Oamaru Stone
A hard, compact limestone known as Oamaru stone or whitestone is currently quarried at Parkside Quarry, Weston, Oamaru, and has been since 1906 (the only remaining quarry open). Initially, Oamaru stone was used on the building of numerous large important buildings mainly in Oamaru in the 1860s after the discovery of gold in Central Otago and the expansion of commerce as a result.
Notable buildings built in Oamaru with Oamaru stone are:
Anderson’s Store, 10 Harbour Street, Oamaru [ Built 1881, Architect David McGill. It now houses a craft beer brewery. ]
Bank of New South Wales, 9 Thames Street [ Built 1882, Architect Robert Arthur Lawson. Now operates as The Forrester Art Gallery ]
Criterion Hotel, 3 Tyne Street, Oamaru [ Built 1877, Architects Forrester and Lemon ]
Connell & Clowes, 5 Tyne Street, Oamaru [ Built 1877, Architects Forrester and Lemon ]
Exchange Chambers, 13 Tyne Street, Oamaru [ Built 1875, Architects Forrester and Lemon as offices. It now houses a craft emporium.
Harbour Board Building, 2 Harbour Street, Oamaru [ Built 1876, Architects Forrester and Lemon as The Harbour Board Office. Now a holistic skin and body care studio. ]
J&T Meeks, 6 Harbour Street, Oamaru [ Built 1875-76 as a grain store. This building has a large open-span space. Today it is utilized as a wool store.
Loan & Mercantile Building, 14 Harbour Street, Oamaru [ Built 1882, Architects Dennison and Grant as a grain store. Beautifully detailed, three-story Victorian warehouse for Loan and Mercantile when it was the largest stock and station agent in NZ and was able to handle 100,000 sacks of grain thanks to its four-grain elevators. Currently has a mix of tenants, a Coffee shop, a Florist and Giftware. ]
Maude’s Store, 4 Harbour Street, Oamaru [ Built 1875, Architects Forrester and Lemon as a grain store. Current tenants include a Victorian clothing store, Bakery and specialist Ice cream parlour.
The National Bank (formally Bank of Otago), Thames Street, Oamaru [ Built 1870-1871, Architect Robert Arthur Lawson. Now ANZ Bank ]
Neill Brother’s Store, 12 Harbour Street, Oamaru [ Built 1882, Architects Forrester and Lemon, their last in Harbour Street as a grain store. Of interest is the railway tracks running through the length of the building thanks to the huge span of the building. ]
Patrick’s Basilica, Reed Street, Oamaru [ Built 1893 – 1918, Architect Frances Petre. Classed by New Zealand Heritage as a Category One building.
Post Office, Thames Street, Oamaru [ Built 1884, Architects William Mason and William Clayton in the Italianate style of architecture with intricate stone details. Classed by New Zealand Heritage as Category One. [ Now used by the Waitaki District Council ]
Smith’s Grain Store, 9 Tyne Street, Oamaru [ Built 1882, Architect James Johnston, (the main rival to Forrester and Lemon) as a grain store. Now the tenants are Taylor Made, handcrafted carving, and steampunk objects.
Sumpter’s Exchange, 11 Tyne Street, Oamaru [ Built 1876 by George Sumpter, a major merchant in the town who later was to become Oamaru’s first town clerk and later The Mayor Of Oamaru and helped create The Oamaru Harbour Board as a founding member. It now is a book shop]
Sumpter’s Store, 8 Harbour Street, Oamaru [ Built 1878, directly behind Sumpter’s Exchange as a grain store. Now operates as a Cafe. ]
Union Building, 7 Tyne Street, Oamaru [ Built 1877, Barclay and Kay stonemasons, as offices ]
The Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust currently owns sixteen buildings in The Heritage precinct by the harbour and today presents itself as New Zealand’s most comprehensive Victorian streetscape of commercial buildings which were built 1865-1885.
Oamaru stone is perfect in moderate to dry climates but can have issues in damp conditions as it is porous. When first quarried it is soft, however, hardens once exposed to air. As the finished product is of a sandy, creamy colour it is ideal for stone carving and internal decoration.
References
Oamaru Stone, Parkside Quarries:
Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust
https://www.victorianoamaru.co.nz/victorian-precinct/
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oamaru_stone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitaki_District_Council_building