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 2010s 14

Oxford Street, Lyttelton, 2010Oxford Street, Lyttelton2010 · Lyttelton
School zone on Oxford Street, Lyttelton, 2010School zone on Oxford Street, Lyttelton2010 · Lyttelton
The Avon from Mona Vale Bathhouse, 2010The Avon from Mona Vale Bathhouse2010 · Fendalton
Demolition beside Beckenham Cycle Centre, 2011Demolition beside Beckenham Cycle Centre2011 · Beckenham
Demolition works at the Beckenham shops, 2011Demolition works at the Beckenham shops2011 · Beckenham
Former Wilhelm Arms and Optics site after demolition, 2011Former Wilhelm Arms and Optics site after demolition2011 · Beckenham
Hardings Chemists beside the Beckenham shops demolition, 2011Hardings Chemists beside the Beckenham shops demolition2011 · Beckenham
Upper-storey room exposed by demolition, 2011Upper-storey room exposed by demolition2011 · Somerfield
Christchurch Cathedral, 2012Christchurch Cathedral2012 · Central Citygeoftheref
Hagley Park, 2012Hagley Park2012 · Hagley Parkgeoftheref
Bridge of Remembrance Kids Zone attracts central city school pupils, 2014Bridge of Remembrance Kids Zone attracts central city school pupils2014 · Central CitySCIRT Communications Publisher: Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT)
Soon be No More!, 2014Soon be No More!2014 · Central CityJocey K
Gloucester Street bridge - video, 2016Gloucester Street bridge - video2016Fletcher Publisher: Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT)
Yaldhurst Memorial Hall, Christchurch, 2019, 2019Yaldhurst Memorial Hall, Christchurch, 20192019Elliott, Matt

← 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.