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Lyttelton Timeball Station

Lyttelton Timeball Station

Te rohe - Location
2 Reserve Terrace, Lyttelton. The Lyttelton Timeball is located at the top of a steep hill. Unfortunately, there is no wheelchair access to the Timeball site and it is difficult to access for visitors with limited mobility.

Ngā haora mahi - Opening hours
Open every day of the year (the tower itself is closed).

Te utu - Admission
Free

Venture out to this remarkable monument to nineteenth century maritime travel—restored after the Canterbury earthquakes to once again look over Lyttelton Harbour.

The earthquake on Tuesday, 22 February 2011 caused significant damage to the Timeball Station. This is on top of the damage sustained during the 4 September 2010 quake. While the station was damaged substantially in the Canterbury earthquakes, the tower itself has been reconstructed and the rest of the site is now open to the public. The tower itself is closed to the public.

The Lyttelton Timeball Station (1876) is one of a handful of timeball stations that have survived throughout the world, and the only original one still standing in New Zealand. The first timeball was dropped at Portsmouth in 1829. The Lyttelton Timeball was the third in New Zealand, the others being Wellington (1864) and Dunedin (1868). Timeball stations became an important part of many ports during the nineteenth century. Timeballs were constructed to drop at a known Greenwich time, so a ship's master could check the chronometer. Various forms of visual time signals such as timeballs became an important feature of ports worldwide.

The Lyttleton timeball station was erected by the Canterbury Provincial Council on a site visible from the Lyttleton heads and harbour. In 1873 the machinery and an astronomical clock were ordered from Britain. German firm Siemens Brothers supplied the timeball and its 'necessary apparatus', while the clock was provided by London-based Edward Dent and Co., noted as clockmakers for Big Ben. The castle-like building was designed by Canterbury Provincial architect Thomas Cane (1830-1905) and completed in mid-1876. It was built in local scoria with surrounds and quoins of Oamaru stone. It initially consisted of the octagonal tower that housed the timeball, and an adjoining three-storey building, which contained three residential rooms and two working rooms, the clock room and the lookout room. From late December 1876 the timeball was dropped every day at 1p.m., except when there were high winds. After May 1877 Alexander Joyce (1840-1927) became the first timeball keeper to be appointed at Lyttelton.

The timeball mechanism is fifteen metres high. The timeball consists of a hollow sphere made from a wooden frame covered with thin sheets of painted zinc. It measures one and a half metres in width and weighs over 100 kilograms. An Oregon pine mast is threaded through a hole in the ball's centre. The ball is hoisted by handwheel to the top of the mast and rests there on a catch. When the catch is pulled away the ball is released and drops down the mast. At a predetermined time the timeball was released. Ships in the harbour took their readings at the instant the timeball left the top of the mast.

Water tightness problems dogged the Timeball Station from its opening. The original casement windows leaked and the local scoria proved to be too porous for the exposed weather conditions. The Lyttelton Harbour Board took over the management of the station in 1877. In 1877-1878 additions designed by noted local architect Frederick Strouts were added to the northeast corner of the building and the walls concreted to aid in weatherproofing. In 1912 Harbour Board engineer Cyrus Williams drew up plans for a two-storey extension to be built, which created a bathroom, bedroom and entrance hall on the ground floor, and two further bedrooms upstairs. It was designed to match the exterior of the older part of the building.

In 1916 the original astronomical clock was lent to the Observatory in Wellington, and the timeball released by a telegraph signal received directly from the Observatory. By the end of the First World War the signal was dropped only twice weekly at 3.30p.m as radio communications were increasingly relied on for the correct time. On 31 December 1934 the last signal was dropped, and the service discontinued. Keeper Jack Burns remained as the flag signalman until this position also ceased in 1941. Lyttelton Timeball Station was occupied by the New Zealand Army from 1942-1943, and after that by various Lyttelton Harbour Board staff and their families. In1969 interested members of the public formed The Lyttelton Maritime Association which agreed to lease the station from the Harbour Board and to restore it. In 1973 the property was gifted to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust/Pouhere Taonga (NZHPT). A restoration project was completed at the end of 1978 and the station was officially re-opened. Today the Timeball is one of the Trust's iconic properties and is open to the public. Recently the practice of dropping the timeball at 1p.m. every day has been revived.

The Lyttelton Timeball Station is historically significant as one of the few survivors of the Victorian network of time signals established around the globe. It is the only one to have survived in New Zealand. It illustrates the role of the timeball stations within the history of Western navigation and shipping, and its connection to the accurate calculation of longitude is of particular significance. The construction of the timeball station reflects Canterbury's positive economic state and associated pre-eminent role within New Zealand enjoyed in the last years of the provincial government system. It remains a major landmark for Lyttelton and is an important part of the town's historic identity.

Ngā wāhi -
Facilities

  • Other facilities

    Parking: There is a small parking bay on Reserve Terrace just below the entrance. It is a short 2-3 minute walk up the right of way. There is no onsite parking.
    Food and Drink: Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic with them to enjoy our grounds. Please remember to take all food and waste with you. There are also a great selection of local cafes and eateries located in Lyttelton.
    Bathrooms: There are no toilets located at Lyttelton Timeball. Public toilets are located at the Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre on Oxford Street.
    Smoking and Vaping: This is a smoke and vape free site.

Whakapā mai -
Contact

Kei te mahere -
On the map