Isaac Luck, the man destined to become the most forgotten architectural influence on Christchurch, arrived in Lyttelton 9th June 1851, aboard the Canterbury Association’s 9th ship, the ‘Steadfast’. As Luck stepped ashore, the man who would play an interesting role in his future was just a few buildings away, selling stationery and giving drawing lessons. …
Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort stepped off the Charlotte Jane – full of ambition and cathedral-sized dreams! Born in Birmingham, England, the young Benjamin moved to London and studied architecture. Finishing his studies in 1848, he rolled up his sleeves and practised his new trade right there in London. With Emily, his wife of 18 days, his …
On 9th October 1846, New Zealand received its first law enforcers. After the Police Act 1886 was passed, this developed into New Zealand’s first national, civil police force – and the first recognised Sergeant was Westport local, John Nash. It didn’t take the new settlements of Lyttelton and Christchurch very long to need a lock-up …
