Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value The Lyttelton graving dock and pumphouse are examples of important public works initiated by Provincial Governments in New Zealand. The 110 year old dock was an ancillary facility essential for the maritime trade on which New Zealand's commercial prosperity in the late 19th and the 20th century depended. It is still in use today.

Physical Significance

ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: The graving dock is a remarkable feat of Victorian marine engineering. Three hundred men spent over two years carrying out the excavation, reclamation and construction necessary to fulfil the contract, although in the event the official opening was delayed nearly a year because the caisson, built by Messrs McKay and Stephenson, had not arrived from Glasgow. The engines and pumps were imported from the English firm of Easton and Anderson and they make it possible to empty the dock in about four and a half hours. The contractors, Ware and Jones, who had recently constructed the graving dock at Auckland, used 2500 tons of cement and 660 tons of stone during the course of construction. The use of concrete for a major part of the construction is of considerable technological importance. The pumphouse is a well-proportioned and detailed example of nineteenth century design and construction in brick. The blind arches imbue the building with an architectural sophistication uncommon in utilitarian maritime structures. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE: The pumphouse chimney must have once been a port landmark but it was demolished in 1931 and the dock now nestles unobtrusively into the hill behind Naval Point. However, it makes a strong visual impact when viewed from Brittan Street.