The Railways Department's Housing Scheme refers to a housing programme undertaken by the New Zealand Railways Department (also known as NZR or New Zealand Government Railways) during the 1920s. The scheme was intended to provide railway workers and their families with affordable and accessible accommodation during a time when it was otherwise difficult to find suitable housing.[1]
Although the houses were generally only intended as section houses, specifically for workers of the Railways Department, some houses were provided for the general population - such as those in Lower Hutt.
The construction scheme was in effect between 1923 and 1929 and saw the construction of over 1,500 prefabricated houses throughout New Zealand.
History
Background
NZR had provided housing of some sort for its workforce since the 1880s. These were often huts for the workers and small cottages for higher-ranking officials such as station masters. Privately operated railways New Zealand Midland Railway Company and the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company had provided houses for staff as well, which were later absorbed into the Government Railways housing stock when those railways were nationalised.
This provision of houses proved insufficient following World War I, where a growing population and a subsequent growing demand for housing led to large increases in rents nation-wide. Railway workers, especially those who often shifted between stations and yards, found it difficult to find and to afford housing in the new location. This posed serious staff-retention problems for the Railways.
In March 1920, the issues surrounding the lack of affordable housing led Prime Minister William Massey to grant the Railways Department its own housing scheme, which was to include 400 houses.[2] The scheme was led by architect George Troup, who in 1919 became the officer in charge of the Architectural Branch of Railways.[3] It followed the introduction of the Workers' Dwellings Act 1905 and the Housing Act 1919, which aimed to address the squalid conditions and high rents in working-class suburbs of New Zealand.
Architecture
The railway houses used standardised plans to allow for mass production and to keep the costs low. The external design was influenced by the American West Coast or California bungalow, and included Georgian façades, open eaves, and a limited variation of decorative porches,[7] and the use of hipped, gabled or gable hipped roofs.[2][13]
The standard variation of entry porches included trellised porches with hipped roofs; bungalow-styled exposed pointed rafters; gabled hips with Art Nouveau bracketed posts; Arts and Crafts shallow-hipped arches with trellised posts; or a combination of these different elements.[2]
Street-facing windows could have hoods in the same style as the roof. These were either separate or joined to the porch roof. Windows were timber double hung sash with Queen Anne-styled multi-panes on the upper sash.
Railway settlements
Planned settlements and subdivisions were often laid out on railway land to accommodate the houses. The largest settlements were developed at Frankton and Moera, with smaller settlements along the railways' main trunk and secondary lines.
The initial premise of the settlements was to follow garden city principles of planning; the scheme was influenced by Samuel Hurst Seager's "garden suburb" at Sumner Spur, Christchurch (1902–1914).[5] The settlement at Frankton is an example of this, with green spaces, well-connected streets, and community areas. As the scheme continued and the department prioritised the speed of development, these ideals became less important. This led to some developments lacking any amenities including footpaths, with the workers being told to keep their own gardens to a tidy standard to help provide the same effects as a garden suburb. Such was the case with Milson in Palmerston North, which was only provided with a community center and school after the tenants complained.[14]
Settlements were often not connected to due to the Railways Department not paying rates to the Councils.
Locations
Railway settlements and subdivisions were established in several locations including Frankton, where the factory was located, Marton, Maungaturoto, Milson, Newmarket, Ngaio, Ohakune, Otahuhu, Stratford, Taumarunui, Taihape and Welbourn, as well as in Greymouth. Moera was unusual in not directly being a railways settlement but developed as part of the provisions of the Hutt Valley Lands Settlement Act 1925.[15]
References
- NZ House Surveys. NZ House Surveys - Blog Archive www.nzhousesurveys.co.nz, retrieved 2020-04-17^
- Built Heritage Inventory Whanganui District Council^
- New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. Troup, George Alexander