Fort Ballance

General

Fort Ballance occupies a hill-top site at Point Gordon on the Miramar Peninsula, with sweeping views out to sea past the South Wairarapa coast, around Wellington and to the Hutt Valley and beyond. From this elevated position, the Fort controlled the entrance to Wellington Harbour. The greater part of this end of the peninsula is reserve land and consequently the Fort sits at the heart of a substantial area of open space; this creates some visual continuity with its original open setting in bare and unpopulated farm land, an important part of the Fort’s historical character. The reserve land also has the effect of protecting long-standing views to and from the Fort from both land and sea. Two relatively small areas are reserved out of the site – a fisheries research station (the former submarine mining depot) at Kau Bay and an area for Telecom’s former satellite-earth station communications centre, the latter serviced by Fort Ballance Road.

The broader setting of the Fort extends visually to either side of Mahanga Bay over the un-built hillsides that sweep around the peninsula from Kau Bay at the north to Scorching Bay at the south, curtailed at the western ridge-line to Mapuia. The land is rugged, a network of sharp ridges, spurs and gullies running out at coastal escarpments, and edged by the sea. The land is largely covered with dense bush, ranging from substantial stands of unmanaged mature pines to regenerating coastal scrub. It is cut, around the level of the fort, by the former military road that winds around to the north and ends up at Shelly Bay.

The immediate setting of the Fort comprises the flattened ridge-top at Point Gordon overlooking Mahanga and Scorching Bays, and the seaward hillsides and escarpments beyond that collectively contain all the surviving structures. The whole of the area is covered in vegetation – principally grass over the former camp area, but heavy growths of scrub and pines over the remainder of the site. As a result of the vegetation, although the site is relatively obvious from a distance due to the modified landscape, the major elements of the Fort are rather difficult to pick out from afar. The terrain and the vegetation mean that the smaller individual elements of the Fort are difficult to read together.

Fort Ballance

The Fort comprises an impressive collection of largely intact late 19^th century military structures arranged around the site, including:

• Gun emplacements;
• Barracks building;
• Retaining walls, curtain walls, and ditches;
• Parade ground and former camp site;
• Minefield Control Station (and the remnants of the former submarine mining depot at Mahanga Bay)
• Fort Gordon
• “See-saw” searchlight
• The remains of the 12-pounder battery
• The remains of Low Battery
• The remains of the original tramway
• Fort Ballance Road
• The old military road to Shelly Bay

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Fort Ballance

The Fort comprises an impressive collection of largely intact late 19^th century military structures arranged around the site, including:

• Gun emplacements;
• Barracks building;
• Retaining walls, curtain walls, and ditches;
• Parade ground and former camp site;
• Minefield Control Station (and the remnants of the former submarine mining depot at Mahanga Bay)
• Fort Gordon
• “See-saw” searchlight
• The remains of the 12-pounder battery
• The remains of Low Battery
• The remains of the original tramway
• Fort Ballance Road
• The old military road to Shelly Bay

                 Structures and features

Construction

The complex has a mixture of above-ground and underground structures. All were built using a cut-and-cover method.

The fortifications are generally constructed of brick or concrete, and aside from the World War 2 era structures, are built with care and are uniformly and finely finished, a particular characteristic of Wellington’s Russian-scare fortifications. The exteriors are typically finished with a finely-detailed and crafted cement plaster, typically lined-out in imitation of stonework. Parapets have moulded copings to shed water, and the meeting lines of the various curved and straight features are carefully worked to be pleasing to the eye. Many of the structures have reinforced concrete components, some using railway irons as the reinforcement, or as permanent formwork.

The fort has been thoroughly stripped out over time and no ordnance remains on site, nor any metal equipment or fixtures of any note. However, the 8-inch RML barrel from the Fort Gordon battery was uncovered and retrieved in 2013, and it is possible there may be one or two gun barrels still buried somewhere on the land.

Fort and barracks

The fort proper is located at the eastern end of the flattened ridge, and the various battery structures associated directly with it run for some distance down the slope towards the sea to the north, east and south. A large flat area, covered in tall grass, with an asphalted driveway through the middle, is all that remains of the parade ground and army houses that previously stood on the site. The main section of the Fort includes the Barracks building and the open space behind it, the principal coastal defence gun emplacements and the quick-firing gun emplacements, two magazines, various observation posts and the associated fixed defences, all of which remain in-situ and relatively intact.      

