A Brief History of Papanui – by David O’Malley – 17/06/2013 In 1851 when the first settlers viewed Christchurch and the Canterbury plains, Papanui stood out as being one of the two areas of native forest that could be seen from the Bridle Path. Sketch of the Canterbury Plains from the Bridle Path circa 1851. The Canterbury Association had purchased most of Canterbury from the Maori in 1848. Land packages in the city and suburbs were sold to settlers through a ballot process. Papanui Bush was included in this process with the area being balloted between two colonists from the first four ships which arrived in Lyttelton in December 1850. Anne Bowen was balloted the eastern side of the small forest. Anne was aged 44 when she arrived in Christchurch and was a spinster who went on to be a noted Sunday school teacher and friend to Bishop Harper’s family, caring for the children when their mother Emma died in 1858. Anne passed away on 1st September 1875 and is buried in St Peter’s Church Cemetery, Upper Riccarton. Page | 1 William Guise Brittan was balloted the western side of the forest. Brittan was aged 41 and became the head of the Canterbury Association’s Land Office. He donated materials for the building of St Paul’s Church on Harewood Road, Papanui, which was opened in 1853. He died on 18th July 1876 and was buried in St Paul’s Cemetery where his son Frederick was then the Parish Vicar. Due to the urgent need for building materials and firewood, a thriving community quickly developed in Papanui based on the timber industry. Small settlements sprang up around what we now know as the Main North Road and Sawyers Arms Road and also around the Papanui Junction of the Harewood and Main North Roads. Originally the Main North Road was the track used by the Maori between their settlement in Kaiapoi and Deans Bush, Riccarton. Papanui Domain with Papanui High School in the background now stands where the Bush once grew. Both owners of the Papanui Bush started businesses felling trees and sawing logs into lengths of timber. To transport these much needed building materials, a road was built from Papanui to the City. The Papanui Bridge was built in 1852 across the Avon River into Market Square, now called Victoria Square. The lumber was taken by bullock drawn wagons for sale in the city. There was plenty of work available to the sawyers and labourers, and the settlements grew quite quickly. Houses and shops were built and farms were started in the surrounding areas cementing the Papanui area as a village farming community. Page | 2 By 1853, the area had its own blacksmiths, chemist, stores, and butchery and in the same year a school room was opened. The first hotel was opened around this time, by an American named Robert Carr. The hotel was named the Sawyers Arms Hotel. It was built near the corner of Sawyers Arms Road and the Main North Road. Sawyers Arms Road as we know it now, derived its name from the hotel. The Sawyers Arms Hotel stood for about 20 years, before being burnt down in 1874 and was rebuilt by its long standing landlord John Wild. It was burnt down for a second time in 1898 and was rebuilt by the proprietor, Alex Fairburn. On this occasion it was re- named The Phoenix Hotel (pictured below) after the fabled beautiful bird rising from the ashes. The Phoenix Hotel stood until 1989 when it was demolished during a shopping mall extension. Sawyers Arms Road Intersection on the right showing with the Phoenix Hotel behind and the Waimari County Council Offices further along in the early 1910s. This photo was taken on the Main North Road looking toward the Papanui Junction. Page | 3 In about 1859, William Meddings who was a local storekeeper and blacksmith, bought the parsonage at the junction from the Reverend Bradley and opened it as the Papanui Hotel (pictured below). The hotel was improved with new bars and recreational areas being built over several decades and was finally demolished in 1969. Papanui Hotel circa 1860. By 1857 most of the trees in the Papanui Bush had been felled and the Papanui Area continued developing into a grain cropping, market gardening and orchard farming community. Due to the swampy nature of the ground, drains and ditches needed to be dug before some areas could be farmed. Two of the major drains in the area were named after local land owners, one being Horner’s drain, which went North from Papanui to the Styx River, and Kruse’s drain which interconnected with the Horner’s drain. The Kruse family owned land around the area of Winters and Grimseys Roads, near St Bede’s College. The Horner family (pictured