Damaged severely by the repeated earthquakes which decimated most of the historic buildings in the town of Lyttelton, the police station there has been deemed too costly to repair and like many others, it faces the wrecker's ball.
Built, rather ironically by convict labour during 1880-1882, this buidling is of the Italianate style which took its inspiration from 16th Century Renaissance architecture of Italy; and particularly from the imposing villas of Palladio. The same style is evident in the works of John Nash in England and is seen extensively throughout The United States of America and Australia.
"...The charming character of the irregular villas of Italy"'. Sir Charles Barry - notable Victorian English architect.
Symmetrical, solid, elegantly proportioned and with commanding views of the sea; this police station was perhaps an unrecognised architectural gem of the town and it will be sadly missed by the Lyttelton community and those who worked in it.
This model was presented to New Zealand Police and it is now kept in the Police Museum, Wellington.