Cathedral Square 1880-1970

Large image opens in a new window

An elevated Westerly aspect of Cathedral Square, including Worcester Street and Chancery Lane in 1880, 1885 and 1970.

The empty building lot in the 1880 (top) image was the site of the 1851 house of the city Coroner and Photographer Dr Alfred Barker. Beyond, on the other side of Oxford Terrace, is the much extended Canterbury Association's original Land Office.

The centre image shows the newly completed AMP Society's offices, with the premises of Fletcher Humphries & Co, Wine & Spirit merchants to the Right in Chancery Lane.

Between 1925 & 1935 the AMP building acquired a fourth floor, and by 1970 Fletcher Humphries had become Aubrey's Nitespot, with the shop of Bell Television Hire on the ground floor.


View a larger map in a new window

Christchurch 1947

Large image opens in a new window

The South-west corner of Colombo at Cashel Street, February 1947. Ballantyne's department store just before the disastrous fire and the gutted shell being demolished.

Recent additions to the photographic archive

Waltham, Christchurch 1970

Large image opens in a new window

Waltham Road at the intersection with Brougham Street about 1970.

Ross Honey's Butchery at Left with the Waltham Arms Hotel to the Right. Both would be demolished for the widening of Brougham Street. In the lower photograph construction of the Brougham Tavern can be seen in the background.


View a larger map in a new window

Cathedral Square 1970

Large image opens in a new window

Easterly aspect of Cathedral Square showing the 1898 Dalgety building, subsequently the site of the Millennium Hotel from 1976.

The upper photograph was taken on 22nd of July, 1970 and the photo of the bare site is dated 28th August of the same year.

Recent additions to the photographic archive.

Christchurch 1971

Large image opens in a new window.

Moorhouse Avenue, North side between Manchester and Madras Streets, 2nd of December, 1971.

A group of 1870-80s buildings, from Left at the corner of Manchester Street is the Inter-island Hotel (formerly the Terminus Hotel).

Next is the premises of Colonial Distributors Ltd, with the Bond Street Bag Company on the ground floor.

To the Right and below is a yet to be identified building in the process of demolition.

The site of these three buildings is now occupied by Cockram Motors, the Nissan dealership.


View a larger map in a new window

Cultural Precinct

Worcester Street adjacent to Cathedral Square.

"The Southern Hemisphere's finest cultural precinct" Canterbury Television, February, 2008.

"It's hard for people who aren't familiar with our region to grasp just how much we have to offer ..." Christine Prince, chief executive, Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism , 25 February, 2008.

Photos by Kate Criner, a visitor from Philadelphia, USA

Ozone Palace Demolition?

Isabella Huck's 1914 Ozone Palace private hotel and cafe at North New Brighton has been for sale since the beginning of March, 2008.

Listed as a "Beachfront Development Opportunity," the historic hotel was Canterbury's first invalid soldiers' home subsequent to the First World War.

See where these photographs were taken

Update: 1 September, 2008

We have received this email from a reader and acted up on it;

"I was down at Thompson Park yesterday afternoon and the kids down at the skate ramp informed me that 'the big blue house over the road' was empty and open. They took me for a look there - one of the side doors was apparently being held closed by a bunch of rubbish which the kids had moved...

I was wondering if it'd be worth getting in touch with the Real Estate Agency to get them to patch the place up - I'd hate to see it trashed or set fire to by some hoodrats."

Exploding Myths

The 720 ton Charlotte Jane at anchor off Cavendish Bay on the 16th of December, 1850.
One hundred and fifty seven years later the 116,000 ton Sapphire Princess moored in exactly the same position - now Cashin Quay.

First of the chartered ships to arrive at the port with emigrants, the Charlotte Jane, in spite of popular folklore, was not the first vessel to bring Canterbury Association emigrants to the new settlement. More than 120 Europeans were already living at Lyttelton, a significant number being "Canterbury Pilgrims" who had come to the new settlement via Wellington.

However, the foregoing didn't impede Charlotte Jane passengers from parading the streets of Christchurch in 1900, with banners declaring "We Were Here First."

That the same folklore continues to be promulgated as history in the current era provides a realistic indicator of the significant disparities that continue to exist between popularly received history and the actual historical record.

Little did 31 year old Alf Barker envisage the advent of the Sapphire Princess as he viewed his new home from Charlotte Jane's deck - no more than we can imagine the Canterbury of a century and half from now.

But what becomes "history" is often a matter of caprice and occasional serendipity - the small town gossip who leaned over the sailing ship's rail, that early Summer's morning, would take up photography as a hobby seven years later. And thus it was that Doctor Alfred Charles Barker would pass into history as the revered founder of our photographic record.

But wait there's more! Few New Zealanders would not be familiar with the Barker's range of Jams and Conserves, but how many know that if it weren't for the Charlotte Jane's Surgeon the Kiwi breakfast would be a somewhat poorer repast.

Canterbury Photo of the Year Nomination

Opens in a new window

Abandoned looms in the derelict Feltex carpet factory at Upper Riccarton, Christchurch.

Canterbury Photographic Excellence 2008 Nomination.

Lyttelton Tunnel 1962-2008

The Heathcote, Christchurch entrance of the Lyttelton Tunnel in July, 1962 and January, 2008.

Opened in 1964, the tunnel slopes gently towards Lyttelton. Accordingly a vehicle allowed to coast the 1.9 kilometre length will arrive at the exit at the same speed at which it entered the tunnel.