– Derek Smith photo – c1991
“Cobb’s Barn”, also known as the Shearing Shed or Wool Shed, stood on Fairview Farm along Coast Road in Wainuiomata. The property was located on the right-hand side of the road, about a mile beyond the Wainuiomata Golf Club.
Fairview Farm was originally owned and worked by Claude Burdan before being taken over by Edward “Chum” Cobb, and later by Edward’s son, Norman Cobb. The Cobb family were among the early farming families of the district, and the old shearing shed remained a familiar landmark along Coast Road for many years.
By its later years, the shed had deteriorated and become unsafe. It was largely destroyed during a storm around 2018, after which the remaining structure was bulldozed by Norman Cobb because of its dangerous condition.
