Preserving History, Advocating for Christchurch’s Future.

The Christchurch Civic Trust emerged as an action group of residents dedicated to the preservation of significant heritage landmarks and the encouragement of quality design and development of their future environment.

We're committed to preserving the rich heritage of our city while embracing sustainable and innovative development. Join us in our mission to safeguard Christchurch's historic landmarks and promote innovative design and sustainable development in our city.

Purchase "City and Peninsula"

The Historic Places of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula

CITY AND PENINSULA provides a refreshing and fascinating look at the historic buildings and sites of Christchurch, Lyttelton, Akaroa and Banks Peninsula. Christchurch is the largest city on New Zealand’s South Island, with some of the country’s most historically significant and architecturally interesting old buildings. This book celebrates the region’s rich and varied historical heritage, much of which was needlessly demolished in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes.

A local historian and two professional photographers have combined to create a generously illustrated book with an informative text covering the region’s history from the earliest years of Polynesian settlement through to the middle of the 20th century. This book shows the outstanding buildings and most significant sites in the area. It also features humbler buildings and places that tell of the daily lives of the region’s ordinary citizens in the past.

The Christchurch and Akaroa Civic Trusts have worked for more than four decades to ensure that demolition and decay do not further erode the historic characters of Christchurch, Lyttelton and Akaroa. The Trusts have fought to maintain the region’s sense of its past, sustained by heritage buildings and historic sites. They have now joined forces to publish this book, which celebrates the rich heritage they have helped to preserve.

Because many parts of that heritage remain threatened, the Trusts also wanted to stimulate public interest and increase understanding of its importance.

This book has been published to make the community better aware of the variety and value of the region’s historical heritage and to build widespread support for the Trusts’ efforts to preserve that heritage.

Only $39.95
City and Peninsula Book Cover

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