Set in the open, the most prominent physical feature of the Fort today is the Barracks building. This is a tall single-storey structure built into the back of a truncated section of ridge to provide shelter from bombardment, with an exposed main elevation facing west. Over the roof, a high cavalier includes three structures – the battery observation post, command post, and communications post. Of these, both the observation and communications posts are later structures built into the original walls. A plaster chimney, with a later brick extension, projects from the roof at either end of the building. The Barracks itself is a buried structure. It has a rectilinear plan, with a long main gallery (separate personnel and vehicle doors at either end), a fireplace at both ends, and a variety of rooms off the gallery to the east side, including an engine room, storage and service chambers.        

Fixed defences

The original fort included a number of fixed defences against land-based assault on the seaward side, relying on the difficult terrain – and a well-armed garrison, to defend against any attack from the landward side.    

The major features include the high retaining walls of the original gun emplacements and the broad ditch cut in front of them, which prevented direct access to the emplacements, and the trace walls either side of the main complex to guard the flanks. These consist of tall cantilevered concrete walls, filled between two layers of corrugated iron permanent formwork (the top edges of the corrugated were cut to spikes to deter climbing), reinforced with railway irons and other steel members and provided with closely-spaced loopholes. This defence was carried through to the rear wall of the Barracks

There is a rear trace formed by a wall of loop-holed casemate and continued by freestanding, corrugated iron-framed walls filled with rudimentary concrete, also with loopholes.

Gun emplacements and magazines

There are three surviving major gun emplacements, two for the 7-inch RMLs and one for the 6-inch disappearing gun, and two main magazines.

The northernmost RML emplacement is horseshoe-shape in plan with an open back. This emplacement features a cast-iron mounting plinth in the centre (probably not part of the original RML, but one of the few metal items left in the entire area), set on an octagonal concrete base elevated above the floor of the emplacement. There are two small vaulted chambers – magazines – set into the earth at the sides of the emplacement; the emplacement wall has a variety of formed niches, each with elegantly rounded heads, and three large ring-bolts set in near the top. A narrow-gauge rail, for an ammunition dolly, runs between the gun mount and the wall of the emplacement.

The northern magazine is built in plastered brick. It has an exposed exterior wall, facing west which features an external door and window openings, and a steel ladder rising up to an observation post above. The main passage takes an L-shape with a swept corner to arrive at the rear of the RML emplacement. A set of narrow-gauge rails runs down the centre of the passage, and there is a turntable near the emplacement end. The magazines are set off to either side of the passage, each flanked with a small lamp gallery. The interior shows the brick construction, and is subdivided into several magazine spaces, with attendant lamp galleries. There is a further level below ground, now entirely closed off.

The central emplacement, for the 6-inch disappearing gun, was accessed from the rear through a later concrete portal; the largest of the surviving emplacements, it is a deep semi-circular structure with a heavy moulded coping on the inside edge. It is perhaps most distinctive for the deep circular ram-rod recesses evenly spaced around the walls at the rear.

The southern magazine is accessed via a partly collapsed open passage off to the south side of the 6-inch gun emplacement. This magazine is built of both brick and concrete; the main passage ends up at the rear of the southern RML emplacement; there are a variety of magazine spaces off the passage, one with shallow brick vaults spanning between railway irons, others with flat ceilings

The southernmost RML emplacement, leading directly off the southern magazine, has a D-shaped plan similar to the first, but is configured differently, without the small magazine vaults to either side. The emplacement wall has the same arrangement of niches and ring bolts; but the top edge of the wall is roughly hacked off around the emplacement.

   

The two quick firing (QF) 6-pounder emplacements are the smallest of these emplacement structures. Flanking the main guns at either end of the fort, these were built as low semi-circular emplacements, protected with an earth embankment beyond a broad shallow concrete glacis, and accessed from the rear. The high retaining walls and ditch beyond served to protect these emplacements from close assault.

Minefield Control Station

   

Situated to the north-east of the fort, some distance down the hill from the gun emplacements, this is the most extensive of the accessible underground structures. Access is gained via a small plastered portal cut into the shoulder of the hill. This had been bricked up at some point, but the opening has been broken out for many years. Beyond the portal, an equally small vestibule space lets on to a long tunnel of a segmental-arch profile that dog-legs and curves in plan, flanked with small magazine spaces to either side of the first section. The access tunnel eventually opens out to a larger brick-lined space with a high ceiling and containing an engine plinth, with the Control Station beyond. The Control Station itself is a compact observation post structure, buried in the ground; it has a semi-hexagonal front with a narrow observation slit facing out over the harbour passage. Remnant battens show where interior linings were once attached, and a large earthenware drainage pipe duct illustrates the route the signal cables took in the direction of Mahanga Bay.

