Heritage

Burke Manuscript

Burke Manuscript: Page 118

Burke Manuscript Page 118
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Transcript

What is now the CLARENDON was called the LYTTELTON when Rowland Davis got the first license. He added to the old buildings the bar frontage on Oxford Terrace. The old building had been the Government Offices and Provincial Parliament House. It went into many hands – Ben Napthalie James the actor, once had it, and all the old play crowd J.L. Hall, John Dunn, Pollock, Howe, [illegible], Mathews, Jennie Nye &c. were familiars there. After changes it passed into George Oram’s hands, who christened it Clarendon and made a name for it.

George Oram (of the public house family of Orams) was then a fresh coloured man about 38. A good humoured strong face, plenty of talk and full of business.

The Duke of Edinburgh and his crowd, Lord Newry, Lord Charles Beresford, Elliott Yorke and the rest of them stayed there on their visit.

The two blue gums are about the oldest in Chch.

Mr Crosbie Ward in his Groves of Blarney ballad, the Town of Christchurch, in the fifties, wrote: (alluding to the building being the Gov. House)

“But them that governs Now the rooms are spacious
This noble province And multifarious
Has a gorgeous office The Chief Secretary’s is
That" you’ll quite admire; Under the tiles.
But" the way into the building But the elegant" Chamber
Is most" bewildering Of the Legislature
So the officials and children Is the grandest" feature
Slip through the wire. Of this noble pile.”
And there there’s verandahs
Above two of the windows
But" the other end is
Entirely bare.
And there’s a big sun dial
Stuck up for a trial
How long the sky will
Continue fair.

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