Ferry Road substation
The substation on Ferry Road was built in 1915 to supply electricity to the Woolston Borough.
The substation on Ferry Road, at Woolston Park, was in use by 14 September 1915. Built prior to the amalgamation of the Woolston Borough Council and Christchurch City Council (1921), the Woolston Borough sourced its electrical supply directly from the Government station at Addington rather than the Municipal Electricity Department.
Existing records do not reveal the architect involved in the design of the building. The exterior is, however, a skilful exercise in decorative brickwork. Texture and variation of form are produced by polychromy and the manipulation of standard brick shapes. A band of four rows of bolstered brick above the foundations visually anchors the structure to its base. Two string courses of dark bolstered bricks, banded by smooth-faced cream brick, circle the building, while alternating cream and red bricks form quoins and voussoirs around the door. The parapet and pediment are emphasised by a row of cream bricks laid at 45 degrees to create a saw-tooth effect. The corners are extended out to form pilasters, which are capped by rudimentary capitals of brick.
Interior of Ferry Road substation
Isolating switches and voltage indications in Ferry Road substation.
Ferry Rd (Woolston Park)
Substation at Woolston Park on Ferry Road.