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From issue: November 2001

Historic Bridge to be Saved

by Lynda Wallace

The historic suspension bridge over the Grey River at the Brunner industrial site is to be repaired and conserved.

The bridge at Brunner today Picture: Grant Sheehan

There's something uncomfortable about the ruined industrial site of Brunner, on the South Island's West Coast, and you don't have to know its history to feel it. Whiffs of sulphur from the coal mine's adits or drives, the vaguely threatening look of the Grey River as it rolls under the bridge, and in winter the chilling blast of the "Barber" coming down the Grey Gorge all contribute to the discomfort. And once the tragic history of the site is revealed the feeling intensifies.

Historically, misfortune seems to have hung around the Brunner coal mine. The most memorable and tragic event associated with this place was the explosion in 1896 which killed sixty-five miners. Before and after the disaster, miners and residents alike lost their lives in variety of nasty accidents, an inevitable result of being employed in heavy industry in the nineteenth century, and living in close proximity to the workplace. And, most pertinent to this story, in 1876 a large new suspension bridge, just weeks off completion, collapsed in a roar of tumbling timber and mangled metal.

The original suspension bridge at Brunner in 1876 Picture: West Coast Historical Museum

The first attempt at spanning the Grey River here, necessary to bring the coal from the mines on the north bank to the railway on the south, could have ended in serious loss of life. As it was, no-one was on the almost completed bridge at 4 a.m. on a mid-winter's night in 1876 when the anchor plates for the bridge cables failed at one end, sending the whole structure crashing into the river. Although somewhat daunted, the bridge builders salvaged what they could from the river, a half-hearted commission of enquiry did its best to lay the blame at the guilty party's door, and the bridge was eventually completed and opened some months later.

The cables which support bridge are atached to large concrete anchors Picture: Lynda Wallace

This was the first suspension bridge designed by the New Zealand Public Works Department; at that time it was quite radical to choose this type of bridge design. The bridge is now one of very few of its age remaining in the country and is significant for its rarity and the record of change in technology and transport that it provides us today. That it has been considerably altered over the 125 years since it was built doesn't diminish its significance. Rather, the cycle of modification and adaptation which it has undergone illustrate the changing needs of the mining industry, and later residents, for access over the Grey River at this point. First a railway bridge to carry coal waggons, it was later adapted to horse and vehicular transport. Early in its life it was modified to allow for safe pedestrian use, with the addition of an overhead footbridge, and it reverted entirely to pedestrian use in recent years.

The bridge links the former mine and other industrial relics at the Brunner site with the main road on the south bank of the Grey River Picture: Grant Sheehan

For a while it seemed as if the misfortune which has dogged the old Brunner Mine site might lead to the demolition of the ninety-metre-long bridge, now one of the few large and intact historic structures left on the site. With maintenance having been neglected for many years, the bridge became more and more decrepit and the task of repair or conservation grew ever more daunting. The Grey District Council inherited the decaying bridge from its predecessor local authorities, the Grey County and Brunnerton Borough Councils, which had been given the bridge in 1923 by the Railways Department. After a new road bridge opened upstream in 1978, the old Brunner bridge ceased to contribute to the transport infrastructure needs of the district. It was offered, hopefully, to both the Historic Places Trust and the Department of Conservation at different times; both agencies turned it down.

The breakthrough came in 1996 with the formation of a joint management committee to share responsibility for the site among the Grey District Council, the Historic Places Trust and the Department of Conservation. This determined group (known as the Brunner Industrial Site Co-ordinating Committee) has ensured that the bridge will remain, by working through a series of essential steps, including an initial engineering assessment followed by a conservation plan.

These documents provided a sound basis for seeking funding for the repair work, the Stout Trust being the first major funding body to commit money to the project. The Grey District Council has consistently provided funding for the project over the past few years, ensuring that the preparation of planning documents (including a conservation plan) and minor maintenance could continue. It has made a definite commitment to the retention of the Brunner bridge and has allocated sums of $30,000 and $35,000 to the project for the past two years. A substantial engineering input, worth an estimated $42,000, by the Council underlines its commitment to the conservation of the bridge.

But where does the rest of the money come from for such a large project? Fortunately Kiwis' addiction to Lucky Dips, Powerball and Strike has significant payback for heritage. The Lottery Grants Board has agreed to become the major funder for this project. The recent $350,000 grant from the Environment and Heritage Committee is one of the largest made to the West Coast for a heritage project. It has provided the impetus the project needed, encouragement for a small local authority to retain an important heritage structure, and will build confidence for the project amongst other potential funders. The project to date has been a lesson in co-operation, drawing together local residents, staff and councillors from the local authority, the Historic Places Trust and the Department of Conservation.

In recent times the agencies responsible for different parts of the site have begun again to invest effort and dollars in the interpretation, maintenance and conservation of structures at Brunner. In terms of the repair work required on the bridge, this is a major project. Few elements remain of the original 1876 structure - the abutments, some transoms and possibly some hangers and cable-hanger clamps. The first major rebuild of the bridge occurred in the 1920s after the Railways Department had relinquished responsibility for it, and passed it on to the Brunnerton Borough Council. At this time the major repair work included replacement of the suspension cables. A second renewal took place in the 1960s, when Bailey bridge trusses were overlaid on the existing deck and the old timber towers were replaced with steel.

This regular cycle of renewal and modification has been recognised as part of the history of the bridge and "modern" elements such as the 1960s towers, which could be considered much less attractive than the original wooden structures, will be cleaned down, re-coated and will remain as evidence of that period. The deck and trusses however, are in an unsalvageable condition and will be replaced with a structure close to the original, a substantial timber truss which will echo the form of the 1876 bridge. Design details are still preliminary and many construction details remain to be finalised. Finding a supply of large timber will not be easy. Mixed Australian hardwood was used in the original bridge but is too expensive to consider today; well-seasoned and stable radiata pine will be used instead.

Vigorous debates were had about the broader issues of conservation, repair or reconstruction, with constant reference to the ICOMOS New Zealand Charter. The project committee has come from the position that adaptive change is necessary and part of the cycle of renewal that is integral to the history of this bridge, but it accepts that the debate over conservation/repair/reconstruction may continue. In the end, however, a bridge is needed here to maintain full access to both sides of the Brunner site for visitors, and the repair project provides an opportunity for interpretation about the wider conservation issues for structures such as this.

Some structures other than the bridge remain at Brunner, but none are as visible or as vital to the understanding and ease of use of the site. Rebuilt, this bridge will continue to provide locals with access, and allow visitors to explore the full Brunner site, crossing the Grey River from south to north as a couple of generations of coal miners did at the start of every shift.

The Brunner Bridge has been registered by the Historic Places Trust as a category 2 historic place.

Lynda Wallace, now the Director of the Akaroa Museum, served on the Brunner Industrial Site Co-ordinating Committee for five years as a member of the staff of the Historic Places Trust.