Museum’s own history

Press, 11 October 1985, Page 12

Museum’s own history

Canterbury Museum is now undertaking major repair work on the old part of the building to strengthen it and bring it up to modern-day earthquake resistant standards. A brief look at its history might serve to remind us of the patience and dedication of those responsible for its being. From the time that Julius von Haast became Provincial Geologist in Canterbury he had visions of a museum for the province, a permanent building to house and display material from all parts of the world “illustrating the natural resources of the earth and the life of mankind.”

After agitating for the building of a museum for several years, and setting up displays in temporary quarters, his efforts finally met with success and money was voted for the purpose by the Provincial Government in 1868. Together with subscriptions from a public appeal launched by Haast, sufficient funds had at last became available.

A site was chosen in a corner of the Public Domain and the plans submitted by Mr B. W. Mountfort were accepted. On February 11, 1869, the following advertisement appeared in the Lyttelton Times: f ‘To Masons, Carpenters etc. The Provincial Government invite tenders for the erection of a museum according to drawings and specifications prepared by B. W. Mountfort, Architect ... Edward Jollie. Secretary for Public Works, Christchurch, Feb 9, 1869.”

The successful tenderers for the stone work were Messrs Prudhoe and Cooper, and Mr Daniel Reece was the successful carpenter. This was the part of the museum now occupied by the Christchurch Street, a lofty and spacious room, running north and south, with the entrance by a stone porch to the east. The exterior was of blue stone, basalt from the Halswell Quarry, which was opened on what was once called Rock Hill, by James Feather and James Forgan

in the late 1850 s. The lancet windows were faced with limestone, possibly from the Enys Brothers’ quarry at Castle Hill. (Stone from this quarry was used in several Christchurch buildings;) In July, 1872, the museum was closed for one month for alterations which included the opening up of a communication between the original building and a new stone addition to the south and at right angles to the existing building. One effect of the alteration was to make the public entrance face the Hospital instead of Worcester Street. (This entrance can be clearly recognised when viewing the south wall from the Botanic Gardens.) The addition was a twostoried wing with three rooms, Gothic in architecture and built of Halswell basalt as was the original building, with facings of rhyolite from Foster’s Burnside quarry at Governors Bay, and high gables designed by Mr B. W. Mountford. Mr W. Brassington was the successful tenderer. A hard labour gang from the jail was employed to work on the foundations. There was a further substantial

addition in 1876, a two-storied wing to the east fronting Antiqua Street (now Rolleston Avenue), built of andesite from Marleys Hill Quarry. This quarry (west of Dyers Pass) was bought by Frederick Thompson in 1862 and was later taken over by the brothers, Nicholas and Arthur Ellis. Again the architect was Mr B. W. Mountfort and the stonemason Mr W. Brassington. The facings were of limestone and the pillars in the new portico were of Boon Hay basalt from a volcanic dyke at the base of the Cashmere Hills near the Valley of Peace cricket ground. The ornamentation on the courtyard side was reduced and the money saved was spent on the new entrance porch, resulting in a delightful array of animal faces peeping out from a varied background of leaves encircling the upper parts of the pillars — all carved in limestone by Mr Brassington. The inscription over the entrance, “Lo, these are parts of His ways, but how little a portion is

heard of Him,” is a quotation from the Bible, Job Chapter 26, verse 14, and was suggested by Mr William Rolleston as being a suitable text. It was carved by Claudius Brassington. •' The whole building was roofed in slate tiles and the original downpipes and guttering were of cast iron. A notable feature of the 1876 addition was an elaborate fleche, or spire, which dominated the Antiqua Street (Rolleston Avenue) frontage. Unfortunately, when the ; centennial extensions were under way in the 19505, it was found that ' the fleche was decidedly unsafe owing to the advanced deterioration of the timbers. A special report to the trust board pointed out that repairs would be unsatisfactory and the only alternatives were demolition or complete rebuilding. The annual report for • 1957-58 said that, while most reluc- ' tant to demolish a spire designed by B. W. Mountfort, which had * been a feature of the museum’s <• skyline since 1876, board members ; had come to the conclusion that the diversion of the money required to 4 reconstruct the spire would indefinitely postpone the board’s ability to reopen the museum, which had already been closed for almost three years. The contractor was instructed to demolish. Sir Julius von Haast should have the final word in this brief history of the museum. In his presidential address to the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury on June 16,1881, he said, “This building ought always to be looked upon by our successors with a feeling akin to reverence, and as a proof of the enlightened policy of their forefathers, who fought many a battle before its erection could be accomplished.” — Sally Burrage