In pre-European times Maori travelled along the Papahaua range in Westland and through the coal plateau, but the mineral was of little interest to them as they made no use of it. Heaphy and Brunner, exploring the West Coast in 1849, noted a coal seam in a small stream near the Nile River south of Westport. In 1859 the Nelson Provincial Government, keen to understand the potential for usage and settlement of the West Coast, employed John Rochfort to lead a survey party to the area. During his abbreviated trip he noted two coal seams in the banks of the Waimangaroa River. The government next commissioned the German geologist Julius von Haast to undertake a geological survey of the Buller region with the discovery of coal of prime interest. The party which included colliery engineer James Burnett, set off in February 1860. When an impressive coal seam was discovered in a valley in the headwaters of the Waimangaroa River, Haast named the area Coalbrook Dale after an English coalmining village and the rocky bluff above it was called Burnett's Face. The peak above the plateau was named after John Rochfort. Haast's diary described this seam as 'eight feet two inches of pure coal' and he estimated that the coal field extended 'over an area eight miles in width and fifteen miles in length'. In today's measurements this equates to a seam of coal 2.5 metres thick and an area that covered 12.9 by 24.14 kilometres. Samples analysed in Nelson proved the coal had high carbon content and was of world class quality.
The Nelson Provincial Government, still hopeful of finding gold as well as coal, sent a further exploration party to the Buller region in 1862 to advise on development of a port in the region. James Burnett and John Rochfort who were included in the party made more detailed surveys of the coal resources and Burnett's report stated that there were commercial quantities of readily workable coal. Westport was considered the best place for a port and Burnett at once pondered the problem of transporting coal there for shipment. Rail was the obvious means and he proposed construction of a self acting incline for the descent from the plateau.
Some small mining operations on the lower slopes were established here over the following years while work on developing the port at Westport proceeded. Construction of the Mt. Rochford railway commenced northwards along the narrow plain, eventually concluding at Seddonville. It reached Waimangaroa on 5 August, 1876 where a branch line extended up the lower section of the Waimangaroa River Gorge to the site of a small mining company's operations. Meantime Robert Blair Denniston had surveyed and assessed the plateau fields and interested a group of wealthy Dunedin business men, including William Larnach , in extracting coal from this area. In 1878 the Westport Colliery Company was formed with a capital of £100,000. The company secured Coalbrookdale leases of over 2450 acres (991.5 hectares) from the New Zealand Government for a period of 91 years.
By 1879 mining had begun at the Fisher Mine, later known as the Banbury Mine, with coal brought down to the railhead by packhorse. The construction of the self acting, cable operated incline, as Burnett suggested, was already underway. The company engaged the engineering firm Young Brothers to design and manage the construction project. The Scottish born engineers were based in Westport. They worked with local contractors Day and Blair. Arrangements were made to employ 50 experienced British miners who had arrived with their families in Nelson late in December 1879 to find that the company did not yet have work for them. With completion of the incline in April 1880, the first load of coal was transported to the rail head, now extended to its base and production was able to get underway. Output was small and not very profitable at first.
The company was restructured in 1881 as the Westport Coal Company Limited under the same directors but with a quadrupling of the capital. By 1882 production had doubled with 50,000 tons (50,802 tonnes) extracted and dispatched down the incline.
By 1882 the Banbury Mine had driven through to Burnett's Face and coal was being mined from several places in the vicinity. Initially it was transported back to the rail head through the mine shaft, but in 1887 a surface roperoad haulage system was established. Two years later the Coalbrookdale and Iron Bridge Mines were in full operation with the exported product, marketed as Coalbrookdale coal, eagerly sought because of its acknowledged quality. Its reputation was enhanced following the widespread story of the British warship H.M.S. Calliope being the only vessel to have sufficient steam power through its use of Coalbrookdale coal to speed from disaster during a hurricane in Samoa in March 1889. The Royal Navy became a major customer ensuring it had Coalbrookdale coal available for its vessels around the world. In 1895 Denniston was the largest producer of coal in New Zealand with an output of 215,770 tons (219,232 tonnes) for the year. The peak year of production was 1910 when the output was 348,335 tons (353,925 tonnes).
