Of imposing stature on a prominent corner above central Dunedin, sits the High Street School (Former) War Memorial and Gates built in 1926. High Street School (Former) War Memorial and Gates have aesthetic, architectural, historical and social value. High Street School opened in 1887. The school was close to the city, on the corner of High and Alva Streets. The imposing buildings housed a large number of pupils. In 1904, the School Committee decided to erect a wrought iron fence to provide a more impressive finish to the school. Constructed by J & W Faulkner, the fence was finished in 1905. World War One saw the school suffer losses among ex-pupils and ex-teachers. Following the 1924 reunion celebrations the Jubilee Committee launched into fundraising for a war memorial. In 1925, the committee decided that the memorial would replace the main gates on the corner of High and Alva Streets. Not only highly visible to passers-by, it served as a daily reminder to children as they passed under its shadow. Monumental masons H.S Bingham and Co. built the memorial gates using stone salvaged from the recently closed New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition. Engraved in the centre of the memorial was the inscription ‘The Empire’s Call 1914-1918’. The two tablets, inscribed with 56 names were unveiled in a ceremony in 1926. In 1950, another tablet was added to the centre of the memorial, commemorating the sacrifice made by ex-pupils in World War Two. Over the following decades High Street School’s roll fell. In 2011, the school closed. In 2013, a heritage covenant was placed on the War Memorial, Gates and parts of the wrought iron fence. The gates and the memorial plaques were erected as emblems of loss, sacrifice, nationhood and even propaganda. The architecture and site served as a reminder of patriotism and sacrifice - particularly to the children who daily passed underneath. The memorial is both uniquely local and an intrinsic part of a national story. It represents our transformation from a small English colony answering the Empire’s Call to a community with a new sense of identity. We went out as colonials and returned as ‘Kiwis’. In 2014, although the school is closed, the War Memorial and Gates stand as a testament to the sacrifice of the community during the two World Wars.
Location
List Entry Information
Overview
Detailed List Entry
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 2
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
9645
Date Entered
9th September 2014
Date of Effect
9th September 2014
City/District Council
Dunedin City
Region
Otago Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes the land described as area marked 'A' DP 462776, Sec 9 Blk II Town of Dunedin, (RT 600867), Otago Land District and the structures known as High Street School (Former) War Memorial and Gates thereon (Refer to Appendix 1 of the registration report for further information).
Legal description
Area marked 'A' DP 462776, Sec 9 Blk II Town of Dunedin, (RT 600867), Otago Land District
Location Description
Corner of Alva and High Streets, Dunedin.
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 2
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
9645
Date Entered
9th September 2014
Date of Effect
9th September 2014
City/District Council
Dunedin City
Region
Otago Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes the land described as area marked 'A' DP 462776, Sec 9 Blk II Town of Dunedin, (RT 600867), Otago Land District and the structures known as High Street School (Former) War Memorial and Gates thereon (Refer to Appendix 1 of the registration report for further information).
Legal description
Area marked 'A' DP 462776, Sec 9 Blk II Town of Dunedin, (RT 600867), Otago Land District
Location Description
Corner of Alva and High Streets, Dunedin.
Cultural Significance
Social Significance or Value The High Street School Memorial and Gates have social significance. Impressive social energy and finances were invested in memorializing New Zealand’s war dead. Our war memorials are part of the fabric of our lives. Virtually every township has one, often in the main street. Similar to a triumphal arch, the war memorial celebrated the victories of war; the nation’s coming of age and the new pride of being a ‘Kiwi’. Yet such large scale loss also meant grief on a large scale. Over 18,000 New Zealand soldiers died in World War One, and the majority were buried in foreign lands. Most New Zealanders knew at least one fallen soldier as a brother, son or friend. In the absence of a local headstone, there was a need to remember the dead in a local memorial. The local war memorial also says much about the beliefs and values of New Zealanders in the years after the Great War. In later years, memorials were often placed at school gates, serving as a propagandist reminder to a new generation who were not intimately acquainted with the sacrifice of the war years. Many children who walked daily under the memorials would later make the same ultimate sacrifice.
