Can you find original street lights?
The Stafford Street lighting used to be lit by hand. In 1871 Kerosene street lamps were installed and were soon credited with reducing the "menace of brothels' at Whales Creek".
For more than 100 years gas was piped from the gas works in Perth St to homes and businesses in the area between Hobbs St in the north, Broadway Ave in the west, Flinders St in the south, and throughout the inner-city area. In 1875 Timaru Gas Co was formed and nearly 9km of gas-iron pipes, the lights were converted to gas in 1876. The gas companies office was on George St where Mega Mitre 10 is today.
Electric light came in 1926. Before the streets were sealed, they would get very slippery and muddy when it rained, they would scoop the mud and put it along the side of the road, if you were not careful you could step knee deep into the mud in the dark.
Alpine Energy began in March 1906 when the Timaru Borough Council entered into a contract with Scott Brothers of Christchurch to light the town with electricity. The price for this contract was £750 per year for four hours of light per night – except when the moon shone. In 1915 the council purchased the Scott Brothers’ electricity generator and a year later another generator was installed and about 580 customers had been signed up. All electricity developments were in town until 1921 when a meeting of country delegates decided to form a South Canterbury Electric Power Board. The board set about forming a viable electricity supply enterprise across the province. The South Canterbury Electric Power Board and the Timaru Borough Council agreed for the power board to purchase the town supply. However, the town’s residents voted against the proposal. From that day, February 29, 1924, the Timaru Electricity Department and the power board continued on their separate paths. The Timaru Borough Council purchased all of its electricity from the SC Electric Power Board. This was from the Lake Coleridge power station supply which was made available at Temuka for distribution throughout Timaru and South Canterbury. The two organizations grew and developed in their separate franchise areas until the Government industry reforms of 1992 prompted the separate bodies to look again at the issue of amalgamation. Learn more
In 1970 Gas production from coal was stopped, and all gas will be produced by oil plants. This was located at Perth and Arthur Streets. At the time of demolition it was one of Timaru's tallest landmarks.
The former Timaru City Council-owned Municipal Electricity Department, which owned the pipes, merged with the South Canterbury Power Board to form Alpine Energy. Today Alpine Energy pays rent to the Council to have cable in about 10 kilometres of pipe between Pacific St and the southern end of King St. They range from 20 centimetres in diameter close to the old gas works, down to 3cm along smaller side streets. Learn more
Beside the two lights is a sculpture by Doug Neil. Rock of the Heartland. Basalt. 2008.
The Timaru Gas Works and Willen Mill on the Corner of Perth and Arthur Streets. The gas tank was complete in 1901. Learn more and here. - Alexander Turnbull Library G-8812-1/1