Damage to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Detail of a photograph of the cathedral taken prior to the earthquakes.
It was so nearly lost. As the Christ Church Anglican Cathedral is being rebuilt, historian Edmund Bohan is releasing a history of the distinctive Gothic building. It shows it was controversial even before work started on designing it, let alone building in. From the laying of the foundations to the official opening, it took 40 years, after squabbles over pretty much every aspect of its construction - not to mention the huge problems raising the money to build it in the City Centre. In Heart of the City: The Story of Christchurch's Controversial Cathedral, Edmund is critical of the former Anglican Bishop Victoria Matthews' determination to demolish the badly-damaged cathedral after the Canterbury earthquakes, to replace it with a modern church. And he tells Lynn Freeman he's very much looking forward to seeing the Cathedral restored to its former glory after a lengthy and pricey rebuild. But first he sets the scene. Back in the 1860s, there was controversy over where the cathedral should go, its design, whether it should be in stone or timber - even if there should be a cathedral built at all! Heart of the City: The Story of Christchurch's Controversial Cathedral, by Edmund Bohan is published by Quentin Wilson Publishing.
The former site of the ANZ bank in Cathedral Square, seen from Hereford Street. In the background the Cathedral is visible.
The former site of the ANZ bank in Cathedral Square, seen from Hereford Street. In the background the Cathedral is visible.
The former site of the ANZ bank in Cathedral Square, seen from Hereford Street. In the background the Cathedral is visible.
An aerial photograph of the Christchurch central city with Armagh Street in the foreground and Christ Church Cathedral in the centre.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "View centered on the Millennium Hotel in Cathedral Square".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Manikin against sculpture in Cathedral Square. This began as light relief for the crews working within the cordon in the weeks after the February earthquake where the manikins were strategically positioned around the red zone at night".
A photograph of a detail of the front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the wall to limit further damage.
A photograph looking south down Colombo Street towards the earthquake-damaged ChristChurch Cathedral. A crane is sitting on the road in front of the Cathedral. In the background is a pile of rubble from the partially-demolished tower.
A video about the removal of the dome of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes Street. The dome is being removed in order to take weight off the building and help stabilise the lower sections.
Rubble outside Cathedral Junction.
More than four years after the February 2011 earthquake devastated Christchurch's city centre, the rebuild in and around the iconic Cathedral Square has stalled.
Website dedicated to the reconstruction of the Cathedral damaged in the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Government Life building at 69 Cathedral Square".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Christ Church Cathedral with the Millennium and Heritage Hotels on the right".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The damaged bell tower of the Christ Church Cathedral".
An aerial photograph looking north-east across the Christchurch CBD with Cathedral Square in the centre.
Register Record for Cathedral Grammar School Main Block, 2 Chester Street West, Christchurch
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A view of Colombo Street looking north towards Cathedral Square".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Cathedral Junction".
A photograph of the damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
A photograph of the damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
A photograph of the damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
A photograph of the damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.
An aerial photograph looking east over Christ Church Cathedral and down Worcester Street.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Christ Church Cathedral. Detail of south wall with boarded up windows".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Looking north along Colombo Street from Cathedral Square".
Register Record for Regent Theatre Building (Former Royal Exchange), 39 Cathedral Square, Christchurch
8 Building Record Form for Cathedral Grammar Main Block, 2 Chester Street West, Christchurch