The workers at Denniston first lived in tents on a narrow hill side ledge close by the Banbury mine. In those early days canvas was the most easily transported material to provide shelter in this inhospitable environment and the small settlement was known as 'The Camp'. With the incline coming into use in 1880 the transportation of timber and other building material improved the situation for the increased numbers living in The Camp and the settlement around the brakehead at the top of the incline. The company provided a number of houses which were rented to workers. Tales of the stark living conditions for Denniston workers are legend, illustrated by the experiences recorded by many. When Tyneside miner Nicholas Milligan brought his wife and two children to the hill in 1883, Maria chose to live in a tent at The Camp rather than share space in a rough slab hut with a group of bachelors. They lived there for the next six years during which four more children were born, coping with the most primitive conditions in the trying climate. Maria did not go down the hill for 14 years.
Many other settlers were similarly reluctant to attempt the journey to and from the plain. There was only a very rough track up to Denniston from Waimangaroa and the alternative pedestrian route was alongside the incline. In 1884 the situation improved when a more manageable bridle path was formed. Before this, the incline wagons often carried passengers, a practice that continued even after the company attempted to ban it because of the inherent dangers. At best it was described as a 'thrilling' experience but for many it was so terrifying they had no wish to repeat it. The population increased as further mine workings opened and the settlements spread beyond The Camp and Denniston to Burnett's Face and Coalbrookdale where the severe weather conditions were lessened in the more sheltered valley settings. Denniston remained the pre-eminent centre but a good range of facilities were established in each place - shops, hotels, theatres etc. By 1902 a road was constructed to the plateau and in the following years more services were provided to make life less harsh.
Denniston workers were always enthusiastic supporters of the leisure and sporting activities available to them. The Brass Band was successful and highly regarded and rugby was played on one of the hardest grounds in the country. The rocky ground prevented residents from attempting to beautify their surroundings or making gardening a hobby. It also meant that it was not possible to create a cemetery on the hill and many residents made their final journey down to Waimangaroa in a coffin on the incline. For many the benefits outweighed the negatives and later residents often recall Denniston as a happy place of fun and jollity.
From the earliest days of production at Denniston, managers were wary of employing British miners who might bring with them ideas of radical unionism. Relationships did not begin well with the arrival in Nelson of the British migrant workers in 1879 when work was not yet available. The company manager, Arthur Burns, was unsympathetic, unhelpful and distressed to learn that those selected were of non-conformist religion and therefore in his eyes, inevitably trouble makers. Mistrust on both sides was the result, as it was essential for Burns to employ workers with experience and it was not only the skilled migrant miners who rapidly expressed concern over their conditions of employment.
John Lomas, who played a major role in the development of unionism in New Zealand had arrived with the group of migrant miners in 1879 but did not come to Denniston until 1883. In September that year he was elected president of the Denniston Miners' Mutual Protection Society, which was the real beginning of mining unionism in New Zealand. Much bitter conflict ensued over the following decades between managers and workers, 'them and us', and this has continued for over a century. The Denniston Union inspired the formation of unions in other mining areas and was closely allied with the newly formed Labour Party. Management's immediate response to the union's formation was to reduce the rates for hewing coal. This led to a strike and lockout that lasted six months. The workers had the final victory after severe suffering that was compounded by the isolation and management's restrictions - no access to coal for fuel and no use of the incline for transportation of supplies. Conflict continued with major strikes or lockouts in1890, 1913, 1923 and 1921.
A good output was achieved over the early years of the twentieth century and in 1924 new accommodation for workers was provided by management at Marshallvale a short distance inland from Denniston. By this time with an improved road and easier transport systems, some workers chose to live in Waimangaroa and make the daily journey up the hill. This process increased during the 1930s depression years and the population declined, with some people shifting their houses down to the plain. In 1948 with the Nationalisation of Coal Mines Act the government purchased the assets of the Westport Coal Company. Improved systems reduced the number of workers and by 1950 the population had reduced to 500. Within a decade Burnett's Face and Coalbrookdale were deserted and Denniston's numbers were declining fast.
The closure of the remarkable incline in 1967 marked the end of a significant era in New Zealand's industrial history. In its 87 years of operation it had transported 12.6 million tons (12.8 million tonnes) of coal. Road transport efficiently took over, with trucks carrying coal directly from the mines to the Waimangaroa rail yards.
Operations continued with new mines being opened as the older ones within the historic area boundary were worked through. New systems like hydraulic mining were introduced with coal being blasted from the seams and then pumped out to surface bins. The Denniston coalfield is now a quieter place with production only from the privately owned mines like the Cascade Mine beyond Burnett's Face. These are outside the boundary of the historic place, though coal trucks travel through it.