Fort Gordon

   

Constructed down the ridge to the south-west from Fort Ballance, Fort Gordon had a single 8-inch disappearing gun, and although separately identified, was really just an extension of the main fortification. The gun emplacement, which was broadly similar to the other disappearing gun emplacements at the fort, although slightly larger in scale to suit the larger ordnance, was demolished by the Army after World War 2 with explosives and filled in. Despite this, the underground structures are thought to still be intact. There is no visible trace of a structure today, although the broken concrete from the demolition lies just under the ground cover. The gun barrel from this emplacement was located on the flank of the ridge and retrieved by the Army in 2013.

12-pdr battery (Gordon Point)

The remains of this battery are on top of the escarpment at the eastern extremity of the land, at about the mid-height between the foreshore and the main guns. They include two gun emplacements, separated by roughly 20m, a magazine, and a nearby war shelter. The structures are all presently buried, with only short sections of concrete wall visible to show their position. Part of the magazine can still be seen from the road below.

See-saw searchlight emplacement

This emplacement was entirely abandoned after the failed demolition attempt in 1899, and consequently, although nothing remains today of the searchlight mechanism, the emplacement remains substantially intact. It consists of a roughly circular pit scooped out of a sheltered depression in the side of the hill.

   

A tall semi-circular concrete wall with a smooth plaster finish makes up the east side; this has a heavy concrete overhang with a distinctive sloping soffit/permanent formwork made up of railway irons. The circular plan form is completed with a low plastered wall to the rear that meets into the base of the bank. The floor of the emplacement is partly covered with pieces of broken-up concrete and other debris.    

Low Battery and searchlights

Very little remains of the Low Battery and the searchlights that were emplaced on the escarpment behind, just some isolated fragments of concrete plinths on the coastal rocks and side of the escarpment that are thought to date from the world war 2 era

Construction

The complex has a mixture of above-ground and underground structures. All were built using a cut-and-cover method.

The fortifications are generally constructed of brick or concrete, and aside from the World War 2 era structures, are built with care and are uniformly and finely finished, a particular characteristic of Wellington’s Russian-scare fortifications. The exteriors are typically finished with a finely-detailed and crafted cement plaster, typically lined-out in imitation of stonework. Parapets have moulded copings to shed water, and the meeting lines of the various curved and straight features are carefully worked to be pleasing to the eye. Many of the structures have reinforced concrete components, some using railway irons as the reinforcement, or as permanent formwork.

The fort has been thoroughly stripped out over time and no ordnance remains on site, nor any metal equipment or fixtures of any note. However, the 8-inch RML barrel from the Fort Gordon battery was uncovered and retrieved in 2013, and it is possible there may be one or two gun barrels still buried somewhere on the land.

Roads and tramways

Fort Ballance Road is a relatively steep and winding single-lane road that rises from Mahanga Bay to the parade ground area. It is a modern formation, covered in asphalt, and is slowly degrading from a lack of maintenance.

The old military road, although technically not part of the heritage area, is an important adjunct to its history. It is a single lane benched road, gently rising as it wends its way around the spurs towards the north.

The alignment of the tramway up from Mahanga Bay can still be discerned, and there are fragments of rails and equipment to be found along its route. It is a largely archaeological feature.

Summary of significance

• Fort Ballance Heritage Area contains Wellington’s most significant 19^th century coastal fortification, along with a collection of associated structures and defences, some of which are rare or unique nationally.

• The structures incorporated the latest military thinking and armaments of the day; they exhibit fine craftsmanship and attention to detail in their finish and have a high standard of construction.

• Many of the structures within the area retain a relatively high level of original heritage fabric.

• The heritage area is part of a much wider authentic heritage landscape containing other coastal defences and military installations dating back to the 19^th century.

   

Fort Ballance and its associated places were largely built in the late 19th century and they retain much of the original fabric from that period. The gun emplacements and associated features (magazines, tunnels, casemates etc.) are all characteristic of the coastal defence works of the period. This is particularly evident in the high quality of workmanship and finish throughout the Fort, including the use of sculptural plastered finishes over concrete and brick structures, and in the material and detail of the remaining features and fittings, such as doors, painted signage, and the like. Although the site can be seen from some distance, Fort Ballance is not a particularly conspicuous structure today because of the encroaching trees and shrubs. It is nevertheless an historical landmark of considerable note. The northern tip of Miramar Peninsula is a place that was set aside for coastal defence purposes and many of the structures built for that purpose remain intact. Because the land has not been used much in the past 60 years, much of the wider area has been planted in pine trees, which are now mature. This in turn gives the headland a distinctive landscape in its harbour setting. The various structures built at Fort Ballance for defence purposes are linked historically and aesthetically, with most being built in the late 19th or early 20th century. They share common use of materials and, to some degree, design, although most of the structures were built to complement each other or as later (20th century) additions. The vegetation that has grown up around the fortifications presently makes it hard to link the structures visually.