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value High Street School (Former) War Memorial and Gates has historical significance. It is a physical reminder of New Zealand’s war effort, suffering and grief. The memorial stands as a testament to the sacrifices made in the ‘War to end all others’ and represents the grief and the contribution of the community as a whole. The memorial is both unique and local, and yet part of a national collective. Local in that it was initiated and erected by local individuals and specifically honours those connected with High Street School; unique in its use of stone from deconstructed New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition buildings. Yet the memorial is also part of a national collective of over 500 public memorials to the soldiers of the Great War not counting the many honours’ boards and plaques in schools and churches. Many of these memorials have been lost. Yet the nation is displaying an emergent respect for our ANZACS and their sacrifice. It is to be hoped that the remaining memorials will be celebrated as national treasures.
Physical Significance
Aesthetic Significance or Value The High Street School (Former) War Memorial and Gates stand with impressive bulk, size and substance on a prominent corner site. High Street is one of Dunedin’s most central routes and the conspicuously placed memorial is visible to all who pass. The site is an important feature of the memorial. Centrally and prominently placed it was accessible to grieving relatives and for public ceremonies. It also served as the main gate to High Street School; a visual reminder to the children who daily passed underneath. To weather the passing of the years, the memorial was built of stone as a permanent visual reminder of the sacrifice made by so many. Architectural Significance or Value The memorial is architecturally significant particularly as it retains all its original features from the time of construction. War memorials are important to the country’s architectural heritage and many were designed by experienced architects. The financial burden, however, saw other communities turn to monumental masons. In effect these memorials are a public architectural project, uniquely expressing relief, grief and sorrow through public sculpture. Perhaps nowhere is the link so explicit between architecture and purpose; between form and function.
Detail Of Assessed Criteria
(a) The extent to which the place reflects important or representative aspects of New Zealand history The High Street School War Memorial and Gates are one of a dwindling collection of monuments that stands as a physical reminder to an immense shift in New Zealand and the world’s political, economic and social landscape. Internationally the Great War was one of the most significant, defining events of the twentieth century. Its impact on New Zealand was deep and lingering. Large-scale individual and collective sacrifice was offset against pride and a new national identity. We went out as a colony and returned a nation. Decorated infantryman, Ormond Burton, chose these words to sum up the war’s significance for New Zealand: somewhere between the landing at ANZAC and the end of the battle of the Somme New Zealand very definitely became a nation. The High Street School (Former) War Memorial and Gates are the archetypal of the numerous memorials erected in New Zealand following the war, many of which were erected in schools. These war memorials 'have become part of the common fabric of our lives, like stop signs or lamp-posts'. Each memorial is unique but the purpose is shared – to commemorate individual sacrifice but also the contribution of the community as a whole. (b) The association of the place with events, persons, or ideas of importance in New Zealand history The memorial and gates have a strong association with defining events in New Zealand’s history. World War One (1914–1918) was one of the most significant international events of the twentieth century, and had a deep and lingering impact on New Zealand. Answering the Empire’s call to arms, New Zealand fulfilled the role of the faithful colony. Yet this interaction with other lands and other peoples served to emphasis New Zealanders’ unique qualities. 'Our boys' gave identity to New Zealand and a new ‘Kiwi’ sense of identity was born. (e) The community association with, or public esteem for the place The memorial is significant for its community associations. It was the Jubilee Committee of volunteer ex-High Street School students who decided to erect the memorial. Funds were raised by donations from the community and ex-students. The memorial honoured soldiers from the local area. It was also placed on a prominent and accessible corner site where the community could grieve and honour the dead. In recent years, New Zealand has seen increased attendance at ANZAC Day ceremonies, among young and old. An increase in Kiwi visitors to battlefields in Turkey and Europe demonstrates a continuing interest in the war. 2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of war and the New Zealand Government has developed’ WW100’, to mark the First World War centenary from 2014 to 2018. (f) The potential of the place for public education The memorial provides knowledge of New Zealand history. Most directly, it lists the names of soldiers connected with High Street School who died in World War One. Indirectly it speaks to the sacrifices made by individuals, families and communities; the communal efforts that saw people uniting to fundraise and provision; and New Zealand’s coming of age on the world stage. (h) The symbolic or commemorative value of the place The purpose of the High Street School War Memorial and Gates is symbolic and commemorative. Memorials are a focal point for individual and collective tribute and celebration. They symbolise grief for those lost, respect for common sacrifice, and recognition of the advent of New Zealand’s national ‘Kiwi’ identity.
