List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Able to Visit
List Number
241
Date Entered
28th June 1990
Date of Effect
28th June 1990
City/District Council
Marlborough District
Region
Marlborough Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes part of the land described as Legal Road, Marlborough Land District and the structure known as Opawa River Bridge thereon, including its abutments. Refer to the extent map tabled at the Rārangi Kōrero meeting on 8 June 2017.
Legal description
Legal Road, Marlborough Land District
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Able to Visit
List Number
241
Date Entered
28th June 1990
Date of Effect
28th June 1990
City/District Council
Marlborough District
Region
Marlborough Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes part of the land described as Legal Road, Marlborough Land District and the structure known as Opawa River Bridge thereon, including its abutments. Refer to the extent map tabled at the Rārangi Kōrero meeting on 8 June 2017.
Legal description
Legal Road, Marlborough Land District
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value The Opawa River bridge was designed at a time of international experimentation in the use of reinforced concrete in such engineering structures, especially by Swiss, French and German engineers. The bowstring arch design in concrete enjoyed a period of popularity in New Zealand through to the 1930s. The bridge is still an important part of the South Island State Highway 1.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: The Opawa River bridge was one of the first bowstring arch bridges in reinforced concrete to be built in New Zealand. Despite the somewhat heavy nature of its construction, the low bold arches in sequence give it an overall rhythmic architectural elegance, although it does lack the refinement of later bowstring arch bridges in New Zealand, such as the former Fitzherbert Bridge (Palmerston North 1935) and the Fairfield Bridge (Hamilton 1936). TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: The bridge is a well-known structure spanning the Ōpaoa River and is a significant local landmark.
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value The Opawa River bridge was designed at a time of international experimentation in the use of reinforced concrete in such engineering structures, especially by Swiss, French and German engineers. The bowstring arch design in concrete enjoyed a period of popularity in New Zealand through to the 1930s. The bridge is still an important part of the South Island State Highway 1.
Physical Significance
ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: The Opawa River bridge was one of the first bowstring arch bridges in reinforced concrete to be built in New Zealand. Despite the somewhat heavy nature of its construction, the low bold arches in sequence give it an overall rhythmic architectural elegance, although it does lack the refinement of later bowstring arch bridges in New Zealand, such as the former Fitzherbert Bridge (Palmerston North 1935) and the Fairfield Bridge (Hamilton 1936). TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: The bridge is a well-known structure spanning the Ōpaoa River and is a significant local landmark.
Construction Professional
Name
Holmes, John Dudley and Robert West
Type
Architectural Partnership
Biography
John Dudley Holmes (1886-?) was educated at Wellington College and Canterbury University. He worked for the Railways Department (1902-1908) and the Public Works Department (1909-20). He held various positions, including District Engineer, Tauranga, and Resident Engineer to the Napier Harbour Board. He later engaged in private practice with his father as a consulting engineer. He was a member of the Institution of Engineers. Robert West Holmes(1856-1936) was born and educated in London. He entered the New Zealand Public Works Department in 1872 and rose to the position of Under-Secretary before retiring in 1920.
Construction Details
Start Year
1917
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Trusses and piers of reinforced concrete.
Notable Features
Early use of reinforced concrete in a new form of bridge design.
Construction Professional
Name
Holmes, John Dudley and Robert West
Type
Architectural Partnership
Biography
John Dudley Holmes (1886-?) was educated at Wellington College and Canterbury University. He worked for the Railways Department (1902-1908) and the Public Works Department (1909-20). He held various positions, including District Engineer, Tauranga, and Resident Engineer to the Napier Harbour Board. He later engaged in private practice with his father as a consulting engineer. He was a member of the Institution of Engineers. Robert West Holmes(1856-1936) was born and educated in London. He entered the New Zealand Public Works Department in 1872 and rose to the position of Under-Secretary before retiring in 1920.
Construction Details
Start Year
1917
Type
Original Construction
Construction Materials
Trusses and piers of reinforced concrete.
Notable Features
Early use of reinforced concrete in a new form of bridge design.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The bridge which carries State Highway 1 over the Ōpaoa River at Blenheim, has a total length of 170 metres. It has eight bow-string arch trusses of equal length. Each span has eight vertical hangers and diagonal reinforcing members, supporting the heavier lower chords, which carry the roadway. Heavy posts form the ends of each truss, which are supported on reinforced concrete piers, each having three converging flanges with their upstream faces formed at diagonals to assist water flow. A footpath is cantilevered on the downstream side of the bridge and horizontal iron bars have been placed between the truss hangers to form a barrier between the footpath and the roadway. MODIFICATIONS: No significant modifications have been made.
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The bridge which carries State Highway 1 over the Ōpaoa River at Blenheim, has a total length of 170 metres. It has eight bow-string arch trusses of equal length. Each span has eight vertical hangers and diagonal reinforcing members, supporting the heavier lower chords, which carry the roadway. Heavy posts form the ends of each truss, which are supported on reinforced concrete piers, each having three converging flanges with their upstream faces formed at diagonals to assist water flow. A footpath is cantilevered on the downstream side of the bridge and horizontal iron bars have been placed between the truss hangers to form a barrier between the footpath and the roadway. MODIFICATIONS: No significant modifications have been made.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives (AJHR)
Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives
Furkert, 1953
Frederick William Furkert, Early New Zealand Engineers, Wellington, 1953
Marlborough Express
Marlborough Express
New Zealand Gazette
New Zealand Gazette
New Zealand Institute of Architects Journal
New Zealand Institute of Architects Journal (NZIA), No.8, Aug 1974
Billington, 1986
D Billington. The Tower and the Bridge, Basic Books Inc, New York, 1983
Who's Who in NZ
Who's Who in New Zealand
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Won a commendation for the 'Enduring Concrete Award' in 2010 from the NZ Concrete Society The Ōpaoa River Bridge project won the 2021 Engineering NZ Heritage Award. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Information Sources
Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives (AJHR)
Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives
Furkert, 1953
Frederick William Furkert, Early New Zealand Engineers, Wellington, 1953
Marlborough Express
Marlborough Express
New Zealand Gazette
New Zealand Gazette
New Zealand Institute of Architects Journal
New Zealand Institute of Architects Journal (NZIA), No.8, Aug 1974
Billington, 1986
D Billington. The Tower and the Bridge, Basic Books Inc, New York, 1983
Who's Who in NZ
Who's Who in New Zealand
Other Information
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Won a commendation for the 'Enduring Concrete Award' in 2010 from the NZ Concrete Society The Ōpaoa River Bridge project won the 2021 Engineering NZ Heritage Award. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.
Current Usages
Uses: Transport
Specific Usage: Bridge/ Viaduct
Current Usages
Uses: Transport
Specific Usage: Bridge/ Viaduct
