Former Library and Fire Station, 1902.
- Location: Corner of Oxford and London Streets (South-east side)
- Street Address: 2 Sumner Road
- Original Function: Library & Fire Brigade Station
- Current Use: Private Residence
- Date of Building: 1902
- Evidence: Lyttelton Times 1901. Building has foundation stone
- Architect: Collins and Harman
- Materials of Construction: Brick, stone-faced façade
- Style: Italianate public building
- Previous Building on Site: Reserve 34 Immigration Barracks in 1850's; later shops and offices on the Reserve.
Legal history of the land, Reserve 34
1851
In 1851 Reserve 34 is the site of the Immigration Barracks. This is recorded in the early land deeds of the Canterbury Association, prior to 1851, when Lyttelton is sub-divided for town sections.
1863
In 1863 the Lyttelton Municipal Council became the owners of Reserve 34. They then leased it out for various purposes.
1868
By 1868 the Rates map of that year shows us that there were several buildings on Reserve 34 (the old Barracks were sold for removal in 1867).
The Fire Brigade Station and Library Building
1901
The original loan was to be for £10,000, of which £6,000 was to buy land in Heathcote for the sinking of new wells for the water supply, £1,500 for more drainage and £2,500 for a Fire Station and Town Hall. The loan was turned down by the Colonial Treasurer, the objection being that the Borough had only 4,053 people at the time. It was indicated that the loan could go through if the whole amount were devoted to the water supply and this was applied for and granted in April 1901. However, the town was still determined to obtain the Fire Station and the project was gone ahead with and paid for out of revenue.
November 14, 1901 from the "Tenders" column of the Lyttelton Times
Tenders will be received until 12 o'clock on Saturday,
November 23rd, for the erection of a Fire Brigade Station
at Lyttelton. Plans and specifications may be seen at our
office, 203 Gloucester Street.
Collins and Harman Architects
August 9, 1902
The foundation stone was laid at the base of the bell tower on August 9th, 1902, the same day as the coronation of Edward VII. The building was finished before then, but it was decided that the bell tower would double as a coronation memorial and the stone laying was postponed till the coronation day. The contractor was W.W. Smith.
1902
The opening of the building was celebrated with a smoking concert on Wednesday 20 August in the building. The original building had the fire fighting equipment kept in the basement, the next floor was a billiard room, reading and social rooms. Upstairs was a committee room, library and bedrooms.
Lyttelton Library history
Oxford Street was the block of land that originally had all the government buildings, consisting of Reserves 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38.
The library has over the last 150 years been in four different buildings along here.
The library started in Lyttelton in June 1851 as a reading room in J.R. Godley's house on Sumner Rd. Godley offered the room at a meeting of the Canterbury Association in 1851, to be a reading room, containing some of the books from the collegiate library. A committee of management and officers were appointed to make the necessary arrangements. Files from four of the best English papers had been promised as a donation to the library.
The room was opened on June 30th, which had been arranged under such subjects as History, Biography, Arts and Sciences, Metaphysics, Travel, etc. Subscriptions were a guinea for one year, and there were 40 subscribers. Newspapers from Lyttelton, Wellington and Sydney were kept, and there was a display of carboniferous strata taken from the Selwyn Valley by Mr Cridland (Public Works Surveyor).
The library later came under the care of the Colonists Society, formed by J.R. Godley and other settlers in 1852. The Colonists Society declared their wish that a News-room and library be established in connection with the society as soon as possible. As the Colonists Society had upper and lower class groupings, they were allowed use of the reading room as follows:
- Those who subscribed 5/- quarterly were entitled to all the advantages of the society, including the issue of books.
- Those who subscribed 3/- quarterly were entitled to take books out.
- Those who subscribed 1/- 6d. quarterly were allowed admittance to the Reading Rooms, lectures and discussions.
The library was open daily from 10 am to 10pm, excepting Wednesday Evenings. Mr Godley donated a selection of books on the subject of law. Captain Simeon also donated 750 books he had in his possession. As soon as shelving was erected in the Reading Rooms, they were accepted.
The Colonists Society expressed a desire to have the library as a nucleus of the town. The Reading Room then had Sydney, Adelaide, Tasmanian and New Zealand journals and also the London Times, Spectator, Illustrated News, the Australian and New Zealand gazettes. Subscriptions to the library grew to 100.
In October 1867 the president of the Society stated that a building was being erected and would be completed in October, which would comprise a lecture room, library, etc. The Society had £1000 in funds for the building but found that an additional £450 was needed to pay off all debts and to provide library fittings and furniture. The committee for the library asked for contributions for books, maps etc to the library and reading room.