1. Name: Denniston Incline [DoC map, Nos.3-6]
Address:Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Sec. 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District, Pt. Denniston Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s):The Crown. Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation.
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. Recorded site K29/54 (rail yard). K29/55 (incline railway)
Self activating rail incline, 1880-1967
Engineer: Young Brothers, Westport.
Builder: Day and Blair
There was a considerable time delay from the discovery in 1859 of the huge coal deposits in the Papahaua Range north of Westport until the coal could be commercially extracted. It was recognized by James Burnett during his 1862 survey of the site that transportation of the ore down the escarpment was the greatest issue in establishing a viable commercial operation on the plateau. He suggested the use of a cable operated incline on which empty wagons would be returned to the top by the descent of the heavy loaded ones. This was the system which was used from 1880 to 1967, a remarkable engineering achievement, described by proud locals as the 'eighth wonder of the world'. The line extended from the facing edge of the plateau where the township of Denniston developed, to Conns Creek near Waimangaroa on the narrow plain below.
Construction of the Denniston Incline began in 1878, the first project being provision of a bridge over Conns Creek near the incline's base. Higher up the slope a further bridge and sections of timber viaduct were required for the track to ascend the steep grade to the coal plateau by following as straight a route as possible. Eighteen kilogram rails were laid in the standard 1.16 metre gauge. The incline was in two sections with the gravity operated wagons, controlled by a four inch (10.2 cm) steel wire rope travelling a single track to the Middle Brake, 33 chains (664 m) from the top where a double track enabled full and empty wagons to pass. At this point a separate cable controlled the wagons on the lower section. Over the 83 chain (1.7 km) length of the track the fall was 1700 feet (518 m) with some grades as steep as 1 in 1.25. To provide a carrying capacity for loaded wagons weighing up to 12 tons (12.2 tonnes) an effective braking system was essential. 'The braking system adopted resembled a direct-acting horizontal winding engine, but the action was directly opposite. Water was used to check the action of pistons instead of steam to give them motion. The water was drawn off at each stroke and replaced by a fresh supply as the severe pressure would raise it to boiling point. There was also a very effective strap brake around the raised centre of the drum that could be used in emergency or when bringing a load to a stop. It could be wound up tight by the brakesman for this purpose'.
On 24 October, 1879 a public holiday was declared in Westport with a special train taking passengers to Conns Creek so that they could walk up the incline for the ceremonial driving in of the last spike at the top. The occasion was celebrated with a ball in Waimangaroa. To complete the transportation system, bins and screens were built at the Brakehead, the horse tramway to the Banbury mine coal face was constructed and in mid-April 1880 the first load of coal descended the incline. The incline itself was now the principal access to and from Denniston for freight and people, with tales of the terrifying nature of this journey spreading immediately. There were many instances of accidents occurring and wagons being derailed, leading the company to officially forbid riding on the wagons in 1885 by which time a bridle path/foot-track was in place.
Over the following decades efficiency improved so that by the 1950s over a thousand tons a day was delivered into a hundred wagons for delivery to the port making Westport the busiest coal exporter in New Zealand. Rail to Lyttelton was possible from 1953 when the link to Reefton through the Buller gorge was completed.
The incline continued operating until 16 August 1967, having carried some 12,600,000 tons (12,802,191 tonnes) of coal down to the railhead in the wagons which travelled at speeds up to 80 kilometres an hour. The closure followed a decline in the demand for coal in 1965. This was accompanied by increased costs for employing the labour force managing the incline and difficulties finding replacements for the 'Q' wagons which had been such a successful feature of the incline's use. Road transport replaced the old system and on 24 May 1968 the Inangahua earthquake caused major damage when a huge rockfall buried the upper part of the incline. Many of the structures were removed for scrap metal or to ensure safety, yet enough features remain for an understanding to be gained of the 'wonder' of this engineering achievement.
Only remnants of the original track, its bridges and viaduct survive and it is overgrown in parts. Viewpoints are available from its base at Conns Creek, from Middle Brake and the Brakehead, or its route can be followed along the Bridle Path track. Alongside the track, remnants of broken wagons testify to the dangers associated with this transport system. About one third of the way down at the Middle Brake, where the loaded and empty trucks passed on the double track portion, brake cylinders remain on the foundation of the level concrete platform. There are also an old hut, a boiler, some elements from a winch, a points lever and the Sampson brake which was used for lowering wagons from the upper incline to the lower section. The foundation of the top brake remains at the upper termination of the incline.
