Stone revered for building but local limestone also a favourite
Of all building materials, stone stands out as the most permanent, the most revered, the most durable.
From ancient monuments as evident in Egypt, through the first empires of Europe to the decorative buildings of the Renaissance, then later the simplified buildings of the 20th century, stone holds a commanding position in most Western cultures.
New Zealand, one of the last landforms to be settled by mankind, was first endowed with timber buildings but when European settlers arrived they looked for suitable stone.
Recent columns have described durable examples: volcanic bluestone from Timaru; dense greywacke that forms the Southern Alps; Central Otago schist; and decorative Kairuru marble. But neighbouring regions to South Canterbury have supplied a more workable material – high quality limestone from Oamaru and Mt Somers.
Limestone in these quarries is the result of the densification of crustaceans and sea shells on the ocean floor over many millions of years. Since sedimentary limestone has not been forged in the ovens of the earth it is not so dense, and is easily workable in buildings and sculpture.
Quarries at Oamaru and Mt Somers have supplied their stone to significant buildings throughout New Zealand and to Australia.
Whereas Oamaru originally had several quarries, Mt Somers stone is more localised, and has more colour variation – from pure white, to pink and grey tones. The mountain itself is a curiosity, yielding coal together with limestone, minerals, and precious stones. The coal quarries were enhanced by a unique railway system, carrying this fuel towards a railhead at Mt Somers township.
Many early Christchurch buildings benefited from the use of Mt Somers stone as the decorative trim to otherwise grey buildings – in the manner of