Former Power House and Setting – 1 R Ue Pompallier
DISTRICT PLAN – LISTED HERITAGE PLACE HERITAGE ASSESSMENT – STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE HERITAGE ITEM NUMBER 752 FORMER POWER HOUSE AND SETTING – 1 RUE POMPALLIER, AKAROA PHOTOGRAPH : B. SMYTH, 23/12/14 HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE Historical and social values that demonstrate or are associated with: a particular person, group, organisation, institution, event, phase or activity; the continuity and/or change of a phase or activity; social, historical, traditional, economic, political or other patterns. The former Power House at 1 Rue Pompallier has high historical and social significance as one of the South Island’s earliest town electricity generating plants. Electricity was introduced to New Zealand in the 1880s and from 1888 cities and some towns used electricity for street lighting and trams. Businesses, industrial enterprises and some farms set up their own generators. After Christchurch, Ashburton and Timaru, Akaroa had the earliest local electricity supply authority in Canterbury when its town supply began on 11 September 1911. The electricity was generated in a small hydro-electric power station below L’Aube Hill. A penstock from a small reservoir above L’Aube Hill, supplied initially from the Balguerie Stream, fed water to a Pelton wheel which drove a dynamo to provide a direct current supply. The Pelton wheel, generator and a switchboard were housed in a small, square, brick building. A larger addition to the rear of the original powerhouse was built several years later to house a gas engine and workshop. The gas engine was needed because the flow of water was insufficient to generate an adequate supply in the summer months.
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