Fort Ballance was built by the Government in the mid-1880s as an urgent response to a perceived significant military threat, the “Russian Scare”. It was the first example of a New Zealand government building fortifications to defend the country from an external threat. The Fort was designed and was constructed under the auspices of the Defence Department and Public Works Department, two very important departments over the course of New Zealand history. The principal designer of the Fort was Major Henry Cautley RE, whose work was later continued by Lieutenant-Colonel E.M. Tudor-Boddam. These two men are among the most important of the designers of this country’s coastal fortifications of the time. Various garrisons occupied the fort, with perhaps the best known being the Wellington Naval Artillery Volunteers, whose period of use lasted from 1886 to 1902, arguably the fort’s most important period of use. Fort Ballance has great historic significance for its role as Wellington’s principal coastal defence fortification during the period 1885-1911. Its construction exemplified the country’s recognition of its physical isolation from allies, and its concomitant determination to provide for its own defence against foreign threats. The Fort was built during an era of rapid change in military technology and the fortifications and armaments demonstrate the impact of a major change from muzzle loading to breech loading technology in coastal artillery. Although it never fired a shot in anger, Fort Ballance remained in active use up until the end of World War I and its revival in World War II showed the enduring value and adaptability of the site. Successive changes to the fort and its environs are evidence of the on-going efforts to keep the defences relevant.

The occupation of the area began with Maori settlement and its subsequent use for European defences simply added to the layers of history. The potential for the area to provide insight into past human activity is significant. In fact, understanding the nature of past uses of the area may depend, to some extent, on archaeological excavations and investigation techniques. The fortifications and other features in the area (if opened to the public) can provide much of educational value about New Zealand’s early coastal defences and their role in securing the country’s ports. The core of Fort Ballance remains structurally intact and retains many of its key features, although not its armaments. Next to Wrights Hill, it is the most extensive of Wellington’s coastal defences. It is a complex fortification that at one time had 11 guns. It has technological value for the materials and techniques – and the high levels of craftsmanship – used in its construction, and associated value in its design incorporating the technical requirements of the state-of-the-art fortress configuration and armaments at the time it was built. Despite the wear and tear of time, the ravages of Army demolition, and ongoing vandalism, what remains is still a comprehensive example of a 19th century New Zealand coastal defence fortification.

Fort Ballance’s public profile has grown significantly since the emplacements were uncovered in the early 1990s, but the land is still not open to the general public so its potential is still largely unrealised.

Fort Ballance is the largest and most complete of Wellington’s 19th century coastal defences still standing and it contains a breadth of features (both within the fort and in its wider environs) that are not replicated anywhere else in Wellington. Not only does it retain the intact fort, but there are also the remains of other batteries, the minefield control station and see-saw searchlight, to name but a few. Nationally, the fort is very important for its design which was unique to its location. Also unique is the see-saw searchlight, only one of which was ever built in New Zealand. Fort Ballance is an outstanding example of a 19th century multi-role coastal defence fortification; it also clearly illustrates responses to changing military technology that arose over the period of its construction and use. The area, including the fortifications and the adjacent structures, retains a high level of physical integrity and authenticity from the periods of its construction. Even those places partially destroyed – or filled in – such as Fort Gordon and the searchlight emplacement, retain much of their authenticity, as they have been unchanged since attempts were made to blow them up and the underground structures are very likely to still survive intact. Is the area important for any of the above characteristics at a local, regional, national, or international level? Fort Ballance is nationally important as one of New Zealand’s most intact and historically significant 19th century coastal fortifications. It was the primary harbour defence in Wellington prior to World War I and was in use from 1885 to 1945.

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Historic area

Fort Ballance is not currently registered as a historic area with Heritage New Zealand.

Individually listed

Fort Ballance is individually listed with Heritage New Zealand. It is a Category 1 historic place, reference 5074. The listing includes the associated positions at Fort Gordon. The legal description is Sec 89, 90, Pt Sec 1-3, SO 32424 etc, Fort Ballance.

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