This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. DESCRIPTION: New Zealand's oldest railway workshop was established by the Canterbury Provincial Government in 1863. Having been taken over by Central Government in c.1872 this workshop soon became too small to handle the demands of the provincial railway system and so it was re-established at Addington in 1879-80. The water tower was erected to supply the Addington Railway Workshops complex with a high-pressure water supply. Built by prison labour, and supervised by the engineer's brother, the water tower had sunk nine inches at the time of its completion and today it rests on a slight angle. At the time of its construction the Public Works Department was evidently sceptical of Peter Ellis' design and sole responsibility for it was vested with the engineer (Ibid.). Despite the demolition of the railway workshops it is intended that the water tower will be retained and used to augment the domestic water supply in the area. In June of 1990 the Institution of Professional Engineers, New Zealand recognised the significance of this structure when it installed a commemorative plaque at the site.

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. The following text is from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: The tower is a 21.9 metre structure built of steel reinforced concrete and cast iron. Standing on a three-step pedestal, which is square in plan, the tower is visually divided into three sections. The two lower sections, of reinforced concrete made with a coarse aggregate, support the cast iron tank which has a capacity of 114,000 litres. The tank and the middle section of the tower are octagonal in plan and are visually separated by a projecting 'cornice. Every second face of the water tank bears a painted slogan which is therefore visible throughout the workshop yard. The slogans read "Safe Habits Are Good", "Safety Week Starts Every Monday", "Be Safe First And Always" and "Help Prevent That Accident". The lowest section of the tower is the most decorative and features chamfered edges and boldly detailed mouldings which form arched recesses on each of its four sides. Circular wagon wheel windows are set into the top of each recess and on the north-east face the tower is pierced by two massive wooden doors. The doors, which are set into arched openings, are decorated with wooden bosses and two 'portholes'. Inside the water tower there are timber floors at the ground and first floor levels and a steel ladder provides access to the latter. The pumping mechanism is located on the ground floor inside the tower and the entire structure rests upon clay and quicksand; a fact which has resulted in the slight settlement of the tower over the years. MODIFICATIONS: 1964:Reinforced concrete ring beam cast around the top of the tower as part of an earthquake strengthening programme.