Christ Church Cathedral after which “Christchurch Square” was named.
In 1860 Gothic Revival architect Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the Cathedral inEngland the building not finished until 1904.

The foundation stone laid in 1864. In the gardens by the great Cathedral is the Citizens War Memorial erected in 1937 the last World War One memorial to be unveiled in New Zealand.

The historic tram route passes by carrying many visitors on a 25 minute loop steeped in South Island history, Victorian buildings, the old university containing Lord Rutherfords’den. Best remembered for determinining the nuclear structure of the atom while Professor of Physics at Manchester in 1907.

The Christchurch Cathedral is the very heart of the South Island of New Zealand however the struggle is to keep it maintained. The Church stands for the people and the doors are open for prayer and visits freely. Without charge.

Facing rising costs, even with an army of willing helpers giving their time, even a local Super Market promoting donations, the Christchurch City Council is very quiet.

Keen enough to spend money on things for the city no-one needs or wants, neglect tenants in the housing rentals with shabby treatment, dysfunctional maintenance, forcing (trying by slight of hand ) rent rises, a housing department with constraints and poor budget, for the rent payers even the Cathedral of such beauty, and importance is shunned into the bracing cold.

The Council was willing to bail out with $17 million dollars for a building of no real importance,to help a mate. Now want to build a new costly bus terminal in part underground.... however there are no tall buildings in Christchurch because the city is built on a swamp,dig too deep one strikes water. Flooded buses!!! Possible, wear your gumboots to wait for your bus.

There should be a fund to assist the Cathedral, this is not about religion as the Cathedral doors are open for all race colour and creed to admire the history, to sit in the pew to just think.

A sad story, a sad heart to a founded great city by early settlers from the first four ships to Canterbury from England.