Oriental Bay Central Bus Shelter

Oriental Parade, Oriental Bay, Wellington
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Image: Charles Collins, 2015
Image: WCC - Charles Collins, 2015
CityView GIS 2013
CityView GIS 2013
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  • Constructed

    c.1940

  • Architect(s)

    Unknown

  • Builder(s)

  • This small brick and timber former tram shelter has architectural / aesthetic value for its carefully proportioned exterior, the quality of its construction materials, and the ornamentation that was used to enrich this otherwise utilitarian building.

    This former tram shelter is one of a group that were designed as a response to the local climate and use local vernacular elements including timber ornamentation. They have strong townscape value for their contribution to the character and sense of place of Wellington.

    This former tram shelter has representative historic value for its association with the era when electric trams were the main form of public transport in Wellington.

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  • close History
    • The Oriental Parade Central Bus Shelter appears to have been constructed on the site of an earlier drinking fountain that had been gifted to the city by John Martin in 1876.  The decorative fountain had originally been sited at the intersection of Lambton Quay and Featherston Street but was moved to Oriental Bay in c.1909.  The cast-iron fountain fell into disrepair, perhaps due to corrosion from salt spray, and was removed in 1938.   A 1938 photograph of Oriental Bay shows the fountain  and a c.1940s photograph shows the bus shelter in the same approximate location.  

      A trial trolley bus route through Oriental Bay began in 1945  and Oriental Bay tram line closed in 1950.  This bus shelter, with its brick plinth and glazed timber windows, has suffered particularly from vandalism.

      Various bus and tram shelters

      Trams were the main form of public transport in Wellington from 1878 to 1964, and their use and development has had a major impact on the planning and growth of the city and suburbs. Although a limited service of horse-drawn trams had operated in the city from 1866, and a short-lived steam tram service from 1878 – 1882, it was the electrification of the tram service that led to the expansion of Wellington’s suburbs in the early years of the 20th century. 

      In 1903 the Melrose Borough Council (that included Roseneath, Hataitai, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay, Island Bay, Melrose, Ohiro Bay, Happy Valley, Brooklyn and Kelburn) merged with the Wellington City Council to form a much enlarged metropolitan area. The union of the two local authorities was a catalyst to urban expansion into many previously predominantly rural suburbs. Development of these suburbs relied on reliable and affordable public transport to the city, but the existing (horse-drawn) tram network had insufficient capacity to meet the needs of suburban commuters. Wellington City negotiated the purchase of Wellington’s tram service in 1900 and formed the Wellington City Tramways Department in that year. It built a power station to produce electricity, laid tram-tracks and overhead wires and built tram-stops and shelters. In 1904 the electric tram system ran a short service to Newtown, a main route through the city followed and by 1907 trams ran through the Hataitai (Pirie Street) tunnel to Kilbirnie, through Berhampore to Island Bay, and up to Brooklyn and Karori. By 1911 extensions were laid to Karori Park and up to Wadestown. 

      The Miramar Borough Council ran a parallel tram service on the Miramar Peninsular and built its own power station, track and lines, tram shelters and the Seatoun tunnel. The Miramar Borough Council amalgamated with the Wellington City Council in February 1921 and Miramar’s tram infrastructure was integrated into the Wellington City tram network at about this time.  

      Tram routes were gradually replaced with bus services from the late 1940s onwards and the last tram service ran in 1964. In recent years the older timber bus and tram shelters have been slowly replaced with modern ‘Adshel’ or Adshel-style glazed shelters that are presumably simpler to maintain, and provide advertising revenue to off-set construction and maintenance costs.  The older timber structures require ongoing maintenance and can be a focus for vandalism and anti-social behaviour. In 2010 a Wellington City Council spokesman noted that 

      ‘The design of the old wooden shelters not only hampers the visibility of people waiting inside, but also provides a private area for people to engage in anti-social behaviour such as drinking and urinating…’ 

      While critics of the Adshel style bus shelters note that the smaller modern shelters offer less protection from the often inclement Wellington weather, than the older traditional shelters.

