Christchurch: A Chronology to 1989

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

Go to a year between 1700 & 1989

July 11, 1879: Post Office building in Cathedral Square completed.
July 11, 1951: Waterfront strike ends.
July 11, 1979: First meeting of the Canterbury United Council.
July 13, 1905: Construction of King Edward barracks begins. The building was completed in an amazing 25 days. In the absence of a true Town Hall, it was often the venue for large concerts and civic occasions.
July 13, 1945: Severe gales with gusts to 145 kilometres per hour (90 miles per hour).
July 14, 1945: Record snowfall 280mm (11 inches) over most of city.
July 15-21, 1979: D’oyly Carte Opera Company gives performances.
July 16, 1852: Choral classes begin in Lyttelton.
July 16, 1989: Death of John Densem, Christchurch designer and musician, who initiated this publication.
July 17, 1861: Work begins on the railway to Lyttelton. Preliminary work on the tunnel had begun in January 1860, but the original contractors had withdrawn in November.
July 17, 1915: First Canterbury wounded from the war return to Lyttelton on the "Willochra".
July 17, 1964: Opening of the Government Life Building in Cathedral Square. It was the city’s first "high rise glass box". The building’s rooftop clock and temperature readings have become a familiar part of the Square.
July 17, 1979: Visit by Princess Anne.