Gas. That’s what first filled the air here at the Auckland Brick & Gasworks. A century ago this site bustled with activity. The Auckland Gasworks Company a major player in Auckland’s industrial past. It was responsible for lighting up the city.
The Auckland Brick & Gasworks wasn’t just about gas. It was a complex. A 5.2 hectare site. It included retort houses where coal was heated to 1000 degrees Celsius. This created gas through continuous destructive distillation. That’s the process. The administration building stood proudly. It was Victorian Italianate architecture. It’s the only structure remaining today. Think of the engineers the workers the managers. They all toiled here.
The company started in 1862. The New Zealand Land Wars delayed its gasworks construction. It wasn’t until 1865 gas flowed to Auckland’s first 43 street lamps. Imagine the transformation that must have brought to the city. The company had a monopoly on gas supply. It laid mains within a 19.3km radius of the Chief Post Office. The excavated fill from Beaumont Street was used in the Western Reclamation Project. A smart use of resources.
The Auckland Gasworks Company’s golden years were 1908-1910. Then electricity challenged gas’s dominance. Wartime coal shortages further hampered supply. Buildings were demolished in the 1960s and 70s. Natural gas from Taranaki replaced coal gas. This marked the end of an era. The administration building however was restored. It was converted into modern offices. It is a testament to the past. A nearby retort house now stands as a gymnasium.
Today you stand at the site of the Auckland Brick & Gasworks. The surviving administration building stands as a reminder. It silently speaks of a significant chapter in Auckland’s development. A chapter filled with industry innovation and the hard work of many hands. The gas may be gone. The bricks may be scattered. But the legacy of the Auckland Brick & Gasworks lives on.