Fort Ballance (Point Gordon)

Point Gordon has a long association with harbour defence from the ''Russian Scare'' right through to WW2. It is the only site in Wellington that has had batteries from the 1880s to WW2.

Fort Ballance

Fort Ballance is publicly the most recognised of the structures built on Point Gordon. It was also the very first of the gun emplacements built there. Fort Ballance was built of timber, mortar and corrugated-iron sheets by former members of the armed constabulary. The main armament at Fort Ballance consisted initially of two 7-inch RML guns flanking one 6-inch disappearing gun. However the right hand 7-inch gun was removed and replaced with a 6-inch disappearing gun. In addition, Nordenfeldt 6-pounder guns were mounted at the flank angles. Loop-holed walls and musketry parapets completed the defences. During the 1890s the wooden construction was rebuilt with concrete.

In the event of war, a minefield was to be laid in the channel. The mines were the type detonated from the shore when the vessel was in position over them. Facilities for servicing Fort Ballance and the minefield were built in Mahanga Bay. Fort Ballance was intended to cover, at extreme range, the entrance to the harbour, provide close defence of the approach to the inner harbour, cover the minefield in the channel, and illuminate the channel and minefield with searchlights. The left hand 7-inch gun was removed about 1904 when those guns were declared to be obsolete.

By 1910 Fort Ballance was becoming increasingly redundant with the new gun emplacements established at Point Dorset. The fort was manned during World War One, but was deactivated in 1924. The gun emplacements were roofed over and used as magazines to service Fort Dorset. By WW2 all the facilities at Point Gordon are known as Fort Ballance.

Fort Gordon

Another important defence structure on Point Gordon is the emplacement known as Fort Gordon. This consisted of a gun pit, mounting an 8-inch disappearing gun, and associated magazines. It was emplaced about the same time as the second 6-inch was at Fort Balance. This new gun was mainly in support of Fort Ballance. The design of the emplacement for this gun seems to be unique in New Zealand. The rear of the emplacement was actually open, it wasn't fully inclose as every other disappearing gun pit was. By 1924 the main guns in Fort Gordon and Fort Ballance were removed and the gun pits were converted to hold the reserves of ammunition for Wellington.

Foreshore Batteries

On the foreshore was the Low Battery, which mounted two converted 64-pounder RML guns 100 feet apart, through embrasures in a parapet. These guns were removed and replaced by two 6-pounders in 1897, but the site was abandoned after World War One. A new battery of two 12-pounder guns located further up the hill in 1910. The 12-pdrs were removed during WW1 and placed on merchant ships and they don't seem to have been returned. By early 1941 the old defences were re-activated as an examination and close defence battery with two 4-inch guns (originally from Fort Dorset) mounted on the old 12pdr position and supporting searchlights on the foreshore. In 1944 a twin 6-pdr was mounted on the foreshore. The twin six was removed in 1944, while the 4-inch guns remained in place right though to the 1950s.

Other Emplacements

A 6-pdr was mounted near Fort Gordon sometime in the 1890s, this was known as the Spur Battery. On 19th of March 1943 two 75mm guns were mounted in pits dug by battery personal. They were not there for long, they were removed and sent to the ordinance workshop on 27th of July 1944. Neither emplacement was very permanent in nature, and nothing has been found to remain.

Demolition 1950s-2004

Demolition first occurred sometime in the late 1950s, with the removal of the barrack buildings, and the construction of housing for defence personnel. This lead to the demolition of most of the northern loop holed musketry wall, as well as the quickfire gun store of Fort Ballance. The next major incident of demolition occurred in November 1959, with the removal of the control tower of the twin six-pounder emplacement. In this case, the demolition was carried out by Army Engineers as part of an training exercise. An Evening Post article of the time records that 25 15lb charges of TNT were used to blow the tower up. The same article also notes that the tower had been considered an eyesore for many years by the surrounding residents. Of course this single incident of demolition did not end the criticism of the remaining fortifications. Investigations were carried out in 1969 regarding demolition of what remained. As if to encourage the authorities in their demolition efforts, critical articles appeared in the papers, urging the removal of these ‘eye sores’.

A demolition plan was drawn up for Point Gordon, and demolition started in June 1970. It was to occur in two stages. Stage one covered all facilities on the foreshore, and the supporting facilities for the 4-inch battery (curiously not the emplacements themselves). Stage two was to cover Fort Ballance and Fort Gordon.

With demolition of the shore facilities almost complete by the 7th of July, it was decided it was more economical to include the 4-inch battery in stage two, so this was delayed for a short period. Ultimately, however, the buildings were demolished and only the emplacements themselves now remain, though buried. The estimates given for the Stage 1 demolitions came to $12,500.

The reasons for Fort Ballance being spared from this demolition plan are interesting. It was noted by MOW that complete removal of the fort “would entail earthworks as well as demolition”, this would be very costly. The other option available to them (and incidentally the one they took) entailed “Temporary closure by filling in entrances, removing fabricated roofs and filling gun mounting areas”. It was reasoned that the latter of the two options would cost less, make the area safe for children, and though the fort would still be visible to residents of the area “as most of the old walls are relatively attractive, this should not matter unduly.”

Thus Fort Ballance was spared. What is unclear is exactly what happened to the Fort Gordon emplacement. It was initially included in stage two, that much is certain. Unfortunately there is no evidence to say whether or not the emplacement was excluded from demolition with Fort Ballance, with only basic remedial work being carried out. Site inspections have failed to shed any light on this matter, and further searches through Archival material have failed to turn up anything either.

The defence housing was removed in the early 1990s and the caretakers house was demolished in 2004. 

The area will form part of a new reserve that will encompass most of the northern end of Miramar Peninsula. As of 2022 the area is under the management of Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) who are preparing it for transfer to the Department of Conservation. This work includes the removal or mitigation of various hazards and while this work is carried out public access is "not formally authorised" according to the LINZ website.