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…
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…
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…
‘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 …
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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 …
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 …
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…
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 …
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…
Photos of the old Canterbury Public Library being demolished. File reference: CCL-2011-09-29-librarydemolition06 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
File reference: CCL-2011-08-12-CanterburyPublic Library pre-demolition-033 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Photos taken in Lyttelton following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-24--Loons-LYP1120500 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken at Gap Filler fair on April 9 following the February 22 earthquake. www.gapfiller.org.nz/ File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Addington-Gapfiller-003.jpg From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Bishopdale Library on April 8 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Bisopdale-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_0450 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Bishopdale Library on April 8 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Bisopdale-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_0454 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Bishopdale Library on April 8 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Bisopdale-After-The-Earthquake-IMG_0447 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Lyttelton-Library-P1110823 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries Photos of Lyttelton Library on Friday 8 April, the day it re-opened after the February 22 earthquake.
File reference: CCL-2011-04-08-Lyttelton-Library-P1110824 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries Photos of Lyttelton Library on Friday 8 April, the day it re-opened after the February 22 earthquake.
Photos taken of the Mobile Library on March 31, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-Mobile-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 022 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken of the Mobile Library on March 31, 2011 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-Mobile-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 024 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Parklands Library on March 31 following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-03-31-New Brighton-After-The-Earthquake-NB Parkland 011 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries
Photos taken in Lyttelton on April 19 showing the demolition of buildings on London Street, Lyttelton, following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-19-London-Street-Demolition-IMG_0195 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Photos taken in Lyttelton on April 19 showing the demolition of buildings on London Street, Lyttelton, following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-19-London-Street-Demolition-IMG_0180 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Photos taken in Lyttelton on April 19 showing the demolition of buildings on London Street, Lyttelton, following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-19-London-Street-Demolition-IMG_0164 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Photos taken in Lyttelton showing the demolition of various buildings following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-05-20-Lyttelton-Demolition-P1120471 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Photos taken in Lyttelton showing the demolition of various buildings following the February 22 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2011-04-29-Lyttelton-Demolition-P1120217 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.