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Early Wellington

Mechanic's Institute

Mechanic's Institute.

A meeting for the purpose of electing a Committee of Management for the Mechanics' Institute, was held on the 19th August, 1848, at the rear room of the Wellington Tavern.

The Institute had suffered, with the Colony, from the general depression in Captain Fitzroy's time, and had been for the last four years in a state of abeyance. Efforts were made by the members of the old Committee to bring the Institute once more into a state of useful existence. The Officers elected were:—His Hon. Mr. Justice Chapman, President; Messrs. Wm. Lyon, and G. Moore, Vice-Presidents; Messrs. E. Stafford, J. Marriott, J. Woodward, J. Stoddart, R. Hart, J. McBeth, G. D. Monteith, W. A. Ballard, W. Norgrove, W. Spinks, H. B. Sealy, and the Rev. S. Ironside, Committee of Management; Mr. R. J. Duncan, Treasurer; Mr. J. R. Foster, Secretary; Colonel W. Wakefield and Messrs. H. St. Hill, W. Swainson, F.R.S., W. Lyon, and G. Moore, Trustees.*

The sub-committee appointed to take into consideration the affairs of the Institute page 143 reported that Mr. Cridland had prepared a design for the Institute adapted to the site which had been set apart by the Government on Lambton Quay, next to the Scotch Church (site of Exchange and Athenæum), having a frontage of 67ft. by 85ft. The design was for a hall, or lecture room, 40ft. by 22ft. in width, and walls 13ft. high, with an open roof rising 11ft. in the centre lighted by a large window at each end and to have a platform raised 3ft. from the floor. The room to accommodate 150 persons seated and 20 on the platform. Two other rooms, a class room and a museum, each 15ft. square, were included. The recent earthquakes having demonstrated that brick buildings could not be considered safe, Mr. Cridland suggested that Roman cement laid on double laths, should be used, costing £620, and weather boarding £480.

* “N.Z. Spectator,” 19th August, 1848.