item details
Overview
A hand-drawn contemporary copy by Charles Heaphy of the original 'Plan' of the New Zealand Company's settlement of 'Britannia' which had been relocated from its first site at Petone to the present site of Wellington during the winter of 1840.
The plan is annotated with Company and church reserves, sections allocated to purchasers of the Companys' 'Land Orders' , named roads and streets,, and the sites of key public buildings and facilities.
Most of the inscriptions on the plan are in Heaphy's handwriting, and those referring to 'Land belonging to Mr Nattrass Esq' suggest that Heaphy made this copy for Luke Nattrass, a well-known merchant and resident of the settlement.
This 'plan' is likely to be the earliest surviving copy of the original town plan of 'Britannia' [ later renamed 'Wellington' ] which was surveyed by Captain Mein Smith following the relocation of the settlement from its original site at Petone due to flooding.