below) arrived at Lyttelton in 1859 and by 1871 lived in a house locally known at the ‘Tea Caddy’ due to its shape. The house was erected on 50 acres of land and was brought as prefabricated components from England by the Rev George Dunnage in 1851 and assembled on the property that was named ‘Springlands’. He came to Papanui to be the first Vicar of St Paul’s but died before the church was completed; his was the first burial in the cemetery in 1853. The Horner family owned farm land and businesses near the Papanui Junction and are responsible for the naming of Horner Street, Lofthouse Street (renamed Loftus Street), Mary Street, Proctor Street and James Street (renamed Wyndham Street). In later years William Horner captained the local cricket team and on an 1892 map was shown as the owner of the Clearwell farm in the area that became Bishopdale. William and Mary were both buried at St Paul’s cemetery in 1905 and 1919 respectively. Page | 4 William Horner and family outside their premises on Papanui Road. Papanui Junction, the Seven Oaks Butchery on the right, and the renovated Papanui Hotel c. 1880. Other notable buildings and land-holdings in the area were the Matson Farm, which was called ‘Delce’ and was in the area were Matsons Ave runs off Harewood Road. The Matson family also ran an auctioneering business in the City. Opposite to Delce the first Methodist Church was built in 1859. Subsequently a larger version was opened on 27/02/1870 and the current church on the corner of Chapel Street on 1/5/1913. The Sisson family owned several market gardens in the area of Sawyers Arms Road, Main North Road and Langdons Road and built one of the first cold stores in the area on Sawyers arms Road. Page | 5 Papanui Railway Station. In 1872 the Main Northern Railway line was opened through Papanui. In the early years there was no station building. In 1900 the current railway station was opened. Prior to this a large shed had served as the station building. ‘Sawyers’ Cottage in 1949. In earlier days it was the third house from the Main North Road. Of significant historical interest is a cottage named Sawyers, built in 1869, which stood at 44 Sawyers Arms Road until 2009. This cottage was built by James Rossiter on land which was originally owned by Anne Bowen. It was moved to Lady Isaac’s Historic Village at McLeans Island for restoration and preservation. This is most likely the oldest surviving house from the Papanui area. Page | 6 In 1880 a tram line was laid down Papanui Road from the city to the terminus at Papanui Junction (shown above). The early trams were steam powered or horse-drawn. Electric trams were introduced in 1905. The tram line was extended to Northcote in 1913, with the extension being closed in 1930. The tram line stayed in use until 1954, when it was superseded by the Christchurch Transport Board red bus service. The first Papanui Pharmacy. Page | 7 One of the most notable buildings at the Junction was built by Robert Rickerby and was most likely opened in 1911. It was commonly known as the Papanui Building. Rickerby ran the Cycle Shop and an upstairs Billiards Room at the Main North Road end of the building, where two more shops were subsequently added. Papanui Junction with Rickerby’s Building, the Papanui Hotel and the Seven Oaks Butchery c. 1914. Papanui Primary School was opened in 1871 near the corner of Main North Road and Winters Road. The school was rebuilt further along and on the opposite side of Winters Road on 6 acres of land in 1926. Papanui High School was opened as Papanui Technical College in 1936 and attracted students by railway from as far as Little River, Kaiapoi and Rangiora. Papanui Technical College as seen at the completion of construction 1936. Page | 8 The Papanui area came under the jurisdiction of the Selwyn County Council in 1878 which was bounded by the Waimakariri River to the north, and the Rakaia River to the south. In 1909 the Waimari County Council (WCC) was constituted from a part of the Selwyn County and this area included Papanui. The Memorial Hall corner of Horner Street & Papanui Road was opened in 1923. In 1923 the WCC completed and opened the Memorial Hall on the corner of Papanui Road and Horner Street. This building served for over 50 years in many capacities including Town Hall, Dance Hall, Picture Theatre and Library. The Memorial Hall was finally demolished in the late 1970s and the land eventually became a Memorial Garden (pictured below 2008) for the fallen soldiers of both World Wars. Page | 9 In the early 1920s two new church buildings were erected in the area.