Alfred Albert Thomas William Adams – known simply as T.W. Adams – had a lot to daydream about as he steered his employer’s dray and horses over the tussocks of the Canterbury plains heading to Springfield to pick up a delivery of timber. He not only had a great job with Lincoln farmer Thomas Pannett …
On the corner of Mandeville Street and Riccarton Road sits Mandeville Reserve, a gift from John Heaton Rhodes to the people of Riccarton Borough. In 1857, a beautiful house was built on that corner. It was named ‘Oakford’ and was owned by Henry Joseph Hall. He became chairman of the Riccarton Road Board in 1875 …
William ‘Cabbage’ Wilson (1819 – 1897) Died of old age Place of Death: Christchurch Christchurch’s First Mayor. Buried in the Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch The story of William ‘Cabbage’ Wilson: http://www.peelingbackhistory.co.nz/william-barbour-wilson-cabbage-wilson-1819-1897/ Photo taken by Chris Bulovic
William Barbour Wilson was born in Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland. He started off his adulthood as a nurseryman’s apprentice. He then moved to Ireland where he worked as an overseer for a few estates there. No one knows why he set his sights on New Zealand next. Maybe it was because New Zealand seemed a certain …
Latters Spur sweeps across the Port Hills from Te Heru O Kahu Kura (Sugarloaf) to Dyers Pass Road.It was named after Edward Circuit Latter who had numerous roles in the young Canterbury settlement. Edward arrived in Lyttelton in 1851. He was just 22 years old. After spending some time in Lyttelton, he got work at …
I’m sure that David Innes felt a great deal of pride and achievement as he and his fiancee – Catherine Williams – and his future mother-in-law began their journey out to his sheep farm, ‘Pareora’ in South Canterbury – after all the two women had yet to see it. He had brought the 25 000 …
Cyrus Davie will always hold the most interesting record regarding our first four ships. He was the only passenger who made the journey on two of them!!! From what I understand though, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Cyrus – as most of the settlers would have done too – took life by …
I’m sure after Edward Jollie had finished surveying (driving pegs into the ground to mark out the roads and sections) the areas of Canterbury that would become Christchurch, Lyttelton and Sumner, he was quite over tussock, flax, cabbage trees and slipping up to his thighs in the swamp that was the Canterbury Plains in 1849. …
George Henry Moore was a man everyone loved to hate.He was successful, wealthy, a great land owner, ruled the world around him from his very own mansion (pictured) and had the skills to play Canterbury politics like a chess game and won in spite of being a “…mean, hard-hearted, barbarous, blasphemous man”. He broke all …
In 1856, 12 gentlemen farmers founded The Christchurch Club. Referred to as ‘The Club’ at first, it started its life in a leased building in Durham Street. Benjamin Mountfort drew up a design for a clubhouse which resulted in the building of their pre-earthquake location at 154 Worchester Street in 1863 – some of the …