Construction Professional
Biography
Stonemason Henry Sydney Bingham formed H.S. Bingham Monumental Masons about 1911. Later the company was known as H.S. Bingham and Co. The company was involved in many of Dunedin’s major building projects, including the renovation of First Church in 1933 and Knox College. The company also built a number of memorials including the cenotaph at Queens Gardens, the North East Valley War Memorial, the war memorial gates at High Street School and the McKenzie Memorial Cairn on Puketapu hill above Palmerston. (Source: Information Upgrade Report, Heather Bauchop, Apr 2014)
Name
H S Bingham & Co.
Type
Stonemason
Construction Details
Description
War Memorial and Gates erected
Start Year
1926
Type
Original Construction
Description
World War Two plaque added
Start Year
1950
Type
Addition
Construction Materials
Breccia, Oamaru stone and marble, concrete
High Street School In 1864, John Park opened a school for the growing number of children in central Dunedin. The school was successful and outgrew its building (High Street School Register No. 2172). Its success saw the Otago Education Board establish a school on the corner of nearby High and Alva Streets. New Zealand’s Premier Sir Robert Stout opened High Street School on 15 February 1887. The building represented an advance in school design with wide passages and high ceilings. Large and imposing, the two-storey wooden weatherboard design included a bell tower. By the end of 1903, there were 570 scholars on the roll. Former pupils had vivid memories of the school. Some remembered the frequent use of the leather strap for offences such as not being able to spell, for being late or running down the hall on their first day at school. Others remembered having to drink ‘that revolting warm milk’ that had been ‘sitting in the sun and the smell of the sour milk in the crates’. There were ‘no lawns to play on. It was a concrete jungle’. Memories of the buildings, described as ‘daunting’, were vivid. It was ‘so big, with its staircase and bell tower. The floors were creaky and smelt damp.’ Another remembered that the ‘old two story building in a thunderstorm was a bit scary’. Yet another remembered the ‘slate roof, separate stairs for girls and boys’. One pupil remembers ‘sliding down the main stairs in the middle of the school…and the lovely iron gates’. ‘A good iron fence’ In 1904, High Street School Committee decided to get a ‘good iron fence’ erected around the school, with ‘householders’ support’. In October the Otago Education Board advertised for tenders for a concrete and iron fence at the High Street School. The Board’s architect John Somerville probably drew up the plans and specifications. J & W Faulkner, Ornamental Iron & Wire Workers, won the contract with a tender of £175. They signed the contract on 24 October 1904. The foundations of the new fence were to be eight inches and the concrete footing to be 18 x 8 inches (46 x 20 centimetres). The concrete was to be finished with cement plaster. The gateposts were to be wrought or cast iron bolted to pieces of Port Chalmers stone 18 x 18 x 18 inches (46 x 46 x 46 centimetres). Finally, the ironwork was to be painted in several coats of red lead and oil paint. In April 1905, the School Committee reported that the old picket fence had been replaced on two frontages by the iron fence ‘including handsome gates and posts’. Memorialising the Great War On 4 August 1914, Britain and its Empire declared war against Germany. By the close of war, over 103,000 New Zealanders had served overseas. Ultimately, the war claimed 18,500 New Zealanders and wounded more than 4000. Otago and Southland casualties were particularly heavy through involvement in front line fighting, especially at Gallipoli, Messines and Passchendaele. In honour of the war dead, approximately 500 war memorials were erected throughout the country. These memorials symbolised two contradictory messages: sadness at the death of young men cut off in their prime, and pride in the manhood of the ANZACS. Over 16,600 men were buried in foreign lands; 5324 with no known graves. The war memorial functioned as a surrogate grave where relatives could visit and grieve. Yet there was also pride in the way 'our boys' had given identity to our nation. A new ‘Kiwi’ sense of identity was honored and commemorated. During the war New Zealand soldiers became known as ‘Kiwis’. Until the First World War, the kiwi represented the country and not the people: ‘they were En Zed(der)s, Maorilanders or Fernleaves’. During the war, however, several regiments used the kiwi as a symbol because of its unique and distinct association with New Zealand. Cartoonists also used the bird to symbolise New Zealand. ‘Kiwi’ boot polish, named for New Zealand, was also widely used by imperial forces. By the end of the war the ‘Kiwi’ nickname had taken hold. Despite honourable intentions, memorials aroused opposition, particularly among returned soldiers. Many were cynical about ‘traditional memorials carved in stone’. The RSA argued that the most appropriate tribute was to care for the soldiers who survived. Others argued the money should go towards caring for soldiers’ widows and children. While memorials were a focus for grief, pride and even antagonism, they also served a propagandist function. They were placed in prominent positions, often on school grounds, so that the ‘example of the fallen would be a daily inspiration to the young as they entered the school grounds.’ During unveiling ceremonies school children were given a prominent position, with speeches directed towards them. It was this propagandist role that the High Street School memorial particularly served. High Street School War Memorial and Gates During World War One the children at High Street School made their own contributions to the war effort. They raised funds to purchase a horse for the Otago Mounted Rifles; sewing periods were used to knit ‘comforts’ for the troops; and the pupils involved themselves in various fundraising efforts. The school suffered losses among ex-pupils and ex-teachers. During the 1924 Jubilee celebrations, Prime Minister William Ferguson Massey (1856–1925) unveiled a memorial tablet containing 52 names. Fifty-two seems high, but it may reflect the fact that High Street was a thoroughfare through an inner city suburb in 1914. In handing over the tablets, he reminded the children that it was ‘our duty to keep the Empire intact’. The headmaster said the tablet would be regarded as the ‘sacred duty of the school to revere, guard and keep as long as the school existed’. After the Jubilee, the Park and High Street Jubilee Committee decided to erect ‘gates in memory of those who had gone away and not come back.’ It was not an unusual project for a Committee to initiate. War memorials were always funded by local communities and without government assistance. As the soldiers had sacrificed their lives, so the community was asked to ‘voluntarily and sacrificially subscribe’. Almost half of New Zealand’s war memorials were unveiled around 1922 and 1923. The first recorded sign of progress on the High Street memorial appeared in July 1925 when the School Committee asked permission to erect memorial gates at the School. The Otago Education Board agreed, subject to the Board architect’s approval. In design, no two memorials were the same. Memorials might include soldier figures, obelisks and cupolas, towers, windows, and bridges or clocks that combined useful functions with a memorial purpose. A ‘useful’ memorial was generally held to be disrespectful to the sacrifice of those who had died, so most memorials were purely ornamental. Around a fifth of memorials were gates and arches, many of them found at the entrance to schools. Memorials were placed in central and prominent positions, in some degree of open space, so relatives of the dead could easily have access. This also enabled their use in public ceremonies, especially ANZAC Day. In August 1925, it was decided, in the face of some opposition, that the school’s memorial should be placed at the corner of High and Alva Streets in place of the main gates. Easily accessed by the community, it was also a prominent position for the school children. Monumental masons, H.S. Bingham and Co., constructed the memorial arch. The structure was relatively simple and exemplified a design chosen as appropriate for many schools. Of strong and imposing aesthetic, the memorial was probably erected relatively inexpensively as it was constructed mostly from Oamaru stone salvaged from the recently closed New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition 1925-26 held in Dunedin. Evidence of the former use of the stone is still visible. Engraved in the centre of the memorial was the inscription ‘The Empire’s Call 1914-1918’. In August 1926, a letter from Mr Ferguson Forrester, Chairman of the Jubilee Committee, advised that the memorial gates were completed. He asked the School Committee to organise a formal opening. The Jubilee Committee also asked ‘that Boys enter the school each morning through the gates and they be asked to remove their hats as a mark of respect to former pupils who gave their lives in the great war.’ The School Committee arranged for the unveiling ceremony to be held on Friday 13 August. In his speech, the School Committee Chairman observed that although most current school students had not been alive during the war ‘the gates would serve as an example to them – an example to follow should the need arise.’ The Education Board Chairman spoke of the gates representing ‘remembrance and example’. The gates stood ‘reminding everyone who saw them that if he had a duty to perform he should do it as these soldiers did, as true sons of the Empire’. Two Union Jacks, which covered the tablets, were drawn aside, revealing 56 names. Rev. H. Maclean led in prayer and then the Last Post was sounded. Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Land of Our Birth’ was sung by the children: Land of our birth, our faith, our pride, For whose dear sake our fathers died, O Motherland, we pledge to thee Head, heart, and hand through the years to be. In accepting the handing over of the gates, the headmaster vowed that the memorial would be ‘handed down unsullied to future generations of children’. The unveiling ceremony was saturated with the Imperial propaganda typical of these memorials. Historian, Rodney Hamel, suggests that the propaganda was used as a ‘bulwark against the mood of pacifism beginning to make itself felt after the war…Could it be that these memorials were an attempt to attach a particular spin to memory…’ Later modifications In the aftermath of World War Two, a tablet was added to the centre of High Street School’s memorial. It read ‘This tablet commemorates the sacrifice made by ex-pupils, 1939-45’. The plaque was dedicated at the school’s ANZAC Day Service in 1950. By 1981, the school’s roll had fallen to an all-time low and the buildings were deteriorating and ‘outmoded’. In 1982, the old school was demolished and prefabs were erected. The school roll declined steadily and the school was officially closed February 2011. While the school is now closed, the importance of the gates and the memorial remains, particularly with the growing importance of ANZAC Day commemorations. Over time there have been changes in the way that the day has been commemorated, reflecting our changing society. In recent years, ANZAC Day ceremonies in New Zealand have witnessed increased attendance, among young and old alike. An increase in Kiwi visitors to battlefields in Turkey and Europe also demonstrate a growing interest in the war. ANZAC Day now promotes a sense of national accord. The value of the memorial at the former High Street School was recognised in 2013 when a NZHPT covenant was placed on the War Memorial, Gates and wrought iron fence.
