Clock Tower Site Investigations

The seismic capacity of the foundations under the war memorial clock tower in Seymour Square will be investigated over the next two days.

Engineers will take penetrometer readings to assess the soil profile around the clock tower to try and establish how secure the structure is likely to be in a major earthquake.

The records from the 1920s give little indication of the pile capacity in the construction of the 16-metre stone tower.

“Since the clock tower was built, we have had the Napier earthquake and now the Christchurch quakes and much has been learned about the way our early buildings respond in a major shake. We are taking that into account as we endeavour to maintain this monument to the standard required today,” said District Council Assets and Services manager Mark Wheeler.

The initial results of structural tests on the clock tower received by the District Council earlier this year indicated it was sounder than initially suspected but more work was recommended to bring the foundations closer to the modern day standards required by the Building Code.

CW Drilling will have equipment, including a drilling rig, set up on the apron in front of the clock tower for the next day or two.