At the base, the current access road to the Conns Creek marshalling yard follows the route of the railway which linked the incline to the Waimangaroa branch line. Stone walls are a key feature here bracing the shallow rail cutting and the sidings at the incline's base. The walls are particularly well built and generally in good condition. They were constructed by Cornish stonemasons using stone quarried in the vicinity. Building foundations remain in the yards and two 'Q' wagons are sited on a remnant of the railway line. Ordinary NZR wagons were first used to transport coal down the incline, then for a period the 'O' class wagons with a fixed hopper improved efficiency. The distinctive 'Q' wagons were first introduced on the incline in 1897. Made at Greymouth, Westport and Addington to designs by the Greymouth Harbour Master, they were used at a number of West Coast coal mines to facilitate and hasten the transportation of coal. At Denniston the wagons were loaded at the top of the incline, descended to Conns creek and transferred directly onto the rail line where they were transported to Westport. Here the steam cranes at the port could lift the wagon's 12 tonne weight and deliver the coal through the hopper in their base directly into the ship's hold. This was an extremely efficient system which can be seen as a forerunner of containerisation. A fixed arm, water powered hydraulic crane, c.1904 remains in place. It is largely intact but no longer functional. Of steel and timber construction on a concrete base, the crane was used to load goods onto the empty 'Q' wagons for delivery to the top of the incline.
DoC has recently undertaken restoration work on the incline.
2. Name: Neighbours Brickworks Site [DoC map, No.99]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Dennis-ton Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. Not yet specifically recorded.
William Neighbours, an experienced brick maker from Middlesex, first came to Christchurch in 1858 where he established a brickworks in the early 1870s before moving to the West Coast. He and his sons set up several brickworks here and later in Nelson. The Waimangaroa Brickworks, established 1893, was a thriving concern producing bricks and pipes for Denniston as well as the wider Buller district. Until the 1960s, production continued from this convenient location close to the rail way and local sources of good clay. Vast quantities of bricks for use in the mine industry and the various settlements were transported up the incline from this conveniently placed source. The site of what was a significant industrial complex closely associated with Denniston's history is now overgrown. Today, the remnants of the chimney and kiln are disappearing with ongoing removal of the bricks by public pilferers.
3 Name: The former Bridle Path, now walking track [DoC map, No 2]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Dennis-ton Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. Recorded site K29/56 (bridle track)
In 1884 the completion of a bridle path from Waimangaroa on the plain to Denniston on the plateau brought cause for celebration by those living on the hill. An uneven winding track laboriously cut into the steep stony hillside, it still meant a strenuous climb for pedestrians but was infinitely preferable to struggling up the incline or experiencing the dangers of riding up or down in one of the wagons. Completion in 1902 of what is now the access road, eased the transport situation even further as it allowed workers to begin to shift from the hill and reside at Waimangaroa, making the journey to the plateau daily. The original bridle path route is now maintained by DoC as a walking track which offers magnificent views and provides access to the Middle Brake via a branch track. This branch follows the route of a pipeline that supplied water from upper Conns Creek to the brake system.
4. Name: The brakehead and stone retaining walls. [DoC map, No.6 ]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Dennis-ton Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. Recorded site K29/58 (brake head)
The machinery for the braking system was located at the head of the incline. This was where the loaded wagons were dispatched on their downward journey, the upcoming empty ones refilled and those bringing up freight or passengers unloaded. This location at the edge of the plateau was a hub of activity over the years of the incline's operation. It was the terminus for the various systems which brought coal here - rail lines, an aerial ropeway and a roperoad. The coal was stored and screened in huge bins of which only foundations remain.
The dominating remaining physical feature is the cluster of massive stone retaining walls which were built to create a series of level terrace areas on which the various buildings and structures were located. The walls built from cut blocks of ganister stone quarried on site were constructed by Cornish stonemasons. The skills of these craftsmen are attested by the survival of the walls here and at Conns Creek after nearly 130 years.
Clearance of the site has left few reminders of the past though the Department of Conservation's interpretation panels provide a vivid impression of the site's original use and appearance. Re-usable items and scrap metal elements were removed and many relics were simply bulldozed over the site's steep edge. A chimney base, slack heap and foundations of the bins, brake-house, carpenter's shop and workshop can be identified. Near the edge of the slope where a massive rock fall resulted from the Inangahua earthquake, 24 May 1968, some of the steps which gave access to the manager's office remain. Two aerial ropeway return wheels and a cable tensioner are retained and two further 'Q' wagons are sited on a section of rail track.