Current Description Facing the intersection of Alva and High Streets, is the site of the High Street School War Memorial and Gates. It is in a prominent position and easily accessible to the public. Both these factors were prerequisite to the siting of war memorials. The design of the arch is square rather than rounded. The two piers are built on two rows of Port Chalmers breccia stone. The breccia foundation is 103 centimetres wide, 43 centimetres high and 70 centimetres deep. The piers are 100 centimetres wide and 57 centimetres deep. The entire width of the memorial is 4.65 metres wide. The piers appear to be built of Oamaru stone. Secondary sources claim that the stone was reused from the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition The exhibition closed on 1 May 1926. At the end of May, the firm of Cooper and Scott bought the Exhibition buildings for dismantling, while the City Council acquired the gates and fences. The time frame is tight but it is possible that the Oamaru stone did come from the Exhibition. Whatever the exact source of the stone, it was important to build memorials in sturdy lasting materials so they could stand ‘eternal not temporary’. The piers each have a mounted marble tablet listing the 56 names of the war dead. These are around 60 centimetres wide and 115 centimetres high. The names of the dead are listed alphabetically; a common format for memorials in the belief that this expressed an equality of honour. The tablets did not include rank as ‘all were equal in sacrificing their lives’. The two piers are connected by a flat entablature or horizontal lintel. The entablature features a stepped line framing a marble tablet. The stepped frame may be a later addition, as this tablet commemorates the sacrifice of World War Two soldiers. It sits above the original inscription ‘The Empire’s Call 1914-1918’. Meeting underneath the arch are two wrought iron gates through which the pupils would have walked. On either side of the memorial is the wrought iron fence which includes wrought iron gates. The fence is painted white and sits on concrete foundations. The cement plaster on the concrete foundations is in a state of disrepair. Yet the wrought iron fence serves to support the prominence of the memorial. The wrought iron fence extends 19.79 metres along High Street. It also extends 19.86 metres along Alva Street and includes a wrought iron Gates. A curtilage of 1 metre extends around these sections of fence.
Completion Date
8th August 2014
Report Written By
Susan Irvine
Information Sources
Phillips & Maclean, 1990.
Phillips, Jock and Chris Maclean, The Sorrow and the Pride: New Zealand War Memorials, Department of Internal Affairs, Historical Branch, Wellington, 1990.
Borrie, 1924
John Borrie, Park’s-High Street School diamond jubilee, 1864-1924, Dunedin, Otago Daily Times and Witness Newspapers Company, 1924, pp.7, 13, 16.
McKillop, 1964
Now we are one hundred: a history of the Park-High Street School 1864-1964, ed. A. McKillop, Dunedin, Centennial Committee, [1964].
Report Written By
A fully referenced report is available from the Otago/Southland Area Office of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. This place has been identified in other heritage listings. The reference is ‘High Street School war memorial’, Memorials register, URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/high-street-school-war-memorial. 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: Civic Facilities
Specific Usage: Archway
Uses: Civic Facilities
Specific Usage: Gate
Uses: Commemoration
Specific Usage: Memorial - World War One
Uses: Commemoration
Specific Usage: Memorial - World War Two
Themes
War Memorial
Web Links