" I REMEMBER."

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14406, 13 July 1912, Page 5

" I REMEMBER."

A VANISHING LANDMARK

Within the next few weeks the wreckers will have demolished a. block of buildings that, owing to their antiquity—from a colonial point of view—may justly be regarded as a, "landmark" of Christchurch. The structures referred to are a block of shops and offices situated on the northern eide of Cathedral square, with three-sided frontages on the Square, Colombo street and Gloucester street. Doubtless, the removal of these old buildings will be a gain to the city from an artistic and utilitarian point of view, but their associations are such that they are worth rescuing from utter oblivion. The block is generally known as Luck's Buildings. An old resident of Christ church, in tho course of a conversation with a representative of this paper, gave some interesting particulars of the founder of th<> place: "I happened to be a fellow passenger of Mr Mountfort, who was. afterwards Mr Luck's brother-in-law, on the ship Charlotte Jane," he said, '•when she came out'from England with the pioneers. I was only a lad at the time, but I remember Mr Luck, who came out a little later on in the ship Steadfast, very well. He married a Miss Mountfort soon after he arrived in New Zealand, and started in business as a builder and contractor. Later on he and the late Mr Mountfort established the business firm of Mountfort and Luck, their office being in a little building next to the Rink Stables in Gloucester street- Mr Luck's residence was almost exactly opposite, and the remains of tho quaint house with its peaked roof and timbering cum still be seen by the curious, though in a week or two it will be pulled down in all probability.

Air Luck was a very well-known figure in Christchurch. Go was a sturdily built man, of medium height, with round features and rather heavy moustache, and I should describe him as a pioneer of the regular British bulldog type. He had strong opinions, and a hearty bluff manner, and even his worst enemies —if he had any —would admit that he had tho courage of his convictions, and was not afraid to express them. Messrs Mountfort and Luck left their original offices when they built the premises at tho northern side of Colombo and Gloucester streets. They occupied tho upstairs portion of the building, and below was established the firm of Luck and Clark, a land, estate, and auctioneering business; Mr Luck's partner, Mr Clark, was tho father of the present head of the well-known auctioneering firm. I recollect that one of the first "jobs" Mr Luck took on when he was in the building business was the erection of. the lock-up. This was a strong little wooden building, situated somewhere between where the Queen's statue now stands in Victoria square and the Provincial Council Buildings. There was a dance hold to celebrate the opening of this edifice, and a well-known poet, Thatcher, wrote , some verses on the occasion. ■■' .

Tho original building on the block where Luck's buildings now stand was Mr Luck's private house. This was built in tho early 50'e, and was one of the best houses In Christchurch at the time. It was surrounded by a well-laid-ou.t garden and a gorso hedge ueparated the section from the road. The rest of the block of buildings was added gradually, the erection taking. place between the years 1860. and 1866. Afterwards Mr Luck went to live at; Merivalo, and .he .-went home, to England with his family in 1867, where he remained until his death. The first firm to take possession of the shop at the corner of Gloucester and Colombo streets <were ; JVlessrs.Jones,,Candvand, Dewsbury, who had a clothiers' and outfitters' business; next to them, was a Mr Joshua Baldwjn, who conducted a furniture shop, which he afterwards disposed of to Messrs Fuhrmann arid Co. On the cprner of Colombo street and the Square -Messrs J. Mi Heywood ami Co. for long carried on their express carrying business, and since they sub-let these premises and occuj;i!rd their new premises in Manchester street, all kinds of firms have utilised the old buildings. Next to Messrs Hey wood's in the Squarn was tho building occupied by Mr E. F. Harston. a solicitor, and this place also has sheltered all manner of men since Mr Harston's time. Considering tho time the bkl buildings have been standing, a fair proportion of tho timber, is in a good state of preservation, but modern needs have decreed that they must go, ami soon thoy will be but a memory. .. .