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.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
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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