NEW ZEALAND’S ONLY VICTORIAN TOWN

All Contents © 2011 The Oamaru Whitestone Civic  Trust

Maude's Store (4 Harbour Street)

Forrester and Lemon's first grain store was built for A H Maude in 1875 was rather simple in design compared to their later projects.  The Maude grain store is conspicuous for its use of local greystone.  It is one of the few stone buildings in Oamaru not constructed of the familiar white limestone.   For many years Lane's Emulation a 'tonic' given to countless New Zealand children up until the 1960s was manufactured in Maude's Store.

J & T Meeks (6 Harbour Street)

Built as a grain store in 1875-76   J & T Meek’s building came into Trust ownership in 1989.  This building is a large open span space.  Some seed cleaning equipment remains in the building as a reminder of its original use.  Today it is a working wool store where local farmers sell their wool.

Sumpter’s Store  (8 Harbour Street)

Built as a grain store in 1878   Sumpter's Store is directly behind Sumpter’s Exchange.  This building came into Trust ownership in 1989.   The architectural drawings to reinstate the parapet decoration of Sumpter’s Store have been completed.

Anderson’s Store  (10 Harbour Street)

Anderson’s store was designed by Dunedin architect David McGill and was built in 1881.  It came into Trust ownership in 1989.  This building was one of the first Trust building's to have its frontage cleaned down.  The plans for the parapet decoration for Anderson’s Store have also been completed.   

Neil Brother's Store (12 Harbour Street)

Built in 1882, the Neil Bros. grain store was the last Forrester and Lemon building built in Harbour Street and was a remodelling of an unfinished store of 1875 belonging to a Mr. Orr.  It was acquired by the Trust in 1989. The frontage of this building has been restored.  Neil's store is a large open span building, the interior still showing the railway tracks which ran through the length of the building.  

Loan & Mercantile Building (14 Harbour St.)

Built as a grain store in 1882 to the design of Dennison and Grant this elegantly detailed, three storey Victorian warehouse was built for the NZ Loan and Mercantile when it was the largest stock and station agency in New Zealand.  The building was designed to hold 100,000 sacks of grain handled by four grain elevators.  The end wall has been left with its quions jutting outwards to key in a future addition.  The Loan and Mercantile buiolding came into Trust ownership in 1989 and today, sacks of grain have been exchanged for barrels of whisky with the building becoming a bond store with whisky tasting and restaurant attached.

Meldrum’s Building (Usk Street)

Meldrum’s Bakery was built in 1879 and is described in “Forrester and Lemon of Oamaru, Architects” as a charming little building which is almost certainly the work of Forrester and Lemon.  The Trust has  an agreement with McDonalds Restaurant to use and maintain the bakery.

4 Wansbeck Street

Built as Oamaru's vehicle testing station in the 1960’s.   Purchased by the Trust 2001.  The building is currently occupied by the Oamaru Cycle Works.

Harbour Board Building  (2 Harbour Street)

The former Harbour Board office was built in 1876 was one of the first public buildings besigned by Forrester and Lemon.  It is heavily ornamented, the building being designed in the Venetian Renaissance style.    Purchased by the Trust 2001 and undergoing complete exterior restoration in 2005-06.  The North Otago Branch of Historic Places Trust presented the Trust with the conservation plan for the building as a project to mark the 130th anniversary of the Forrester and Lemon architectural practice.

The Trust uses the first floor boardroom and office for its meetings and project office and the Victorian Town at Work’s Victorian Heritage Centre is in the ground floor.  Interpretation panels in the Victorian Heritage Centre tell the story of the Oamaru Harbour and Thomas Forrester's influence on the development of Oamaru.

Oamaru Railway Station, Humber Street

In the heyday of rail travel, the Oamaru railway station with its large refreshment room which seated several hundred people, magazine and pillow kiosk, ladies waiting room, parcel and booking office it was the place of Oamaru's comings and goings, reunions and farewells.

(This page describes the buildings owned by the Trust in Harbour St and elsewhere in Oamaru. Click here for the  page describing buildings owned by the Trust in Tyne St.

Built in 1900 to replace the original Oamaru Railway Station at the foot of Wansbeck Street the Railway Station is the only wooden building the Trust owns. It was designed by George Troup who was also the architect of the Dunedin railway station.

The Oamaru Railway Station came into to Trust  care in 2001 through a donation by the Oamaru Licensing Trust.  

The Railway Station fell into disrepair as passenger services were discontinued. However 2003 saw major renovations take place with re-piling of the southern end, drainage problems fixed, repainting and the return of the finials, front steps and wooden doors.

Click here for description of buildings owned by the Trust in Tyne St.