FIRST- Public Statue erected in New Zealand. Christchurch. NZ.
S 43° 31.855 E 172° 38.160
59G E 632194 N 5178924
The statue of John Robert Godley, the founder of Canterbury, was the first public statue erected in New Zealand, made in 1865 and unveiled in 1867.
Waymark Code: WMAVT7
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 02/28/2011
Views: 32
Christchurch has a long reputation for its heritage of public art and built environments, dating back to Thomas Woolner’s statue of John Robert Godley, the earliest recognised commissioned commemorative sculpture in New Zealand, unveiled in Cathedral square in 1867.
Godley was asked to found a colony in New Zealand and in in 1850 he and his family arrived in Port Cooper (Lyttleton).
For the next two years he served as leader of the settlement, which was called Christchurch. He changed the Canterbury Association's conditions for the pastoral leases (land in the surrounding countryside leased for farming), so that the new settlement was able to make a good start to establishing a strong farming base.
Godley believed that the purpose of the Association was to found Canterbury, not govern it, and that the people living there on the spot should decide how it was run, not people in England.
Godley died on 17 November 1861 in London. In 1867 the citizens of Christchurch put up a statue of him in Cathedral Square. John Robert Godley is known as the "Founder of Canterbury" even though he lived there for only two and a half years.
"The first commemorative sculpture in New Zealand, the statue was executed by the Englishman Thomas Woolner (1825-1892). The statue was cast in bronze at Coalbrookdale Foundry, Shropshire, and was exhibited at the South Kensington Museum (later, Victoria and Albert Museum) in London before being sent to Christchurch. William Brassington had been instructed to make a plinth out of Hoon Hay stone. However, the dimensions were incorrect and there was a delay of nine months while another plinth was made. On 8 Aug. 1867 the Christchurch magistrate, Charles Bowen, who had once been Godley's secretary, unveiled the statue before a 2000-strong crowd. The statue remained in Cathedral Square until 5 Mar. 1918 when it was removed to make way for a tram shelter and toilets. These facilities were later demolished and the statue returned to its original position in 1933."... Statue description quoted from the Christchurch Libraries website.
Footnote: After the disasterous 6.3 Christchurch earthquake on 22/2/11 the statue was toppled and lay on the ground in the Square, smashed face down, with cloak and arms severed. A week later two time capsules were found under the base. These are being examined by museum experts. Mayor Bob Parker says that this important statue of Christchurch's founding father will be the first thing to be restored and resurrected when the city begins to recover. The contents of the time capsules will be revealed as soon as possible, lifting the spirits of all those who are suffering after the earthquake which took many lives.
Many old heritage buildings are lost and the city will never be the same again. The iconic Cathedral lost its spire and is severely damaged. Today, one week later, there will be a nationwide 2 minute silence at the exact time the earthquake struck, 12.51pm.
Type of documentation of superlative status: Various websites including the one listed, see under 1867, August 6.
Location of coordinates: Statue in The Square, Christchurch City.
Web Site: [Web Link]
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