An oldie but still a goody: Timaru’s Gladstone Building

Timaru Civic Trust Karen Rolleston

After hearing concerns from some that this building was to be demolished, which it is not, we thought we’d repeat the article about this handsome and solid bluestone building.

Located on Timaru’s Stafford St it is one of the most historically significant structures in the town, originally built in 1874 as offices for the Gladstone Board of Works.

The board functioned here for nine years allowing South Cantabrians to manage their own local projects until the provincial system of government ended and the central government took over all public works.

Over the years it has been used by the Lands and Survey Department and later the Ministry of Works.

Mr Thomas Roberts was the architect responsible for designing the then proposed new offices for the board of works and he oversaw the tender and building process. Several tenders were presented and the lowest one, submitted by builder Thomas Machin in the amount of £1215 was the one accepted.

During construction, it was reported that “The Board of Works office is getting on famously, and is developing itself into a much handsomer and more commodious building than might have been expected for the money’’.

From reading The Timaru Herald reports from 1874, I understand Thomas Machin had to apply for a six-week extension for the completion of the work, his reason for having to ask being his “inability to get a sufficient number of carters and skilled labour’’.

This did not go down particularly well with the board but the architect, Mr Roberts, petitioned them on behalf of Mr Machin and he was granted his extension and not financially penalised for the delays.

It is one of the few remaining Timaru bluestone buildings in Timaru today. It is two-storey and rectangular in plan with a shallow hipped roof.

Additions were made to the rear of the building in the 1970s.

It achieved its Historic Places listing as a Category 1 building in 1980.

For a time it was the tallest building in town and Machin must have been proud of his creation. It’s gratifying to see one of our well-built old buildings surviving into this century having been successfully restored and cared for over the years.