Images from inside Derelict cathedral
Dusty and dishevelled, the lines of chairs remain exactly where they were almost a decade ago.
Drone footage from inside Christ Church Cathedral shows the abandoned building as it was left on February 22, 2011 – the day the magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck.
The building has been offlimits for almost a decade. In that time it has become home to pigeons and rats and there have even been rumours of feral cats living among the wreckage.
The images were taken by engineering firm Beca, which surveyed the site ahead of the two-year project to stabilise the damaged building.
The footage was recorded last year and shows the extent of the devastation that remains to this day.
Piles of masonry and rubble litter the floor, alongside rows of upended and broken chairs covered in dirt.
Bird droppings lie thick on the ground, religious items that adorn the walls are damaged or missing, while the organ is choked with dust.
Weeds have grown high in some areas, small trees in others, while the green of foliage has leached into the walls.
The footage, from the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project (CCCRP), has been invaluable for architects, heritage professionals, engineers and contractors to view the interior and assess the damage.
‘‘The footage gives everyone a common understanding of the condition inside the cathedral,’’ project communications and engagement manager Annemarie Mora said. ‘‘It shows that there is significant contamination from feral pigeons and gives us an indication of
where the structural damage is more severe.’’
It has also allowed the project team to identify the remaining heritage material that needs retrieving for repair and reinstatement.
The cathedral, which dates back to 1850, has been in ruins since the devastating quake but after years of debate, Anglicans voted in September, 2017, to restore it.
Renovation of the historic site
will include taking the walls down stone-by-stone and installing large steel supports.
Resource consent was granted in March, with work beginning in May.
The entire project is expected to cost over $100 million and take about 10 years.
The footage will be released publicly today at reinstate.org.nz.