Story: Wellington region

Reclaiming land (1st of 2)

Reclaiming land

In 1865 Wellington finally received what many citizens had considered its birthright: the role of capital city. However, the town had little room for growth. This led the provincial and central governments to jointly fund a 51-hectare reclamation of Lambton Harbour between Customhouse Quay and Pipitea Point. By the early 1870s the project had reached the northern end of Lambton Quay – marked in this photograph by the line of buildings at the water’s edge. The two-storey building with the tower is Government House (where the governor lived). Immediately behind is Parliament, with St Mary’s Catholic Church to the left.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Mr & Mrs F Hodgkins Collection
Reference: PAColl-7949-07
Photograph by James Francis Meadows

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Chris Maclean, 'Wellington region - From town to city: 1865–1899', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/13241/reclaiming-land (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Chris Maclean, updated 1 Aug 2015