chch.live the city, back when

Christchurch, back when.

The city before it grew up, photographs from the archive’s licensed collections, 1851 onwards. Mostly Canterbury Stories at Christchurch City Libraries, some further afield; every copy sits on this site under the record’s own stated rights, and every picture links back to its source record so the caption can be checked. The pick of them hangs as an exhibition at the beautiful city; the newest report photographs, what the city looks like today, live on the wall.

The 1850s 91

13 Dublin Street, Lyttelton, 185013 Dublin Street, Lyttelton1850
A Good Deed, 1850A Good Deed1850
Annie Elizabeth Whitla, 1850Annie Elizabeth Whitla1850
Avon River, Christchurch, 1852, 1850Avon River, Christchurch, 18521850Barker, Alfred Charles, 1819-1873
Barbadoes St Cemetery : index to cemetery registers, 1850Barbadoes St Cemetery : index to cemetery registers1850Church of England
Family portrait, 1850Family portrait1850
Holy Trinity Church, Lyttelton, 1850Holy Trinity Church, Lyttelton1850
Lake Wakatipu, 1850Lake Wakatipu1850
Signatures of members of the First General Synod of the Church of England in NZ, 1859, 1850Signatures of members of the First General Synod of the Church of England in NZ, 18591850
Barbadoes St Cemetery plan - area 1A, 1851Barbadoes St Cemetery plan - area 1A1851
Barbadoes St Cemetery plan - area 1B, 1851Barbadoes St Cemetery plan - area 1B1851
Barbadoes St Cemetery, Church of England, Register no. 1, 1851Barbadoes St Cemetery, Church of England, Register no. 11851Church of England
Barbadoes Street Cemetery : alphabetical list of burials, 1851Barbadoes Street Cemetery : alphabetical list of burials1851Church of England
Barque StedfastBarque Steadfast, 1851Barque StedfastBarque Steadfast1851
Painting: Christchurch, Canterbury , NZ, 1851Painting: Christchurch, Canterbury , NZ1851Henry Ffitch
Sketch: Christchurch, Number One, 1851Sketch: Christchurch, Number One1851Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Christchurch, Number Two, 1851Sketch: Christchurch, Number Two1851Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Interior of Studding Sail Hall, 1851Sketch: Interior of Studding Sail Hall1851Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Interior of the Sitting Room of Blackwall House, 1851Sketch: Interior of the Sitting Room of Blackwall House1851Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Studding Sail Hall, 1851Sketch: Studding Sail Hall1851Alfred Charles Barker
Painting: Christchurch NZ 1852, 1852Painting: Christchurch NZ 18521852George Turner
Painting: Land Office at Christchurch, 1852Painting: Land Office at Christchurch1852James Edward Fitzgerald
Painting: The Bridge over the Avon in the Market Place at Christchurch, 1852Painting: The Bridge over the Avon in the Market Place at Christchurch1852James Edward Fitzgerald
Painting: The Plain around Christchurch, 1852Painting: The Plain around Christchurch1852James Edward Fitzgerald
Photograph: Image of Christchurch 1852, 1852Photograph: Image of Christchurch 18521852Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Parsonage and Church, 1852Sketch: Parsonage and Church1852Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: The Church and Parsonage, 1852Sketch: The Church and Parsonage1852Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: The Church and Parsonage, 1852Sketch: The Church and Parsonage1852Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: View from Alfred Charles Barker's Balcony, 1852Sketch: View from Alfred Charles Barker's Balcony1852Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: View from the Bridge at the Market Place, 1852Sketch: View from the Bridge at the Market Place1852Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Election for the First Superintendent, 1853Sketch: Election for the First Superintendent1853Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Interior of the Temporary Church, 1854Sketch: Interior of the Temporary Church1854Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: The Temporary Church, 1854Sketch: The Temporary Church1854Alfred Charles Barker
St Michael and All Angels Church, Christchurch, 1854, 1854St Michael and All Angels Church, Christchurch, 18541854Barker, Alfred Charles, 1819-1873
Mountfort Drawing: Design for Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings, 1855, 1855Mountfort Drawing: Design for Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings, 18551855Benjamin Mountfort
Painting: The Pound and the Chokey, Christchurch, 1856Painting: The Pound and the Chokey, Christchurch1856Henry John Chitty Harper; Emily Harper
Port Cooper (Tewhaka), Port Levy (Koko-rarata), and Pigeon Bay (Wakaroa) surveyed by Captn. J. L. Stokes, R.N., 1856Port Cooper (Tewhaka), Port Levy (Koko-rarata), and Pigeon Bay (Wakaroa) surveyed by Captn. J. L. Stokes, R.N.1856
