TRADER MCKENDRY’S

It was publican James McKendry’s quirky side business that made him so likeable. You could expect, alongside your beer, additional items that were for sale with the following question of something like “Is there anything you wanted me to look at, for a trade maybe?”. He soon earned the name of Trader McKendry, a term …

Edward Gibbon Wakefield – It Is A Blessing

“It is a blessing that women love needlework; it has the same soothing effect upon their minds that a pipe has upon men’s”. Edward Gibbon Wakefield *The Father of New Zealand – the owner of the New Zealand Company and co-founder of the Canterbury Association* *image courtesy of Join Me In The 1900’s – http://www.1900s.org.uk

John ‘Jack’ Etherden Coker (1831 -1894)

John ‘Jack’ Etherden Coker (1831 -1894)     Died of ill health   Place of Death: Christchurch * Established the business that became the ‘Warners’ Hotel (Cathedral Square, 1863) and built the Cokers Building (Manchester Street, between George and Allen Streets, 1879).  Both these buildings were lost to the quakes of 2011. For a closer look at …

The Hornbrooks

As the Bridle Path was being sliced into the side of the Port Hills, above Lyttelton – which was well under construction, at the foot of the path, another structure was rising; under the watchful eye of its owner, Major Alfred Hornbrook. It was Canterbury’s first commercial enterprise, hotel and humble grog stop – to …