On the 31st of October, the President of the Colonist Society announced that the library would be closed to allow the books to be moved to the new location. On November 22nd 1867 the Colonists Hall had been completed and the library moved there: a Mr W Godfrey was appointed librarian with a salary of £75 per annum. This is on Oxford Street; the site is Lyttelton Main School on the junior side. The ground floor housed the library and reading rooms, the hours of opening being 10am to 4pm, then 6pm to 10pm. In 1887 the Borough Council took over the library when it opened its new offices next door.
In 1902 the library was re-housed in the purpose built municipal library on the corner of Oxford and Sumner Rd (number 2). By 1921 Miss Kenner was librarian, working here. Miss Kenner was Lyttelton's Librarian for a total of 34 years from 1896-1930.
In 1945 the Lyttelton library became a Free Library, on a non-subscription basis. A fulltime-trained librarian was appointed; the number of lenders increased from 160 to 727.
In 1947 a library rate was levied for the first time.
In 1978 it was moved across Sumner Rd to the opposite corner into the old 1887 offices of Lyttelton Borough Council, when the Council moved to its new building (the former Albion Hotel on the corner of Canterbury and London Streets).
The History of the Fire Brigade
The full early history of the Lyttelton Fire Brigade can be found in Chapter six of the Lyttelton Borough Council's 1962 publication; The First 100 Years; by James D. Watson and the Lyttelton Volunteer Fire Brigades own centenary booklet.
The jubilee of the Fire Brigade was celebrated with a loan of £1,300 pounds for new equipment. With larger and more modern engines the fire brigade moved to new premises on London Street that would allow them to upgrade; this new fire station, which was purpose built, was opened by the Mayor Mr Bruce Collett in 1962. The bell tower was dismantled in 1972 to go to Ferrymead Heritage Park. The Lyttelton Museum has a display case dedicated to the history of the local fire brigade.
Architects: Collins and Harman
John Collins and Richard Dacro Harman (Photos of both can be found in the Cyclopaedia, NZ 1903)
There were two architects in partnership at 203 Gloucester Street, Christchurch. A Mr Armson established their firm many years earlier. When Messrs Collins and Harman took over the business, some of the finest buildings in NZ were built under the designs of the firm; for instance, the stone Anglican church at Timaru, the Union Bank in Christchurch, the National Bank, the Royal Hotel, Christchurch, The ChCh Gas Company's offices, the Council Chambers and the Fire Brigade Station, Lyttelton. They also designed many private residences in Canterbury; Te Ko at Merivale (Mr A.E. Rhode's home); Mr G.H. Rhode's resident at Claremont; Mr H.D. Buchanan's residence at Little River.
J.J. Collins was born in Christchurch and educated at Christ's College. He served his articles with the late Mr W.B. Armson, one of the early leading architects of Christchurch and remained with him after completing his article until Mr Armson's death in 1883. Collins then carried on the business with Mr Harman.
R.D. Harman was the son of Mr R.J.S. Harman of the firm Messrs Harman and Stevens. Like his partner he was born in Christchurch, educated at Christ's College and articled to Mr Armson.
Architectural Features
Style
Stacpoole describing public buildings of this period:- The street facades at the turn of the century are living museums of European culture, exuberant and eclectic, casting aside any earlier notions of simplicity. Cast aside to create strident effects of instant sophistication.; Italian ; Renaissance for the superimposed orders of facades, boldly modelled cornices, elaborate entrances, patterned surfaces and balustrades. Under the ornament, the building reads as a mere cube.
J. Stacpoole NZ Architecture, 1820-1950
Reed, 1972
Exterior
Such a description applies to the former Library; Fire Brigade building, it is a cube shaped building of brick with three facades of Italian Renaissance ornamentation.
Classical features
The building has the classical arched windows with keystones. The second storey windows have not just keystones, but also colonnades and balustrades to simulate an Italian style building. Another non-functional but typical ornamentation is the use of the balustrade on the top level. However, compared to the earlier Council offices (1887), on the opposing corner of Oxford and London Streets, the Fire Brigade building is somewhat plainer and has less ornamentation. It does not have the heavy brackets/corbels of the earlier building and has a more restrained lower storey and basement walls.
Interior
The main features of the lower storey are the original zinc plate embossed panels, which form the main ceiling, and the use of large iron pillars to support and direct one's view towards this ceiling. These pillars have capitals of decorative foliage in the Italian manner. Other original features are the air-vents (these can be seen on the outside of the building), which are of decorative cast-iron work. They have a grille on either side and the outside one is fixed and the interior grille can be slid across to open the vent further. The walls of the lower storey are of tongue and groove match lining.
The original staircase is still in the building, it is extremely wide and is a striking main feature as it is positioned directly in front of the entranceway (Sumner Road). The staircase has a turned balustrade and a dado and tongue and groove panelling which carries on around the upper storey walls.
The current owners are B.and A.Stanaway.
Number 2, Sumner Road is registered as an historic building with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Liza Rossie - 2005