In 2007 the brakehead was restored by the Department of Conservation.
5. Name: The Banbury Arch, mine mouth and rail link [DoC map, No.14]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Den-niston Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. Not yet specifically recorded.
The 'Banbury Arch' is the name given to the stone arch bridge built in 1878 to give access to the entrance to the Banbury Mine, the first mining site commercially worked on the Denniston plateau. The bridge was designed by Henry and Robert Young, engineers appointed to the Westport Coal Company in that year. The mine entrance was beside a gully faced by a steep rock bluff. Extracting coal from this position was a difficult enterprise overcome by building a tramway over the bridge. Cornish stonemasons constructed the arch using ganister stone quarried on site. They formed the curve laying the lower course of blocks vertically with the courses above placed horizontally to provide the platform on which the tramway ran. The inner abutment was built into the bluff's rock wall.
From 1878 coal was extracted from this mine, first known as Fisher's, and for an initial period was transported by pack horses down a rough track to Waimangaroa. Once the double track tramway was completed horse drawn wagons transported the coal some 800 metres to the top of the incline, where it was stockpiled for a period until the incline came into use in April, 1880. In 1883 an endless steam powered rope system replaced the need for horses on the tramway. The Banbury coal seams were soon exhausted and with the main tunnel being driven through to Burnett's Face by 1882 the focus shifted there. In 1886 the Banbury mine closed, with the tunnel continuing in use as a travelling and transportation route until 1904.
Until recently the Banbury arch and entrance to the mine was overgrown and virtually hidden. In 2007 the Department of Conservation cleared vegetation to reveal a second smaller arch as part of the 'Banbury Arch' structure. Further work is continuing on the site so that visitors might follow a track to view the structure.
6. Name: The roperoad [DoC map, Nos. 26 &27]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Dennis-ton Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation. Address of Owner: Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika.
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. Not yet specifically recorded.
The roperoad, also known as the skipway or haulage road, was a later transportation system constructed in 1887 to carry coal in bins (or 'boxes') along the plateau surface from Burnett's Face to the brakehead. It too was an endless rope conveyance powered by steam, with full and empty bins travelling to and fro along two tracks. The ropeway was extended to the Coalbrookdale Mine and the Iron Bridge Mine, both fully operational by 1889. With only a muddy walking track as access way, residents in the somewhat ramshackle Coalbrookdale and Burnett's Face settlements frequently preferred the quicker but dangerous option of walking along the roperoad in the period till 1891 when a road to Denniston was constructed. A frequently published photograph (refer Historical Photograph 8 in Appendix 2) illustrates the hazardous living conditions in a settlement bisected by the roperoad, where children played.
Today a section of the DoC created walkway to Coalbrookdale follows the route of the old roperoad, providing an understanding of its formation through the terrain. At Burnett's Face foundations of the buildings associated with the roperoad remain and nearby is the entrance to a now collapsed tunnel which later took the trail through to the plateau and the brakehead beyond. It was at this point that bins were transferred to the main line from the linking side lines to the Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge Mines. The building in which 'shed boys' undertook the hazardous task of clipping bins to the moving ropes remains, but is in poor condition. Bare fingers were at risk of being trapped in the fast, clipping operation on moving bins and the danger increased in freezing temperatures. The building's surviving chimney for provision of a fire and warmth was an attempt to lessen the potential for bare fingers to freeze on metal. In 1904 a new roperoad was constructed from Burnett's Face to the brakehead, shortening the route through a tunnel, some deep cuttings and a steel viaduct. Greater power provided at this time meant greater loads could be transported and the level of production was increased.
A number of features of the ropeway remain and its route can be determined, though the rails themselves have largely gone. In the section between Burnett's Face and Coalbrookdale there are many items including some bins and the remains of the stop start signalling system. There is another tunnel here and, near the mine entrance and its associated Fanhouse, the creek which runs alongside the ropeway track is crammed in places with large amounts of discarded wire rope. The sides of this creek again feature the skills of the Cornish stone masons with lengths of well constructed stone faced embankments.
