Thomas was born in Oxford, England and trained as an engineer, working on the Great Northern Railway and at University College, London. He came to New Zealand in 1873 and was Assistant City Engineer for Wellington City Council from 1877 until he formed his own practice in 1882. He retrained as a surveyor and from then on worked as both an engineer and surveyor.
Thomas laid out the new suburbs of Northland, Roseneath, Wellington East and Highland Park. He was responsible for the design and specification of Karori Tunnel, Wellington’s oldest road tunnel.
But Thomas is best known for his work creating a detailed map of Wellington city between 1889 and 1892. The map is made up of 88 sheets and is available at http://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/archives/whats-in-the-archives/historic-thomas-ward-maps
The map recorded the exact footprint of every building in the city, every garden shed, stable and outdoor toilet. It also recorded the number of rooms and storeys, what the walls and roof were made of. It even recorded the location of electric street lights.
Elizabeth Cox’s new book, ‘Mr Ward’s Map’, covers the map, sheet by sheet, over 500 pages full of stories and photos. It describes Wellington, its people and its neighbourhoods at the turn of the twentieth century.
Plot: *Ch Eng/B/200
