Victoria Street, Christchurch

Victoria Street is a road in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It runs from the intersection of Papanui Road and Bealey Avenue in the north-west, and terminates in the south-east at the corner of Kilmore and Durham Streets. One of the two diagonal roads that break the original grid plan (the other being High Street), it was very important in the development of Christchurch.

Victoria Street
View south-east along Victoria Street from Salisbury Street, with the Victoria Clock Tower in the foreground
Former name(s)Whately Road
Length800 m (2,600 ft)
North endBealey Avenue & Papanui Road
South endDurham & Kilmore Streets

Geography
Victoria Street at the Town Hall in 1973; this section of the street has since been closed

Victoria St runs for roughly 800 metres (0.50 mi) from north-west to south-east towards the centre of Christchurch. It stops at Kilmore and Durham Streets, which form the boundary of Victoria Square. There is a slight deviation in direction at the intersection of Salisbury and Montreal Streets. Originally, the street began at the intersection of Colombo and Armagh Streets and went through what is now Victoria Square, including a crossing of the Avon River on what is now known as the Hamish Hay Bridge.

History
1875 map showing Victoria Street with contemporary street names

Victoria Square is one of four squares located in the Christchurch Central City.[1] It is located just north-west from its centre, Cathedral Square. The square was initially bisected by Whately Road (named after the Archbishop of Dublin, Richard Whately, who was a member of the Canterbury Association[2]), later renamed Victoria Street, and this formed a major route to the north towards Papanui and beyond.[3] Victoria Street was stopped in 1988 at Kilmore and Durham Streets under much public protest when the Parkroyal Hotel, the later Crowne Plaza, was built.[3][4] When the Crowne Plaza was demolished in 2011/12 following the earthquakes, some were calling for the road to be restored; this included central city business leader Paul Lonsdale.[5] This caused quite a storm of opposition, and soon after, the idea of restoring the road was dropped.

Notes
  1. Ansley 2011, p. 39.
  2. Harper, Margaret. "Christchurch Street Names T to V" (PDF). Christchurch City Libraries. p. 101. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  3. "Victoria Square". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  4. Ansley 2011, pp. 40–41.
  5. Grenhill, Marc (19 August 2011). "Crowne Plaza demolition may open Victoria Sq route". The Press. Retrieved 12 August 2013.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Victoria Street, Christchurch.
  • Ansley, Bruce (2011). Christchurch Heritage: A celebration of lost buildings & streetscapes. Auckland, New Zealand: Random House. ISBN 978-1-86979-863-5.
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