quay, Wellington called "Liberty's Wellington", specialising in art furniture and furnishings, and started selling goods they imported themselves from
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and Mary cycled to the shop each day, which was not a common way for women to travel at the time. Mary extended the business by travelling to
England and Europe in 1913 to select goods for the shop herself. She visited potters in
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In the early 1920s the
Alcorns' shop expanded into larger premises further along Lambton Quay, taking over Thomas Pringle's embroidery shop and business. At this time the Alcorns also hired a local artist and embroiderer,
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Alington, Margaret Hilda; Mount Street
Cemetery (Wellington, N. Z. ); Jewish Cemetery (Wellington, N. Z. ); Park, Friends of Bolton Street Memorial (1 January 1840).
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Mary's sister
Margaret opened a second shop in Burlington Arcade (pictured) after Mary's death, and managed both shops until they failed in the 1930s due to the
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469:"Alington, Margaret Hilda, 1920-2012 : Bolton Street Cemetery transcripts, notes and papers / compiled by Margaret Alington and others"
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and the children attended school there. Mary worked as a shop assistant after finishing her schooling.
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184:. The sisters also offered professional advice and design ideas for their customers' homes.
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389:"Hot Water Jug, 'Tudric' - Ngā Toi Arts Te Papa - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa"
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in 1866 to Samuel Wesley and Jane Alcorn (born
Andrews). Samuel and Jane had emigrated to
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Mary died in 1928 and is buried in a family plot at the Bolton Street
Cemetery.
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The Arts & Crafts
Movement in New Zealand, 1870-1940: Women Make Their Mark
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Taonga, New
Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu.
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pottery firms as well as making several visits to Liberty's.
107:(1866–1928) was an interior designer and business owner in
420:. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press.
289:. Wellington: Bridget Williams Books. pp. 6–8.
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83:Opening and managing "Liberty Wellington" shop in
191:Window display at "Liberty's Wellington", ca 1932
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256:"RootsWeb: NEW-ZEALAND-L [nz] ALCORN"
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513:20th-century New Zealand businesspeople
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508:20th-century New Zealand businesswomen
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494:purchased at "Liberty's Wellington"
285:Macdonald, Charlotte, ed. (1991).
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543:Burials at Bolton Street Cemetery
523:New Zealand interior designers
260:archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com
151:opposite the department store
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287:The Book of New Zealand Women
16:New Zealand Interior designer
195:Mary and Margaret lived in
167:embroidery and crewelwork.
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317:. 16 March 1893. p. 2
369:. 11 July 1892. p. 2
518:New Zealand embroiderers
443:"Mills, Marjory Hinemoa"
178:Liberty department store
343:. 4 May 1892. p. 2
153:Kirkcaldie & Stains
337:"Wesleyan Anniversary"
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492:Image of a pewter jug
416:Calhoun, Ann (2000).
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528:People from Hokitika
204:and pewter works in
393:arts.tepapa.govt.nz
208:, and also visited
123:Alcorn was born in
367:Ashburton Guardian
341:Ashburton Guardian
315:Ashburton Guardian
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447:www.teara.govt.nz
311:"Wakanui Concert"
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363:"Exhibition"
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133:South Island
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58:(1928-03-05)
56:5 March 1928
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538:1928 deaths
533:1866 births
113:New Zealand
105:Mary Alcorn
72:Nationality
25:Mary Alcorn
502:Categories
474:5 November
452:5 November
427:1869402294
398:5 November
373:5 November
347:5 November
321:5 November
296:0908912048
265:5 November
238:References
232:Depression
206:Birmingham
129:West Coast
119:Early life
109:Wellington
85:Wellington
64:Wellington
37:1866-03-30
161:Ashburton
92:Relatives
214:Wedgwood
202:Florence
171:Business
145:Margaret
125:Hokitika
98:, sister
45:Hokitika
141:Ireland
137:Dunedin
127:on the
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182:London
139:from
476:2015
454:2015
422:ISBN
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212:and
53:Died
31:Born
180:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
