Armagh Street in the Central City, Christchurch

Armagh Street – Named after the Anglican bishopric of Armagh in Ireland. One of the original streets of Christchurch named in 1850 by surveyors Captain Joseph Thomas (b. 1803?) and Edward Jollie (1825-1894). The names were taken from bishoprics listed in Burke’s Peerage. First mentioned in The Lyttelton Times in 1852 when 1/4 acre sections are advertised for sale there.A reasonable amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the name of the street. There was a huge amount of entries on Papers Past so I concentrated on pre 1870. I normally also look at ads to see what businesses are on the street but there were so many that I gave up on doing this. In 1860s J W Moorhouse had a depot on the street and Mr Thomson was an auctioneer, accountant, land and commission agent. Mr Thomson was a busy man. In 1853 Mr Gould became an agent for Lyttelton Times. In 1865 the Police Barracks was mentioned and in 1868 the police depot was affected by flooding. In 1870 there was a new lock up. In 1865 there were many complaints about the footpaths and I have seen photos of Christchurch from the 1860s and I am not surprised that there were complaints. In 1866 there was mention that the doors for the new Provincial Council Chamber were made by Mr Detthier who lived on Armagh St. The Philosophical Institute had rooms on the street. In 1865 there was a lot of discussion about the closing of the street and lots of complaints. They were wanting to close it between Durham St and the river. At the same time there was discussion about a direct road to Riccarton that would go through Hagley Park. In 1868 there was a letter to the editor about the bridge over the Avon at Armagh St. Many birth and death notices and William Reeves was mentioned a few times. He was editor of the Lyttelton Times. Both Justice Gresson and Dr Prins allowed groups to use their paddocks for fundraising events and picnics. Many people were fined for allowing their horses to run loose. In 1881 Christchurch Girls High School moved to their Armagh St / Cranmer Square. and were on this site until 1986. Sadly the building on Armagh St was badly damaged in the earthquakes and eventually. This site now belongs to Christ College and is an empty section used for car parking. I walked from Rolleston Ave to Fitzgerald Ave and Christ college owns a few properties at the Rolleston St end. A few new buildings including the RSA building which has now closed. You walk past the the old Magistrates Courts and Provincial Council Chamber. Cross the river and it is Victoria Square and the new Convention Centre and I chatted to Ice Cream Charlie who was washing his van down. He has a permanent site on Armagh St next to Victoria Square. The original Ice Cream Charlie was Sali Mahomet who lived in the Avon Loop. Then there is Crown Plaza Hotel which is currently a MIQ hotel. MIQ is one of the new terms in our language which was unknown just over 12 months ago. Then I came to the block where there is a big empty section on one side and new buildings on the other side. One of the new buildings is The Piano a centre for Music and the Arts. I have been here a few times mostly for the Word Festival. The empty section is in the news frequently because of the endangered seagulls that have set up home here. This site will be the new home for the Catholic Cathedral. Then there is the fantastic Margaret Mahy Playground and I possibly know some adults who love playing here. The mini golf also looks like fun. The closer to Fitzgerald Ave the more residential properties there are. Most are apartments crammed onto tiny sections. Most are post earthquakes but some are dated from 1990s. A couple of housing blocks had a social housing look about them. A few older wooden houses have survived and the oldest is from 1890. The modern apartment buildings are really ugly.