7. Name: The lower aerial tower [DoC map, No.7]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Den-niston Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. Recorded site K29/59 (Aerial route)
The aerial ropeway, suspended from a series of steel towers, carried coal directly across the plateau from the Wharatea steps entrance (outside the historic area) of the Coalbrookdale mine to the head of the incline. Work commenced for this mono-cable haulage system in 1950 and it came into use in January 1954. It replaced and improved on the earlier roperoad system by following a more direct route and needing less manpower for its operation. Loaded bins were clamped to a moving rope. Aerial ropeways were used on various mining sites, a gravity operated bi-cable system introduced at similar date at the nearby Stockton Mine. The Denniston example which crossed a more level area required power from an electric motor.
Along this route some remnants which remain are outside the proposed historic area. Representative of this efficient transport system are the return wheels at the brakehead and the lower area tower which has been the subject of maintenance and interpretation by the Department of Conservation. It occupies a prominent site by the road near the entrance to the Brakehead area and has two bins mounted as demonstration of the ropeway's function.
8. Name: The bath houses and former power house chimney base [DoC map, No.19]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Dennis-ton Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation. Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No.: Not yet specifically recorded.
The issue associated with the provision of bath houses for miners has been a major one in mining history and the development of the unions. The level of pay as well as conditions of employment were concerns that often caused tension, leading to the formation of the Denniston Miners' Union in 1884.
After a long day's toil in the dirty and often damp conditions of the mines, workers trudged to their bathroom less homes to clean up in a tin bath in front of the fire, or to queue for the use of a wash tub at a boarding house. The building of bath houses, at the mouths of the Coalbrookdale and Iron Bridge Mines, by management was a concession towards improving conditions for the workers. There were reservations initially though, as workers believed they faced potential chills after bathing while walking home in the notoriously grim weather conditions of the plateau.
In 1939 a new bath house replaced the earlier facilities. Its design was similar to one built at the same time for miners at Blackball. It was built beside the old powerhouse near Denniston and was used from 1940 to 1984 when an updated building was constructed This was appropriately named the John Lomas bathhouse commemorating the inaugural President of the Denniston Miners Union, a man who played a significant role in the development of New Zealand's Trade Unions. Most of the fittings have been removed from the largely intact structures.
All that remains of the old power house, built in the 1920s, is the chimney base. The coal fired power house generated electricity replacing the steam power from a stationary engine for the operation of the transportation and other mining systems.
9. Name: The settlements
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Dennis-ton Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700 Also, c.40 individual Town Sec-tions still in private ownership, many are abandoned land in process of be-ing transferred to Buller District Council ownership and others are re-serves for various purposes, e.g. police.
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation. And others.
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. L29 Map Sheet for Burnett's Face identifies house sites L29.25 to L2936 K29 map sheet for Denniston iden-tifies five mining related sites mentioned elsewhere.
Denniston is the generic name used to include the various settlements which developed in the mining area. Today only seven houses close to the principal Denniston Town are left. In 1911 1500 people dwelled on 'the hill' and in each location just a few items, like foundations, steps or chimneys indicate where a house, school, hotel or shop once stood. Much has been written about the life led by residents here over the busy years between 1879 and 1867, of the conditions they endured and the provisions they made for themselves so that a happy life could be enjoyed.
The settlements are as follows:
a) The Camp [DoC map, No.10]
The earliest workers pitched tents on a ledge in a narrow valley close to the Banbury Mine entrance. This gave rise to the name 'The Camp'. More permanent materials were introduced as timber was felled, corrugated iron was brought to the site and small rough cottages were constructed along this precarious site. They are described by Cecilia Adams as being constructed of 'corrugated iron and sheer necessity'. As mining activity increased so too did the number of workers living here within this cramped area without sanitation and running water. Within the heavy bush clad area only a few fragments of these primitive and often flimsy buildings and some steps remain as evidence of the first settlement. A track runs through the area.
b) Denniston township [DoC map, No.11]
The township was named for Robert Denniston who first recognized the potential of the area. By 1880, as the population expanded, settlement developed from The Camp to the small level cliffside area at the top of the incline. In 1885 a surveyed plan for the 'Town of Denniston', including The Camp, was drawn up and by 1886 485 people lived here. By this date there was a school, library, and shops, religious services were conducted, a mail delivery system was established and the town was serviced by bi-weekly visits from a doctor. Hotels were an important addition to the settlement.
