Recently I attended the exhibition “Cathedral Square Unearthed”, which was on in the shell of the Cathedral on the Square. The building is now sufficiently safe for groups to enter. We were required to wear hard hats and safety vests.
The exhibition was organised by the Christchurch Archaeology Project (https://www.christchurcharchaeology.org/), an initiative led by several archaeologists to share knowledge and objects uncovered in archaeological excavations with the public. This exhibition focused on excavations around Cathedral Square with finds from the late 19th century. As such it focused mainly on former commercial premises, such as shops, hairdressers, travel agents, lawyers, and public houses. In addition, there were the Christchurch School of Domestic Instruction and several private houses nearby.
The first impression? They must have had a lot of tobacco pipes in those days. There is a significant assortment of pipes on display. And apparently that’s not unusual for those days. Today, lawyers or hotels might hand out pens with their logo on them. Then labelled tobacco pipes were the marketing gift of choice. In addition, people collected exotic pipes. I don’t think our health authorities today would be pleased. But I’m sure we’re doing a few things today that will seem more questionable to future generations.
Some of the goods of a rabbi’s household were also on display. It was mainly ceramic material that had survived, such as plates and earthenware bottles. These were practically indistinguishable from material uncovered in “Christian” households. It was only through historical records that the household could be identified as a Jewish family home.
If you missed going to the exhibition, it is still on, but no longer in the Cathedral. Until 22 March you can see the display in The Crossing – the walkway over Colombo Street. . And you can still go and see the Cathedral from the inside on the Christ Church Cathedral Open Weekend 13 to 15 March 2026 https://events.humanitix.com/christ-church-cathedral-open-weekend-2026
It was good to be inside the Cathedral. The shell has been left in a good condition. Even though it would cost a considerable amount to bring it back to a usable space, it does not look unachievable. The bells are also stored here, ready to be installed in any future tower. The Christchurch City Council is currently consulting on its annual plan and asking the question whether it should contribute to heritage projects, such as the Cathedral, the Canterbury Provincial Chambers and the Arts Centre. You can submit on those and other issues (https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/annualplan).
Exhibitions such as these show how much has changed across the years and yet how parts of the city and of life have remained.