Blight on seaside suburb’s landscape finally repaired
Work to restore a heritage seaside clock tower in Christchurch has finally been completed after it was damaged in Canterbury’s earthquakes and from decades of exposure to the harsh coastal environment.
New Brighton’s clock tower, located in front of the suburb’s library building, is telling the time once again following the extensive repair project.
Work began in July last year, but was delayed by extra work being required and by the recent nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.
The original budget to repair the clock tower was $640,000, but it rose to $900,000 after issues were found with the concrete used to build the old tower.
It was common in the early 1900s to mix cement with small stones, but the cement did not stick to the stones properly and hollow spaces and cavities had since formed inside the concrete over the years. That allowed moisture from the elements and decades of exposure to the seaside environment into the structure, which caused significant corrosion to the structural steel.
Local contractor Cook Brothers Construction carried out the restoration for the Christchurch City Council.
The work involved significantly upgrading the tower’s structural integrity by replacing two cracked internal floors, adding steel reinforcing, and applying a corrosion prevention treatment on the concrete surfaces. The last step was the repair of the clock’s mechanism.
City council head of parks Andrew Rutledge said the contractors’ efforts had successfully turned back time.
‘‘The tower is looking its best, with fresh paintwork in the original 1930s colour scheme. I think locals and visitors will see the iconic structure with fresh eyes after this very careful and thorough restoration.’’
Rutledge said the clock’s mechanism was complex, so there could be some ‘‘initial, minor issues with its time-keeping accuracy’’.
‘‘This will be monitored and some finetuning might be necessary.’’
Cook Brothers Construction is also working to restore Christchurch’s landmark Scarborough Clock Tower. The clock is expected to be fully operational again by July 17 following a $650,000 repair project.
The tower, near Scarborough Park, also dates to the 1930s, and suffered considerable structural damage in the quakes. Its clock faces and mechanism had to be carefully removed and restored, with workers focused on retaining their original appearance.
Both the New Brighton and Scarborough clock towers were fenced off and wrapped in protective plastic in 2018 while structural investigations were completed.
Scaffolding was removed from both towers just before the country went into lockdown in March.