The remembered names

What the register says

• Botanic Gardens alone holds 172, the register’s densest named ground; Hagley Park North next with 79.
• 337 are public art, 80 sculptures, 74 murals, 42 poles, 19 decorative tiles among them.
• The earliest year stamp is 1899, the register files 39 records there, a bucket for the undated more than a vintage.
• 3 have left the roll, 2 out of service, 1 removed.

Where the names stand

Every inscribed plaque drawn, the dense cluster is the Botanic Gardens and Hagley, the scatter reaches every reserve and headland the estate touches. The teal pins are the ones the register marks as artwork.

The record in its own frames

Cenotaph War Memorial · 2008

Halswell Domain · 2008

Dunbars Landscape Reserve · 2006

Barnett Park Sports Grounds · 2009

Nurses Memorial Chapel · 2000

Ruru Lawn Cemetery · 2009

Mona Vale · 2009

Bexley Wetland · 2000

Avon And Heathcote Estuary · 2005

Avonhead Cemetery · 2013

A strided handful of the photographed record, the captions open each plaque’s page, the frames the council’s image host.

In their own words

A strided spread of the inscriptions, the register’s own transcription, casing and all.

• TO THE CHILDREN OF THIS VILLAGE MAY THE JOY THAT YOU SHARE IN CONTACT WITH THE DOLPHINS ENRICH YOUR LIVES. WHAKATU KI TE HAPORI O WAIREWA NGA TAMARIKI O TE AWA.Rue Balguerie Playground Dolph · 2008 · the photograph
• PLANTED IN RECOGNITION OF THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE PAPANUI COMMUNITY BY ERN DALE 1910 - 1975Papanui Memorial Reserve · 2006 · on a stone plinth · the photograph
• Cashmere Garden Club in commemoration of their 60th Anniversary 1940–2000Cashmere Village Green · 2008 · the photograph
• RISINGHOLME COMMUNITY CENTRE INC. 1944 — 1994 This plaque was unveiled by Vicki Buck, Mayor on November 18 1994 to mark the Centre’s first 50 years of service in the communityRisingholme Park · 2009 · the photograph
• WE REMEMBER JIM and MARJORIE 1912–1996 / 1915–2007 WHO LOVED THIS VIEW The Curtis FamilyNicholson Park · 2009 · on a seat · the photograph
• In Loving Memory of Yvonne Edgington Graduated Christchurch Hospital 1954Nurses Memorial Chapel · 2000 · the photograph
• THE MARKET HALL STOOD ON THIS SITE FROM 1852 TO 1870 ... (partial text)Victoria Square · 2009 · on a other · the photograph
• IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DAUGHTER & SISTER KITTY (PAT) WEBB PERISHED IN FIRE 18TH NOV. 1947Ruru Lawn Cemetery · 2009 · on a seat · the photograph
• In loving memory of / DORTHY MAY AITCHISON / nee HANSFORD / 30.5.1897 ~ 3.12.1960Hagley Park North · 2009 · the photograph
• PLANTED ON / 29TH SEPTEMBER 1973 / H F HAY / MAYOR OF CHRISTCHURCHHalswell Quarry Park · 2006 · on a stone plinth · the photograph
• THIS TREE WAS PLANTED IN MEMORY OF LESLIE HARROW 27 AUG 1915 - 1 FEB 1996 A LOVED FATHER & GRANDPOPAvonhead Cemetery · 2013 · on a other · the photograph
• GIFTED TO THE CITY BY THE PROTECT VICTORIA SQUARE SOCIETY / IN RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHOSE VISION / PRESERVED THIS SQUARE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONSVictoria Square · 2018 · the photograph

What the words ride on

The dedication needs a bearer, the seat is the classic one, the stone plinth and the boulder close behind.

The grounds that carry them

• Botanic Gardens172 plaques
• Hagley Park North79 plaques
• Victoria Square32 plaques
• Halswell Quarry Park32 plaques
• Ruru Lawn Cemetery26 plaques
• Mona Vale22 plaques
• Bridge Of Remembrance20 plaques
• Nurses Memorial Chapel17 plaques
• New Brighton Beach Developed14 plaques
• Groynes14 plaques
• Garden Of Tane11 plaques
• Friendship Corner10 plaques

The works beside them

The register’s public-art layer keeps 337 works in the same public estate, 113 named enough to roll.

• ANN THORNTON MEMORIAL BIRDBATHunknown · unknown · 2017
• BERNADETTE HALL POEMwar memorial · unknown
• BIRD ARTWORKsculpture · bronze
• BUTTERFLY MURAL - NORTHmural · unknown
• BUTTERFLY MURAL - SOUTHmural · unknown
• CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE MEMORIALunknown · granite
• CASTCONCRETEDESIGN(DALLASMAT)decorativetile · concrete · 2013
• CASTCONCRETEDESIGN(DALLASMAT)decorativetile · concrete · 2013
• CASTCONCRETEDESIGN(DALLASMAT)decorativetile · concrete · 2013
• CONCRETE ENGRAVINGcarving · concrete · 2019
• CONCRETE ENGRAVINGcarving · concrete · 2019
• EARTHQUAKE MEMORIALunknown · concrete

The suburbs that remember

An exact join, every plaque whose pin falls inside the outline counts, and the grounds named are the suburb’s own.

• Christchurch Central City431 plaques, Botanic Gardens, Hagley Park North
• Akaroa62 plaques, Garden Of Tane, Akaroa War Memorial
• Bromley32 plaques, Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Bromley Cemetery
• Kennedys Bush32 plaques, Halswell Quarry Park
• New Brighton28 plaques, New Brighton Beach Developed, Lonsdale St And Shackleton St
• Riccarton26 plaques, Mona Vale, Shand Crescent Reserve
• Sumner24 plaques, Scarborough Park, Port Hills 11 Rrz Land
• Lyttelton20 plaques, Sumner Road Gardens, Oxford Street Reserve
• Northwood20 plaques, Groynes, Styx Mill Conservation Reserve
• Little River16 plaques, Heritage Park Little River, Little River Cemetery

The record behind this

Christchurch City Council’s open data, the Furniture service’s Plaque layer, with the public-art register beside it. The inscriptions are the surveyor’s transcription, typos and all; "In Service" is the books, not a promise the plaque still reads clean today. The standing monuments the crowd mapped are at /monuments; the named and listed city is at /heritage.

This page as markdown: /plaques.md · the record as data: /plaques.json · /plaques.geojson · by suburb: /suburb-plaques.json.