The Shakspeare Hotel, Christchurch, 1856, 1856The Shakspeare Hotel, Christchurch, 18561856
Christ's College, Christchurch, 1857, 1857Christ's College, Christchurch, 18571857
Glass Plate Negative: Town Hall, 1857Glass Plate Negative: Town Hall1857Alfred Charles Barker
Sketch: Linwood House, Christchurch, 1857Sketch: Linwood House, Christchurch1857C E Fooks
Addington Cemetery plan, 1858Addington Cemetery plan1858 · Addington
Album cover, 1858Album cover1858
Avonside, 1858Avonside1858
Avonside view, 1858Avonside view1858
Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings, Christchurch, 1858, 1858Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings, Christchurch, 18581858Barker, Alfred Charles, 1819-1873
Cave Rock, 1858Cave Rock1858
Cave Rock in Sumner, 1858Cave Rock in Sumner1858
Christ College, Canterbury, 6.30am, 1858Christ College, Canterbury, 6.30am1858Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch in the 1850s, 1858Christchurch in the 1850s1858Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch, NZ, 1858Christchurch, NZ1858Dr Alfred Barker
Cover page, 1858Cover page1858
Day's Hotel in Sumner, 1858Day's Hotel in Sumner1858
George Holmes' house, 1858George Holmes' house1858
Glass Plate Negative: Panorama, 1858Glass Plate Negative: Panorama1858Alfred Charles Barker
Holmes' Wharf, 1858Holmes' Wharf1858
Holmes' house, 1858Holmes' house1858
Hutt Valley, 1858Hutt Valley1858
Hutt Valley, 1858Hutt Valley1858
Hutt Valley view, 1858Hutt Valley view1858
Lyttelton, 1858Lyttelton1858
Lyttelton, 1858Lyttelton1858
Lyttelton, 1858Lyttelton1858
Mill dam, Kaiaraara Valley, 1858Mill dam, Kaiaraara Valley1858
Mr Holmes' House, 1858Mr Holmes' House1858
Part of Nelson, 1858Part of Nelson1858
Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch, 1858Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch1858Alfred Charles Barker
Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch 1858, 1858Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch 18581858Alfred Charles Barker
Shag Rock, 1858Shag Rock1858
The College, Canterbury, 1858The College, Canterbury1858Dr Alfred Barker
[Building, Christchurch], 1858[Building, Christchurch]1858Dr Alfred Barker
[Christchurch, NZ], 1858[Christchurch, NZ]1858Dr Alfred Barker
from A.C. Barker's stable loft, Government Buildings, Christchurch, 6am, 1858from A.C. Barker's stable loft, Government Buildings, Christchurch, 6am1858Dr Alfred Barker
from Worcester Street, Christchurch Government Buildings, 8am, 1858from Worcester Street, Christchurch Government Buildings, 8am1858Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch, 1859Christchurch1859Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch Government Buildings, 1859Christchurch Government Buildings1859Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch Government Buildings, 5.45am, 1859Christchurch Government Buildings, 5.45am1859Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch Government Buildings, 8am, 1859Christchurch Government Buildings, 8am1859Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch Temporary Church, 1859Christchurch Temporary Church1859Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch, NZ, 1859Christchurch, NZ1859Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch, NZ, 1859Christchurch, NZ1859Dr Alfred Barker
Christchurch, NZ, 1859Christchurch, NZ1859Dr Alfred Barker
Construction of Provincial Council Chambers, 1859Construction of Provincial Council Chambers1859Christchurch Star
Glass Plate Negative: Christchurch Abomination, 1859Glass Plate Negative: Christchurch Abomination1859Alfred Charles Barker
Government Buildings, Christchurch, 1859Government Buildings, Christchurch1859Dr Alfred Barker
Government Buildings, Christchurch, NZ, 1859Government Buildings, Christchurch, NZ1859Dr Alfred Barker
Photograph: Gould and Miles, Christchurch 1859, 1859Photograph: Gould and Miles, Christchurch 18591859Alfred Charles Barker
Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch, 1859Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch1859Alfred Charles Barker
Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch, 1859Photograph: Government Buildings, Christchurch1859Alfred Charles Barker
Photograph: Inwood's Mill, Christchurch 1859, 1859Photograph: Inwood's Mill, Christchurch 18591859Alfred Charles Barker
[Town Hall, Christchurch], 1859[Town Hall, Christchurch]1859Dr Alfred Barker

← the whole archive

Copies are hosted here under each record’s stated rights: mostly “no known copyright” or CC-BY, via DigitalNZ collections including Canterbury Stories, Kura Heritage, Archives New Zealand, Canterbury Museum and Te Papa. Every photograph opens its source record at the collection that holds it, where the caption and the licence can be checked. The exhibition picks its rooms from the same pool.