Pavilions, temples & four square walls: Christchurch pump houses and substations

The architectural heritage of Christchurch. 10

Published by the Christchurch City Council, 2003

It is easy to overlook the small brick and concrete pump houses and substations that punctuate the streets of older suburbs and bring essential services to our homes. Closer examination, however, reveals that these little structures are important pieces of the city’s architectural and social history, meriting as much study as our more prominent heritage buildings.

This booklet presents a selection of Christchurch pump houses and substations, including some never built and some that have been demolished. It also looks at the issues and controversy influencing their architecture over the first half of the twentieth century.

Contents

• Drainage and electricity services transform city
• Evolution of Pumping Stations
• Pump house designers
• Evolution of electricity substations

Download Pavilions, temples & four square walls [932 Kb PDF]

Related information

• The architectural heritage of Christchurch Series
• Heritage information at Christchurch City Libraries
• Heritage information at the Christchurch City Council
• Heritage New Zealand Trust Pouhere Taonga
• ICOMOS New Zealand
• Books on the History of Architecture in Christchurch