World Famous Painter Born At Diamond Harbour – 3rd October 1865

“I forgot the weather amongst Miss Stoddart’s beautiful flower paintings…” – Ellis Rowan, 1898 When Margaret Stoddard’s father, Mark Pringle Stoddard, first arrived at Lyttelton from Australia in 1851, he caused quite a stir with his obvious wealth and simple, basic ways.  He first settled on 55 acres on the southern side of Lyttelton Harbour, …

New Zealand’s First Iron and Stone Bridge Built To Last – 28th September 1865

The Papanui Bridge, and Papanui Road for that matter, were very important in the first few years of the settlement of Christchurch. It was where timber from the Papanui Bush (now the site of the Papanui Domain on Sawyers Arms Road) was brought into the city via drays to be sold at Market Square (Victoria …

C.C.C. Built Victoria Square’s Horse Ramp – 1865

In 1865, after a horse drowned, the C.C.C fenced off the Avon River around Market Place (Victoria Square) and installed a horse ramp so Christchurch’s working horses could safely enter an approved area to have a drink! It is really hard to imagine this today but the Avon River was infamous for its depth and …

First Meeting Of The Canterbury Medical Society Held – 1865

In 1865, the first meeting of The Canterbury Medical Society was held at The Pegasus Arms which was a well established doctor’s surgery at the time. The early life of what would become The Pegasus Arms began on 1 August 1851 when cousins Henry Le Cren and John Longden purchased section 1049 and opened a …

Christchurch’s First Stone Church Opened – 25th December 1864

On 25 December 1864, Durham Street Methodist Church opened its doors. It was the city’s first stone church. Materials were gathered from the Port Hills, Halswell and even as far away as Charteris Bay on Banks Peninsula. After the first Methodist Chapel – situated on High Street – was sold earlier that year, a competition …

Gas Street Lamps Light Up Christchurch’s Streets – 24th December 1864

On 24 December 1864, Christchurch’s first gas powered street lights flickered to life. The first ever street lamp was erected in Market Place (now known as Victoria Square) in 1862 and was powered by kerosene. The following year the Christchurch Gas Company opened and by 1876, 152 gas street lights lit up the city. By …

Cornerstone Of The Christchurch Cathedral Laid – 16th December 1864

December 16, 1864 was a very special day for Canterbury, for two very good reasons. Firstly, it was the 14th anniversary of the arrival of the Canterbury Association’s First Four Ships – the Charlotte Jane, the Randolph, the Sir George Seymour (arrived 17 Dec) and the Cressy (arrived 27 Dec). Secondly, the cornerstone of what …

Canterbury’s First Steeplechase – 4th August 1864

As ‘The Press’ reporters made their way from their Cashel Street offices to the Riccarton property of Edward Jerningham Wakefield, they noted the sudden increase in traffic – especially difficulties being caused around ‘…Triangle Corner…’.   It was such a reoccurring problem that the area (the intersection of Colombo, Hereford and High Streets) had earned the …

Christchurch’s First Commercial Precinct Established – August 1864

The term ‘Triangle Corner’ first appeared in The Lyttelton Times in August 1864. There appeared to be no recorded history of how the name came in to being but it is quite obvious how this junction of Colombo, Cashel and High Streets became known as such. These three roads made a triangle. When the Triangle …

Designs Began On Square’s First Stone Building – 11th July 1864

Charles Orbin Torlesse had a few hard decisions to make as he stood outside the fire gutted remains of his work building – the ‘Torlesse & Mason’ land office. He was not the only one as fifteen other Christchurch businesses were destroyed that day. The fire had ripped through the block of land between Colombo …