John Barton Arundel Acland (1823 – 1904)

John Barton Arundel Acland was born in Devon, England. After the best of education, John followed his father’s footsteps and became a lawyer. Through a fellow colleague, Charles George Tripp, John met some of the big names of The Canterbury Association including Christchurch’s founder John Robert Godley. Liking what they were hearing about Canterbury, the …

‘Strange’s Fire’ – 6th February 1908

On the night of 6th February 1908, a fire broke out in a furniture display showroom belonging to the Strange’s Department Store (New Zealand’s largest at the time), at the intersection of Manchester, High and Lichfield Streets. Due to the time of the disaster, there were no deaths or injuries. Fanned by an easterly wind, …