In 1910 population was nearly 900 and the settlement boasted the full range of facilities necessary for a community with such limited communications. Silent pictures had been introduced in 1908 and residents who rarely left the hill ensured that they could enjoy all normal recreational and social activities. The miners' residences, often constructed by the owners themselves, were basic, utilitarian structures where corrugated iron was the principal material. A few buildings showed more architectural pretensions but historic photos show that the overall appearance of the town was not imposing.
Within the surveyed township identifiable sites include the Westport Coal Company headquarters and mine office, the butcher's shop, fire station, school, Miners' Hall and the Mt Rochfort and Denniston Hotels. The 1885 plan provides names of section owners.
c) Burnett's Face and Coalbrookdale. [DoC map, Nos. 51-59]
When Julius Haast first identified the coal deposits in this area in 1860 he named the rocky cliff side Burnett's Face for his companion James Burnett, an English colliery engineer, and the valley Coalbrook Dale after a coal mining town in Shropshire, England.
By 1882 when tunnelling extended from the Banbury Mine to Burnett's Face, mining activity transferred to this area with workers establishing settlements here. Between Burnett's Face and the Coalbrookdale Mine, which was fully operational by 1889, substantial settlements were established in the limited spaces available along the roperoad route. The narrow bush clad environs determined the close proximity of the rough dwellings to the roperoad, creating dangerous living conditions. The two places each with strong community spirits, were almost continuous, each with hotels, boarding houses and shops, though never with quite as many facilities as Denniston. In 1911 the population for the combined settlements was 627. The site of the Burnett's Face School is a notable feature with its small stony playground enlarged by parents who cut back the adjoining cliff face .
d) Marshallvale [DoC map, Not numbered specifically; in the vicinity of Nos. 16-18]
In 1924 the settlement which developed adjacent to, but inland from the town of Denniston was named for the then mine manager, Alexander Marshall. The Westport Coal Company needed to expand its workforce in the 1920s and planned to build a new block of some 40 houses, with about 25 being constructed.
The houses themselves provided a rather higher standard of accommodation than that already existing, perhaps as a response to the findings of a Report commissioned by the Board of Trade in 1919. Samuel Hurst Seager, the highly respected Christchurch architect who had a reputation for his expertise in modern town planning, was appointed by the Board to inspect living conditions in coal-mining districts throughout New Zealand. His findings about Burnett's Face (with adjoining Coalbrookdale) and Denniston concluded that 'the housing conditions are generally deplorable. Both townships are in a disgracefully dirty state; surface drainage is extremely bad; there are no fences or privacy and there are no baths in any of the houses - the occupants using kerosene tins and tubs. There are few trees, and no flowers or gardens to brighten the general dreariness and isolation, and to these drawbacks are added all the disadvantages of a wet, cold and foggy climate.'
With his well established philosophy regarding the need for practical, sanitary living conditions to also be places of beauty, Hurst Seager was appalled. He made strong recommendations, endorsed by the Board of Trade, for provision of some 200 houses in a new model village on the plateau alongside the ropeway He suggested they be constructed of concrete or local stone and that soil might readily be brought up to this areas so that each house might have a small garden. The workers felt the plateau area was too remote and the Marshallvale location was chosen, but no provision was made for Hurst Seager's brightening of the general dreariness with gardens. Nor was any improvement made to the existing living conditions.
10. Name: The Coalbrookdale Mine site and Fanhouse [DoC map, Nos.72-76]
Address: Denniston Mine area
Legal Description: Pt. Section 44 Block VI Kawatiri Survey District. Pt. Dennis-ton Scenic Reserve, NZ Gazette 1979, p.700
Owner(s): The Crown - Public Conservation Land, managed by Department of Conservation.
Address of Owner(s): Department of Conservation, West Coast Conservancy, Private Bag 701, Hokitika
New Zealand Archaeological Association No. L29/49 (Coalbrookdale dam)
Fans to ventilate the mine tunnels were an essential installation. At Coalbrookdale the large brick fanhouse which vented a number of adjacent mines is being conserved. Nearby are the remains of an earlier fanhouse, the dam from which water was supplied for the operations in the area (also used by locals as a swimming pool), the No 8 Cascade portal and the Top Seam entrance to the Coalbrookdale mine, an electric winch and foundations of the power house. Interpretation panels with historic photographs explain the history of this site and there is a proposal to use a section of tunnel here to provide visitors with a safe, underground experience of working conditions in the mine.
