Heritage

Christchurch: a chronology

A timeline of some Christchurch events in chronological order from 1700s to 1989.

Go to a year between 1700 & 1989

Begin at the beginning Start here

This week in history

June 21, 1851
Christchurch Cricket Club formed.
June 21, 1851
Road from Christchurch to Riccarton completed.
June 21, 1890
Artist Petrus Van der Velden arrives and settles.
June 21, 1897
Huge celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee include the official opening of Victoria Park on the Port Hills and the transformation of Market (Victoria) Square by the City Council and the newly formed Christchurch Beautifying Association. The square, once the commercial centre of Christchurch, had contained many early public buildings and services including a prison, immigration barracks, an animal pound and the first post office. See 1903 for change of name.
June 21, 1909
City’s high pressure water supply in operation.
June 21, 1989
Redcliffs man Roger Manson receives new heart and lungs at London's Harefield Hospital.
June 22-24, 1901
Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. (Later King George V and Queen Mary).
June 22, 1851
Pioneers Edward and Henry Ward drowned in Lyttelton Harbour. A brother, Crosbie Ward, later became the city’s best known satirical poet.
June 22, 1954
Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme murder Parker’s mother in Victoria Park. Their subsequent trial was one of the most sensational in the city’s history.
June 22, 1988
Visit by Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain.
June 23, 1854
Pioneer John Deans dies at Riccarton. The preservation of Deans Bush was one of his dying wishes.
June 23, 1863
First cab stand in City, on the corner of Colombo and High Streets.
June 24, 1905
Railway derailment at Chaneys, near Kaiapoi, kills 2.
June 24, 1981
First Metro Refuse transfer station (Sockburn) in operation.
June 25, 1934
Death of Harry Ell. The uncompleted Summit Road and Sign of the Takahe projects were taken over by his son. See 1938 and 1949.
June 25, 1941
German minelayer "Adjutant" lays mines in the approaches to Lyttelton Harbour. But this German claim is unsupported - no trace of the mines was ever found.
June 26, 1871
Christchurch Volunteer Police enrolled.
June 26, 1884
New Zealand’s first First Aid examinations held in City.
June 27, 1846
Canterbury’s first armed robbery - 3 men hold up and ransack the Greenwood brothers’ farm at Purau.
June 27, 1904
Yaldhurst School elects New Zealand’s first all-woman school committee.
June 27, 1964
Large crowds for visit of Beatles pop group.

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