Fire Watchtower to be honoured during Vintage Weekend

Published on 21 January 2021

Fire Watchtower in Cooks Gardens

It’s time for the sights and sounds of yesteryear once again! Bayleys Whanganui Vintage Weekend returns for 2021 from this Friday, 22 January until Monday, 25 January inclusive, with a huge range of events and activities on offer to people of all interests and age groups.

Whanganui District Council is associated with several events including the Sound the Alarm! Fire Watchtower and Vintage Engine Open Day, which will be held near the historic Fire Watchtower in Cooks Gardens on Saturday, 23 January 2021 from 11.00am-1.00pm.

Built in 1891 and the only surviving example in the country, the Fire Watchtower’s significance has been recognised by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga with its classification as a Category 1 historic place. To honour the tower’s status, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga will hold a brief ceremony with invited guests in the Cooks Gardens Event Centre before the start of the free open-day event at 11.00am.

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga staff members and the council’s heritage advisor, Scott Flutey, will then be on-hand to answer questions from the public about the tower. Two vintage fire engines – a 1938 Chevrolet example sourced from Taihape with assistance from Bruce Ardell and the Wanganui Vintage Car Club, as well as a 1931 Austin 7 type from Hawke’s Bay – will also be on display from 11.00am to 1.00pm for all to enjoy.

Fire was a major threat to Whanganui’s many wooden buildings in the 19th century. Watchtowers were an important way to spot fires in a time of slower communication, and they were occupied around the clock. (The early Whanganui Fire Brigade was voluntary and funded by public donations until it was replaced with permanent staff in 1918.)

An earlier tower had been built at Pukenamu Queen’s Park in 1875 after a conflagration destroyed multiple buildings in the city centre. A Melbourne-cast bell in this tower served to summon firefighters and alert the public.

However, that structure began to rot within only a few years so fundraising was begun to replace it. Engineer and architect Alfred Atkins had designed a number of local buildings – including the nearby Ward Observatory – and he drew up plans for the tower free of charge.

The replacement tower was built during July-August 1891, and featured the bell from the old watchtower as well as a connection to the then-new telephone network. Improved telecommunications ultimately ended the watchtower’s role but it found a new purpose in 1931.

The brick Post Office clock tower on the corner of Victoria Avenue and Ridgway Street was dismantled at this time because of public safety concerns following the Napier earthquake, and that structure’s chimes were moved to the watchtower where they continue to keep us informed of the time today.

For more information about Bayleys Whanganui Vintage Weekend events, including activities and events at the Whanganui Regional Museum and New Zealand Glassworks, please visit: www.whanganuivintageweekend.nz

 

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