Statues, fountains, memorials, plaques of North-west Christchurch

Commemorative plaques

Corner of Fendalton and Clyde Road

  • On seat alongside Four Winds statue.
  • "These bricks were recovered from the shops which formerly occupied the site".
  • The buildings on the corner were demolished for road widening in 1980.

Fendalton Park

  • On Fendalton Road
  • "In this park are oak trees sourced by L.T.K. and Olive Allison which originate from Quercus Robur acorns brought to New Zealand in 1850 on the 'Charlotte Jane' from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England by the Bishop family."
  • "L.T.K. Allison was a Chairman of the Fendalton Domains Board (1933 - 1954) which was responsible for the purchase of this park. His daughter, Dorothy Addison, dedicated this plaque in 2003."
  • The plaque is attached to a large rock from Garland’s Quarry

123 Fendalton Road

  • This was formerly on a park bench near the Plunket Rooms in Fendalton Park.
  • "Dedicated to the memory of Alice (née Wrighton) and Samuel Cox who settled in Fendall Town in 1852"

Hagley Park (south)

  • On reserve in South Hagley Park north of the Christ’s College fields adjacent to Riccarton Avenue.
  • Engraved bronze plaque on rough surfaced stone plinth erected 16.12.09 by the Canterbury Old Colonists' Association to mark the spot where a number of Canterbury Pilgrims erected their huts in 1850.

Hagley Park (south)

  • On reserve in South Hagley Park north of Christ’s College fields adjacent to Riccarton Avenue.
  • Ornate cast bronze plaque on concrete plinth dedicated 1.4.51 marking the site of the first Methodist Sunday School in Canterbury which started in the whare of Mr and Mrs John Quaife in 1.4.1890

Kahu Road

  • On oak tree outside Riccarton House on Kahu Road.
  • Plaque attached to oak tree planted by Jane Deans in 1897. This marks the site of the first house on the Canterbury Plains built by William and John Deans in 1843.

Millbrook Reserve

  • On reserve which is situated off Carlton Mill Road through to Helmores Lane.
  • Bronze plaque set in Oamaru stone design by sculptor Marian Fountain. The plaque is a true to style copy of the pencil drawing from Tasman’s journal of his first encounter with Māori in Golden Bay.
  • This commemorates the 350th anniversary in 1992 of Abel Tasman’s arrival on New Zealand’s coast. It is dedicated to the people of Canterbury in gratitude for the welcome given to Dutch immigrants making this province their home. The Dutch community also donated 2000 Dutch bulbs, the drinking fountain and the garden seats in the reserve.
  • "Tasman plaque proposed", The Press, 11 April 1991, p 6

Russley Road

  • On Russley Road and marked with a signpost as an Historic Place.
  • Bronze plaque attached to concrete slab. Organised by the Historic Places Trust.
  • This marks the base line for the survey of the Canterbury settlement which ran through this point. It was measured by Capt. J. Thomas, C.O. Torlesse and T. Cass in September 1849.

Fountains

Mona Vale

  • On reserve at Mona Vale in the lily-pond.
  • Cast iron cascade-type fountain consisting of a large basin at the bottom with two other smaller concentric basins. The basins are separated by figures of swans between the bottom two and a figure of a man above.

Royds Street

  • On street at end of cul-de-sac.
  • Small ornate fountain in island in middle of cul-de-sac at end of Royds St.

Shand Crescent Reserve

  • On reserve in Shand Crescent.
  • Spray fountain in a pear-shaped pond. Presented to the Borough of Riccarton and built in June 1977 by C.L. Smith to mark the borough’s Golden Jubilee in 1973.
  • On the south side of the reserve there is another fountain. This cascades over a rock mound into a large concrete pool.

