Christchurch

Why the name ?

Four ships brought 773 settlers with a mission in 1850. They were sponsored by a Christ Church Oxford man and... the Archbishop of Canterbury!

They had the utopian aim of founding an Anglican, middle class community carrying moralizing Victorian values. None of those rough living, hard drinking whalers in our genteel town !

However, the work of actually settling in, and the arrival of hundreds of less inspired others somewhat pushed the project into the background.

But you can still see its traces : the gothic style cathedral right in the centre, the botanic gardens for healthy open air activities, Christ’s College, based on British public schools and Oxford College quadrangles…

And they named their suburbs Bromley, Addington (just next to Cashmere if you're lost), Shirley, Beckenham, Sydenham … Quite posh in those days I suppose !