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Cashel Street looking east, from 1882

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Ballantynes and Hobdays on Cashel Street in 1882 The Burton Brothers captured this softly lit image of Cashel Street, the main commercial street of Christchurch. The camera sits at the corner of Hi…

A Lady’s Impressions of Christchurch, 1909

Articles, Lost Christchurch

“Of all the beautiful places in New Zealand – Christchurch is one of the prettiest. As the metropolis of the Canterbury province, the city has been built in the old Elizabethan style, …

The Edwardian Seaside of Sumner c. 1905

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Sumner Beach was the last stop on the Sumner line. In this intriguing photograph, we can see the goings on of a typical summer’s weekend, one hundred and six years ago. Hundreds of city dwe…

Day’s Hotel, Sumner c. 1888

Articles, Lost Christchurch

On an empty beach near Sumner, a young boy and his Irish Spaniel stand at the shoreline as the photographer captures the moment. Further down the beach, beneath the original formation of Clifton Sp…

The Chief Post Office

Articles, Lost Christchurch

The moving of the Post Office from Market Square to its new site in Cathedral Square, was a significant development in Cathedral Square’s importance in Christchurch business and city life. Th…

Holly Lea – a Rich Man’s Folly?

Articles, Lost Christchurch

An elderly man, dressed in a plum coloured suit and bow tie, stands gazing at his nearly completed home. It is September 1900, and this is no ordinary home, it is reputed to be the largest wooden r…

Alfred Preece’s Cyclists’ Exchange, Cashel and Colombo Street Corner

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Alfred Ernest Lyttelton Preece was born in Christchurch, the only son of Hannah and Thomas, who ran a auctioneering and produce business. Hannah and Thomas, a native of Worcester, had come to New Z…

Human Bones Under the Public Library

Articles, Lost Christchurch

A large collection of human bones were uncovered on the corner of Cambridge Terrace and Hereford Street during the 1850s. They belonged to the early Waitaha inhabitants (1000 – 1500 AD) who h…

The Royal Exchange, Cathedral Square, 1905

Articles, Lost Christchurch

The Royal Exchange’s beautiful tower, dome and decorative facade is taking shape as the building nears completion. Fresh to the shores of New Zealand, the Australian architect brothers …

The Square and the Disappearing Old World of Christchurch

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Dominating a once simpler Cathedral Square, are the formidable buildings – Government Life Insurance Building, the Grand Theatre, the Crystal Palace Theatre, the Reuters Telegram Company Buil…

William H. Harris, Wholesale Tinsmith, 101 Colombo Street, 1898

Articles, Lost Christchurch

The neat and narrow, plastered brick building of William Henry Harris, Tinsmith of Christchurch stood at 101 Colombo Street in a matching line with a set of others. Standing opposite Mason Struther…

The Clarendon Hotel – from town house to public house fit for Royalty

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Christchurch’s newest and grandest hotel in the first decade of the 1900s was the Clarendon Hotel situated on the corner of Oxford Terrace and Worcester Street. It replaced the former two-sto…

From Hotel to Hospital – St. Helen’s Maternity, Durham Street, Sydenham, 1…

Articles, Lost Christchurch

In 1907, a former public house on the corner of Durham and Battersea Street, Sydenham, was opened as the first women’s maternity hospital in Christchurch. Founded by the Right Honorable Richa…

Iconic Ice-cream Charlie, Cathedral Square

Articles, Lost Christchurch

‘Ice Cream Charlie’ operated a well-known ice cream cart in Cathedral Square for much of the first half of the twentieth century. He was reknowned for his friendly nature and delicious …

The Canterbury Ladies’ Slaves

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Imagine you were born 100 years ago… what job would you have done? If you are female, part of the working class and living in England, then there is a one in three chance that you would be pa…

Mrs Merritt’s Boarding House

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Drunkeness was a serious problem in Christchurch by the late 1870s. It didn’t help that for a city of its size, there were 47 hotels and breweries as opposed to just 10 dentists and chemist …

Telephone Girls, The Telegraph and Post Office, Cathedral Square

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Written by Helen Solomons In 1879, my great grandfather, Mortimer Cashman Corliss, was promoted to head telegraphist in Christchurch’s newly built Post and Telegraph Office in Cathedral Squar…

Are Historic Buildings Important?

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Up until February 22nd, 2011, the city of Christchurch was a unique, historic and cultural living and breathing entity. Inherited from a long list of valuable contributors dating back to its incep…

Lichfield Street, between Colombo and High Streets, 1883

Articles, Lost Christchurch

The growing permanence and sophistication of Christchurch, is evident in this photograph of Lichfield Street. Taken by the Burton Brother’s, the photograph shows us that the little frontier …

Sumner Tram Excursion

Articles, Lost Christchurch

On this summer’s day in 1906, the ten o’clock morning tram to Sumner is about to depart from outside the Royal Exchange in Cathedral Square. An excursion to Sumner was a popular outing …

Down Town from High Street

Articles, Lost Christchurch

The pace of town appears leisurely as pedestrians meander across High Street, while several trams slowly move past them c. 1929. There are a large number of men on they bicycles – perhaps th…

Sharing Memories

Articles, Lost Christchurch

In response to the loss of our inner city of Christchurch, we were inspired to create this website, Lost Christchurch, as a freely accessible archive of photographs, social history and memories of …

Site Founder

Articles, Lost Christchurch

Wendy Riley A relative newcomer to Christchurch, Wendy has deep-rooted connections to the city. Her ancestors, like many colonial New Zealanders, traced their origins to Scotland and England. After…