John Robert Godley Statue Time Capsule - Christchurch, New Zealand
S 43° 31.848 E 172° 38.168
59G E 632205 N 5178937
This time capsule was placed at the John Robert Godley statue in Cathedral Square in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2016.
Waymark Code: WM136ZF
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 09/30/2020
Views: 2
A plaque above the time capsule reads:
A time capsule from the year 2016
was deposited beneath this plaque
on 6 September 2016
to mark the repair and reinstatement
of the statue of John Robert Godley
following the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes
Deposited with assistance from
National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts
Societies of New Zealand
The capsule is to be raised in the year 2067 on
the 200th anniversary of the unveiling of the statue
Additional information:
"The John Robert Godley statue, carved by Thomas Woolner, is situated in Cathedral Square, and was unveiled in 1867.
The statue of John Robert Godley (1814-1861), who served as the Resident Chief Agent for the Canterbury Association, is situated in Cathedral Square. Following his death, the Canterbury Provincial Council used public funds to commemorate him with a statue carved by English Pre-Raphaelite sculptor Thomas Woolner (1825-1892). The statue, the first portrait statue in New Zealand, was unveiled by the Provincial Superintendent, William Sefton Moorhouse, on 6 August 1867.
The Christchurch Cathedral Square Act 1873 gave formal protection to the statue and its site, which became known as the Godley Plot under the Christchurch Reserves Act 1873. Despite the passing of these acts, in 1918 the statue was moved to the northern side of the Cathedral (the current location of the Citizens’ War Memorial). The statue was finally returned to its original location in 1933 and the Godley Plot was given its own land title.
The statue was damaged in the 22 February 2011 earthquake when it fell from its plinth, flattening the top of its head. During the restoration, a moulding hammer was found inside the statue. Two time capsules, dating from 1918 and 1933, were also found in the plinth of the statue.
The statue was returned to its plinth in February 2015. A new time capsule, to be opened in 2067, was placed underneath the statue."
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