Addington ‘most interesting part’ of Christchurch
From its early days as a workingclass suburb among saleyards and the railway, to a ‘‘stand-in’’ city centre and bustling business area after the Canterbury earthquakes, Addington has had many faces.
Those changing faces are chronicled in Local Lives: A History of Addington, a recently published compendium of historical photographs, stories and academicstyle recounting, the product of 14 years’ work by the Addington Neighbourhood Association and historian John Wilson.
The suburb is generally understood to be bordered north to south by Moorhouse Ave and Brougham St, and east to west by Antigua St and the Addington Raceway, off Whiteleigh Ave. It also encapsulates the old saleyards on Deans Ave.
Wilson didn’t grow up in Addington – his only association with the area before writing the book was ‘‘biking through it once a year to go to the show’’. After in-depth research, he is ‘‘now sure it is the most interesting part of the whole city’’.
‘‘There are lots of working-class suburbs across the south of Christchurch, and Addington was the strongest, biggest community among them,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘It was also the only suburb in Christchurch to have so many places that people would come to from other parts of the city.’’
Spanning more than 300 pages, the book tells the story of figures such as Tommy Taylor, the former Christchurch mayor, prohibitionist and staunch adversary of former prime minister Richard Seddon. It also tells of Seddon’s regular visits to the the St Mary’s vicarage in Church Square, to stay with his eldest daughter, Jennie, who married vicar Walter Bean.
Wilson said roadworks to construct the Brougham St expressway in the 1970s, and the Barrington St-Whiteleigh Ave through route in 1980s, disrupted life in Addington, which caused the area to go ‘‘on the skids’’. It recovered to become the popular inner-city suburb it is now.
Chairperson Sarah McKenzie said funding for the book was provided through donations, grants from Christchurch City Council and historical associations, and letting two association-owned trailers.