Canterbury’s First Harvester Trialled at Riccarton – 8th January 1877

On 8 January 1877, Canterbury’s first harvest machine was trialled at Riccarton Farm by the Deans. It is so hard to imagine today that fields of wheat and barley once grew alongside Riccarton Road and Deans Ave. This was not the first time a new farming invention had been broken in by the Deans. In …

Cantab Behind Free Compulsory Education – 1877

Before the passing of the Education Act in 1877, children who were fortunate enough to have the opportunity of having an education were either taught at home, through the local church or had to have the social standing to go to a private school. Many others were kept home as the demands of running a …