Hagley Park

Hagley Park had already been in existence for nearly 50 years when in 1905 a temporary railway line was laid through the middle of the park to help with the movement of timber and heavy goods for the Exhibition. The track ran from Riccarton Station across North Hagley Park to the main exhibition site. The track was pulled up in 1908, and the area replanted.

Following the removal of the Exhibition buildings the Domain Board had an ongoing dispute with the government over the restoration of Hagley Park and payment of compensation. A number of disgruntled Christchurch residents wrote to The Press about the state of the Park. Hagley Park, in the wake of the Exhibition, looked like a badly ploughed field covered with bits of glass and metal, piles of rocks, hillocks and hollows.

Related photos

The bridge across the Avon fronting the main entrance	When a railway ran through Hagley Park
Sheep grazing in Hagley Park, Christchurch	The Avon, Christchurch
Christchurch Domain : a portion of the garden

Related links

• The Railway in Hagley Park - an on-line exhibition from Archives New Zealand
• An on-line exhibition on the history of the Park from Archives New Zealand. About the controversies which have arisen about the Park’s use over the last 150 years.