Shand's Emporium facts for kids
Shand's Emporium is a very old and special building in the middle of Christchurch, New Zealand. It's one of the oldest shops still around from when Christchurch first started. In June 2015, this building was carefully moved from its original spot on Hereford Street. It now sits on Manchester Street, right next to another historic building called The Octagon.
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History of Shand's Emporium
Its First Home: Hereford Street
The land where Shand's Emporium first stood belonged to a man named John Shand. He was a widower, meaning his wife had passed away. John Shand moved to New Zealand with his two sons. They arrived in Lyttelton on March 1, 1851. His daughter joined them later in 1857.
John Shand bought 100 acres (40 ha) of farm land in Riccarton. A street called Shand Crescent is now on his old land. Buying this farm land from the Canterbury Association also let him choose four town sections. He picked sections 851, 853, 855, and 857 on Hereford Street.
Shand rented out his town sections to William Sefton Moorhouse. At that time, Moorhouse was the Superintendent of Canterbury Province. This meant he was like the main leader of the area. In August 1860, Moorhouse rented part of section 857 to a lawyer named Harry Bell Johnstone. The rest of that section went to Johnstone's business partner, Henry Wynn-Williams.
Johnstone's rental agreement said he had to build a house. A photo from September 1860, taken by Dr Alfred Barker, shows the building we now call Shand's Emporium already built.
Changes Over Time
When it was first built, the building had two offices downstairs. There were also three offices upstairs, each with its own window. Over the years, some small changes were made. But the building was quite small, so big changes weren't possible.
Around 1940, the Gough family became the owners of the building. In 1977, the building was fully made new and changed into shops. This is also when it got its name, "Shand's Emporium."
In the late 1970s, the building was almost torn down. A phone company, Telecom New Zealand, wanted to build a new phone exchange there. They already had a big phone exchange right across the street. The land was set aside for this, which meant the government could buy it even if the owner didn't want to sell. But this plan was stopped in 1981.
On April 2, 1985, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust protected the building. This group is now called Heritage New Zealand. They gave it a special Category I heritage protection. This means it's a very important historic place. The building had become quite special because few other commercial buildings from Christchurch's early days were left. This two-story wooden building looked tiny next to its taller neighbors, which were all made from stronger materials.
Earthquake Damage and Moving Day
The big earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 badly damaged Shand's Emporium. Its owner, Antony Gough, wanted to rebuild his land. He tried to give Shand's Emporium away so it could be moved. In 2013, Gough offered the building for free. He even said he would pay for it to be moved.
There were plans to move the building to Redcliffs, but this didn't happen. A new owner couldn't be found quickly enough. So, the building was moved to a different spot on Gough's own land. This allowed him to start his rebuilding work. Later, in June 2015, a group called Christchurch Heritage Ltd bought the building for just $1. This heritage trust is led by former Christchurch City Councillor Anna Crighton.
Its New Home: Manchester Street
On June 27, 2015, the building was moved to its new spot on Manchester Street. When it reached Colombo Street, the building was lifted over the wires of the Christchurch tram. This was easier than taking down the tram wires. The building was placed just south of the old Trinity Congregational Church. This church has been known as The Octagon for many years. It is also a very important Category I heritage building.
