The information below is from the Nelson Boulder Bank Registration Report, 29 August 2013.
Nelson's Boulder Bank lighthouse was the second permanent lighthouse to be built in New Zealand. It is located near the southern end of the Bank.
As the European settlement of Nelson grew, so did the importance of its port. However, the narrow entrance into the harbour made it difficult to enter and ships masters were strongly advised to use a pilot. Several simple beacons were installed, including one on the Boulder Bank, but these did not prevent vessels from running aground. In 1859, a Special Committee of the Nelson Provincial Council, chaired by Alfred Domett, made plans for a permanent lighthouse on the Boulder Bank.
Later that year, the Nelson Provincial Council negotiated with James Stuart Tytler of Edinburgh (formerly of Nelson) to send lighthouse sections from England at the cost of £2824. Working with Slaughter Grunning and Co. Tytler sourced the lighthouse sections, cast in iron, by Messrs. Stothert and Pitt, engineers of Bath. The components were shipped to Nelson aboard the 'Glenshee'. On 4 August 1862, the oil-fired lamp was lit for the first time by the head lighthouse keeper and brother of the harbour master, W.E. Cross. Cross was later replaced by John Kidson, who remained in the position for the next twenty seven years.
In 1862 the government set up the Chief Marine Board to oversee the construction of lighthouses. This was superseded by the Marine Board of New Zealand in 1864 and a few years later by the New Zealand Marine Department. From 1888, when the flagpole was relocated from Britannia Heights to the Boulder Bank, the duties of the lighthouse keepers were extended to signalling the state of the tides. The fuel used to light the lantern changed over time, from colza oil to paraffin and later kerosene. A new lantern was installed when the change was made to kerosene.
The Boulder Bank lighthouse remained a manned light until 1915, when it was converted to acetylene and became one of the earliest automated lights in New Zealand. No longer needed, the lighthouse keepers left the Bank in 1916, at which time most of their residential structures were relocated to the mainland. In 1924 the status of the lighthouse was downgraded to that of a harbour light, and its ownership was placed in the hands of the Nelson Harbour Board.
During the Second World War, in 1942, the lighthouse light was extinguished due to the perceived threat of a Japanese invasion. The light was re-established in May 1943. In 1950, the order of flashes on the lamp was altered. The lighthouse was finally decommissioned in 1982, at which time it was the longest operating lighthouse in the country. It was replaced by a new automatic beacon on reclaimed land in Port Nelson. For many years the light was on hand to be used to supplement other harbour lights if required, for example if an earthquake severed the electricity supply to the electric shore light.
Today the lighthouse remains under the ownership of Port Nelson Ltd and is popular with tourists who visit the lighthouse on boat trips or by walking the length of the Bank. The lighthouse is in very good condition. It was given a major refurbishment in 1985 and the lantern mechanism given a make-over in 2008. The lighthouse now stands alone on the Bank, with the foundations of the original gable structure at its base still intact.
Around the base of the lighthouse there are archaeological remains of the buildings that used to surround the lighthouse. These remains consist of building foundations, bricks; garden areas as well material cultural remains such as glass, ceramics and coins. The lighthouse was registered by the NZHPT in 1983.
Nelson's Boulder Bank lighthouse was the second permanent lighthouse to be built in New Zealand. It is located near the southern end of the Bank.
As the European settlement of Nelson grew, so did the importance of its port. However, the narrow entrance into the harbour made it difficult to enter and ships masters were strongly advised to use a pilot. Several simple beacons were installed, including one on the Boulder Bank, but these did not prevent vessels from running aground. In 1859, a Special Committee of the Nelson Provincial Council, chaired by Alfred Domett, made plans for a permanent lighthouse on the Boulder Bank.
Later that year, the Nelson Provincial Council negotiated with James Stuart Tytler of Edinburgh (formerly of Nelson) to send lighthouse sections from England at the cost of £2824. Working with Slaughter Grunning and Co. Tytler sourced the lighthouse sections, cast in iron, by Messrs. Stothert and Pitt, engineers of Bath. The components were shipped to Nelson aboard the 'Glenshee'. On 4 August 1862, the oil-fired lamp was lit for the first time by the head lighthouse keeper and brother of the harbour master, W.E. Cross. Cross was later replaced by John Kidson, who remained in the position for the next twenty seven years.
In 1862 the government set up the Chief Marine Board to oversee the construction of lighthouses. This was superseded by the Marine Board of New Zealand in 1864 and a few years later by the New Zealand Marine Department. From 1888, when the flagpole was relocated from Britannia Heights to the Boulder Bank, the duties of the lighthouse keepers were extended to signalling the state of the tides. The fuel used to light the lantern changed over time, from colza oil to paraffin and later kerosene. A new lantern was installed when the change was made to kerosene.
The Boulder Bank lighthouse remained a manned light until 1915, when it was converted to acetylene and became one of the earliest automated lights in New Zealand. No longer needed, the lighthouse keepers left the Bank in 1916, at which time most of their residential structures were relocated to the mainland. In 1924 the status of the lighthouse was downgraded to that of a harbour light, and its ownership was placed in the hands of the Nelson Harbour Board.
During the Second World War, in 1942, the lighthouse light was extinguished due to the perceived threat of a Japanese invasion. The light was re-established in May 1943. In 1950, the order of flashes on the lamp was altered. The lighthouse was finally decommissioned in 1982, at which time it was the longest operating lighthouse in the country. It was replaced by a new automatic beacon on reclaimed land in Port Nelson. For many years the light was on hand to be used to supplement other harbour lights if required, for example if an earthquake severed the electricity supply to the electric shore light.
Today the lighthouse remains under the ownership of Port Nelson Ltd and is popular with tourists who visit the lighthouse on boat trips or by walking the length of the Bank. The lighthouse is in very good condition. It was given a major refurbishment in 1985 and the lantern mechanism given a make-over in 2008. The lighthouse now stands alone on the Bank, with the foundations of the original gable structure at its base still intact.
Around the base of the lighthouse there are archaeological remains of the buildings that used to surround the lighthouse. These remains consist of building foundations, bricks; garden areas as well material cultural remains such as glass, ceramics and coins. The lighthouse was registered by the NZHPT in 1983.
