NZ | Heritage Thread

[Vilder]

Originally Posted by stevejones

Alot of those places would send shivers up most NZers spines and most NZers wouldn't know they exist.

Seacliff gave me the absolute creeps.

North Otago is one of the best parts of NZ. Sir Robert Jones says Waitaki Valley is the best part of NZ.

Those old family estates are a dime a dozen in North Otago, they were celebrated war vets or Aristocrats from England and they had a view that NZ was going to be just like home, including the class system. Campbells estate shown as the castle above comes with it's own town for 500 odd peasants.

In North Otago in the late 1800's, it was the town vs country with the peasants living in Oamaru and gentry in the country. Some of these houses come with their own deer parks (for shooting deer in or chasing foxes). All the public buildings in Oamaru were paid for by Gentry from the country, so they were beautiful and expensive. All the rest of the buildings in Oamaru are slums for the poor mostly Catholics who were the labour.

Beautiful, just beautiful. Outside every estate they planted one Oak tree each peasant killed in World War I. So as you drive down each country road, you can could how many lives were lost from each estate and this is also done in the main rd of Oamaru.

Sending the peasants to World War I was a marketing exercise by the elite whose markets for lamb was England. The first shipment of frozen lamb for export in NZ was made in North Otago.

Families and friends of mine throughout North Otago with 'ancestral' homes, farm holdings and stations would probably not see their local history in such cartoon terms, and neither would I - nor associates in Oamaru itself. An ounce of truth and some rather shallow summations here. Makes a good story but that's about it.

[Vilder]

The Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1884, was designed by leading colonial architect Robert A Lawson. Built on unstable land, it became unsafe leading to its demolition. This beggared Lawson's career in Otago, and as a consequence he moved Melbourne to continue in practice. He eventually returned to NZ. The Salmond Family of Dunedin hold many of his archives, items of which are likely to be made privately available to NZIA Southern's centennial "100+" exhibition, to be held at Otago Museum from 24 April this year. Further, independently of the exhibition, Lawson's biography will be drafted for publication this year or following.

In these activities, more images of outstanding "lost" buildings will feature.

The exhibition celebrates Otago-Southland based architects and architecture from 1907 to now, and beyond... Exhibition design is now under way and media releases for the exhibition are in preparation.

[Davee]

Originally Posted by Vilder

Families and friends of mine throughout North Otago with 'ancestral' homes, farm holdings and stations would probably not see their local history in such cartoon terms, and neither would I - nor associates in Oamaru itself. An ounce of truth and some rather shallow summations here. Makes a good story but that's about it.

I don't think Steve was making light out of anything he has said Vilder. Perhaps you can enlighten us with some more in depth history and a ton of truth about this area and it's wonderful buildings.........

I really appreciate SJ's pictures and that he is showing us the beauty of the south of the South Island - and also al the work that Bob and Dunedin are doing in keeping the home fire in Dunedin burning. The deep south has been neglected for to long here.

[stevejones]

Sorry if I got the facts wrong Vilder, that's the story people told me !

[jarbury]

Thanks for the pics SJ. Oamaru does indeed have some fantastic old buildings - particularly in one area in the southern part of town if I remember correctly.

Historic industrial buildings have really grown on me in recent times. I used to just think they were ugly, but (that flour mill for example) while they may not be the prettiest things ever, they seem to link us with the past even more than old residential building do. At least in my opinion.

[Richard7666]

Oamaru has some awesome architecture, especially the Oamaru stone stuff, and unlike many places, most of it still remains (which kinda disqualifies much of it from this thread I guess lol) which is really great.

[jarbury]

I think it's nice having a thread to celebrate New Zealand's built heritage (where it remains) or mourn the loss of heritage (where it has been demolished). I'm fascinated by many of these photos. If people have more (particularly of Oamaru as I haven't been there since I was 12) it would be great to see them.

[Rosie]

Originally Posted by stevejones

Alot of those places would send shivers up most NZers spines and most NZers wouldn't know they exist.

Seacliff gave me the absolute creeps.

North Otago is one of the best parts of NZ. Sir Robert Jones says Waitaki Valley is the best part of NZ.

Those old family estates are a dime a dozen in North Otago, they were celebrated war vets or Aristocrats from England and they had a view that NZ was going to be just like home, including the class system. Campbells estate shown as the castle above comes with it's own town for 500 odd peasants.

In North Otago in the late 1800's, it was the town vs country with the peasants living in Oamaru and gentry in the country. Some of these houses come with their own deer parks (for shooting deer in or chasing foxes). All the public buildings in Oamaru were paid for by Gentry from the country, so they were beautiful and expensive. All the rest of the buildings in Oamaru are slums for the poor mostly Catholics who were the labour.

Beautiful, just beautiful. Outside every estate they planted one Oak tree each peasant killed in World War I. So as you drive down each country road, you can could how many lives were lost from each estate and this is also done in the main rd of Oamaru.

Sending the peasants to World War I was a marketing exercise by the elite whose markets for lamb was England. The first shipment of frozen lamb for export in NZ was made in North Otago.

Sir Robert Jones is right.
The Waitaki Valley is the best part of NZ
That's where you will find the best people in NZ as well

[Milan Luka]

Hey good photos. Never even knew the place existed.


Also nice to see all the Stadium Supporters venture into other threads!

[Richard7666]

Originally Posted by Milan Luka

Hey good photos. Never even knew the place existed.


Also nice to see all the Stadium Supporters venture into other threads!

Lol do you mean Seacliff mental hospital, or Oamaru?

[Brizzy-Mike]

Seacliff has the same architectural body language as Glenmark had. Step gables etc.

[Richard7666]

Found an old Invercargill photo recently. Massive travesty:

1910
image hosted on flickr


2010


Looking at it, 3rd from right appears to have survived. Likewise the building that is now blue (2nd from left). The building on the far left is actually another historic building now, actually nicer than the original.

I'm really annoyed about the centre one though; what a beautiful building replaced with some disgusting single-story 80s piece of crap. Also the one on the corner (nearest camera)...though it appears the underlying structure is still there and some wanker just 'updated' the facade.

The buildings in the 1910 photo on Leven St (marked in the google photo) are all gone, including the big 6 story one on the far right =(