Memorials

A.R. Blank Memorial Gates

  • At entrance to Fendalton School, Clyde Road.
  • Albert Raymond (Ray) Blank (1887?-1963) was the headmaster of Fendalton School 1922-1949. On his retirement architectural students submitted plans for a gate to be erected in his memory. Now only a plaque remains at the entrance referring to his work as a pioneer of open-air schools. The open-air movement believed in building classrooms with large folding doors and windows to allow maximum exposure to the sun and fresh air. An experimental classroom was built at Fendalton School in 1924.

Air disaster

  • Plaque on grass area by Brevet Club, corner of Memorial Avenue and Russley Road.
  • Dedicated to the memory of those who died on 21 November 1957 when a Bristol Freighter of SAFE Air crashed nearby on the Russley Gold Course, killing all four people on board. This was the only fatal accident in the forty years that SAFE Air flew. The company’s founder and General Manager, Tom O’Connell, died in the crash.
  • The plaque was placed by their families and friends on November 21 1992.

Dynes Memorial Gates

  • On reserve at entrance to Hagley Park at the end of Riccarton Road.
  • Wrought iron gates hung in stone pillars and fence erected by Martha Dynes Gray in May 1958 in memory of her father William John Dynes, an 1860 pioneer.

Memorial seat Hagley Park

  • On reserve in Hagley Park at entrance to car park off Riccarton Avenue west of Botanic Gardens.
  • Stone seat marking where John Robert Godley, the founder of the province of Canterbury, farewelled the Pilgrim Fathers on 25.12.1852.

Mona Vale Sundial

  • On reserve south side of driveway to car park.
  • Limestone base topped by an armillary sphere consisting of metal rings representing Equator, Tropics, Arctic and Antarctic Circles. Time indicated by the shadow cast by the staff which passes centrally through the sphere.
  • In memory of Alistair John MacLeod (1959-89)

Statues

Four Winds

  • On street at Clyde Road-Fendalton Road corner.
  • Sculpture of Mt Somers limestone. Four heads represent the four winds, sculpted by Jenny Doole in 1988.

New Zealand Family

  • At Church Corner. Formerly on corner of Hansons Lane and Riccarton Road.
  • Made in 1960s by Russell Clark the statue depicts a typical N.Z. family. It is believed to be the only piece of 1960s sculpture in the city.

Totem Pole

  • On grassy area at Christchurch International Airport.
  • A friendship totem pole presented to the people of Christchurch by the people of Oregon in appreciation of the warm hospitality extended to the officers and men of the U.S. Air Force and Navy during Operation Deep Freeze.
  • A 30 foot pole carved by Chief Lelooska, a distinguished Indian artist, during Oregon’s centennial exposition, August 1959, is an authentic work of primitive North American Indian art. A duplicate stands in Portland, Oregon.
  • Creatures depicted on the pole include the thunderbird, the killer whale, the eagle, the grizzly bear, the beaver.

War Memorials

Foundation stone of St. Barnabas Church

  • Bronze plaque attached towards the entrance of the church.
  • "To the glory of God and in memory of those who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-18".
  • The foundation stone was laid by Churchill, Archbishop of New Zealand, March 22 1925.

Memorial Avenue

  • On street in Memorial Avenue outside BP Service Station, corner Clyde Road and Memorial Avenue.
  • Cast bronze plaque on terrazzo plinth dedicating Memorial Avenue to the memory of the men and women of the New Zealand Armed Forces who died in World War II.
  • Dedicated 26 November 1959 by the Governor General Viscount Cobham.

"Spitfire Le XVI TE 288"

  • On grass area near corner of Johns Road and Memorial Avenue.
  • The original aircraft displayed from December 1963 to February 1984 was gifted by the British air ministry to the Brevet Club (Canterbury) Inc. and is now displayed in the RNZAF Museum. In exchange, the RNZAF arranged the manufacture of a replica. This was erected in August 1984 but was vandalised in October 1984. This second replica was erected in May 1985.
  • "A fitting memorial to those aircrew who made the supreme sacrifice in war."

Sources

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