Maurice Poulton

A painting depicting gold miners in a river gorge. One of three paintings in the station.

The present day Arthur’s Pass railway station was built in 1966 as a replacement for an earlier station, which had been destroyed by a fire in 1963. The building has been described as “a fine piece of Modern station architecture specifically designed to complement its environment. It displays an imaginative use of the then-vogue A-frame design, an evocation of European alpine architecture. The use of rubble-rock walls and generous window space creates a pleasing appearance that complements the building's purpose.” (source: The Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand)

This painting is one of three that, along with a mural, were installed in the station in time for its opening. Local advocates for the artworks, Pete and Fi Neale record that the station “was completed and opened in 1966, the ceremony attended by the local MP of the time, John McAlpine. A promotional photo of the time showed the dignitaries standing proudly in front of the artworks.”

The mural and paintings were removed in late 2015 to allow for renovations to the building, which included asbestos removal and relining and repainting the interior. Despite local expectations that the artworks would be reinstated afterwards, this didn’t occur.

In February 2016 the Governor General was scheduled to visit Arthur’s Pass, providing impetus for Kiwirail to reinstate the artworks to the waiting room. The three paintings were reinstalled, however the mural was not reinstalled until later that year.

See also:

• Arthurs Pass Station: The Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand listing
• Arthur's Pass railway station (c.1960s) | canterburystories.nz
• Arthur's Pass railway station (1967) | canterburystories.nz