  • close Architectural Information
  • close Cultural Value

    This small brick and timber former tram shelter has architectural / aesthetic value for its carefully proportioned exterior, the quality of its construction materials, and the ornamentation that was used to enrich this otherwise utilitarian building.

    This former tram shelter is one of a group that were designed as a response to the local climate and use local vernacular elements including timber ornamentation. They have strong townscape value for their contribution to the character and sense of place of Wellington.

    This former tram shelter has representative historic value for its association with the era when electric trams were the main form of public transport in Wellington.

    • Aesthetic Value close

      • Architectural

        Does the item have architectural or artistic value for characteristics that may include its design, style, era, form, scale, materials, colour, texture, patina of age, quality of space, craftsmanship, smells, and sounds?

        This group of small (generally) timber framed former tram shelters/bus shelters each have architectural / aesthetic value for their carefully proportioned exteriors, the quality of their construction materials, and the use of ornamentation and decorative elements that were used to enrich these otherwise utilitarian buildings. The shelters were designed to enclose and protect tram passengers from the sometimes inclement Wellington weather, and most continue to serve this function well.

      • Townscape

        Does the item have townscape value for the part it plays in defining a space or street; providing visual interest; its role as a landmark; or the contribution it makes to the character and sense of place of Wellington?

        The shelters were designed as a response to the local climate and use local vernacular elements including timber ornamentation. They have strong townscape value for their contribution to the character and sense of place of Wellington. 

      • Group

        Is the item part of a group of buildings, structures, or sites that taken together have coherence because of their age, history, style, scale, materials, or use?

        The five shelters that include the Cambridge Terrace Bus Shelter, the Miramar Avenue Tram Shelter, the Oriental Bay Terminus Tram Shelter, the Oriental Parade Central Bus Shelter, and the Highland Park Tram Shelter have strong group value as a set of shelters that were built in the years when electric trams were the main form of mass transportation in Wellington. The shelters range in age from 1904 (the beginning of the electric tram era), to the early 1940s (when trolley buses began to replace trams). 

    • Historic Value close

      • Association

        Is the item associated with an important historic event, theme, pattern, phase, or activity?

        The group of five shelters have representative historic value for their association with the era when electric trams were the main form of public transport in Wellington.

    • Scientific Value close

      • Archaeological

        Does the item have archaeological value for its ability to provide scientific information about past human activity?

        Cambridge Terrace Bus Shelter, the Oriental Bay Terminus Tram Shelter and the Oriental Parade Central Bus Shelter are all within NZAA R27/270, although the Cambridge Terrace Bus Shelter was recently relocated to this site.  

    • Social Value close

      • Identity - Sense of Place - Continuity

        Is the item a focus of community, regional, or national identity? Does the item contribute to sense of place or continuity?

        The shelters were designed as a response to the local climate and use local vernacular elements including timber ornamentation. They have strong townscape value for their contribution to the character and sense of place of Wellington. 

    • Level of Cultural Heritage Significance close

      • Rare

        Is the item rare, unique, unusual, seminal, influential, or outstanding?

        This group of shelters are a remnant of the traditional style timber shelters that are currently under threat of replacement.

      • Representative

        Is the item a good example of the class it represents?

        This group of five shelters are a representative sample of former tram shelters from 1904 – the early 1940s. 

    • Local / Regional / National / International Importance close

      Not assessed

  • close Site Detail

    • District Plan Number

      12/ 237

    • Legal Description

      None

    • Heritage New Zealand Listed

      Not listed

    • Archaeological Site

      Central City NZAA R27/270

    • Current Uses

      unknown

    • Former Uses

      unknown

    • Has building been funded

      No

    • Funding Amount

      Not applicable

    • Earthquake Prone Status

      To be assessed

  • close Additional Information

Last updated: 5/29/2017 8:49:31 PM