Nelson was constituted a city by Royal Letters Patent in 1858 when it became a Bishop's See. Administration of the town affairs continued to be handled by the Nelson Provincial Council through a Board of Works which first took office in 1856. Under this system a great deal of development work was carried out, bringing some semblance of order to the locality, by improving the streets, and providing adequate drainage to the swampy and low-lying areas.

One of the bigger undertakings in Provincial Council days was the provision of a good water supply from the Brook Stream.