By Roselyn Fauth
Aerial view of Timaru Mill (Late 1960s). Hocken Digital Collections, accessed 17/04/2025, https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/23577
This is a tangible archive of built heritage, made of brick, stone, concrete and plaster.
In just three hours, driven by a hot nor’wester in 1868, fire destroyed three quarters of Timaru’s timber CBD. We rebuilt stronger, using materials that would last, drawing on architectural ideas from across centuries. Classical influence sits alongside Victorian confidence, Edwardian elegance and post-war modern function.
Some buildings were made to impress. Some were built to say you can trust us with your hard-earned coin. Others were simply made to do the job. All reflect the needs, values, aspirations and constraints of their makers, owners and users.
What can you spot? Looking along Stafford Street, Timaru. Showing (on left) New Zealand Insurance Company; Bank of Australasia; Imrie and Higgins Ltd - land agents; Brehaut Brothers - cycle specialists. Thank you Frederick Radcliffe for taking this photo in 1916. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 35-R1488 https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/.../id/275279/rec/45
Look closely. These buildings are here because of the people who shaped Stafford Street with care and pride. They speak of trade and trust, resilience, innovation and change. They carry stories of families living above shops, children watching parades, the shift from feet and hooves to tyres on sealed roads. Now they meet a new era of fibre, artificial intelligence and digital exchange. From migrants laying foundations to the community we are today, these walls hold it all.
Whether you have lived here, worked, shopped, wined and dined, or been in the thick of exchange, these spaces have shaped your experience of this place. You are helping to write the next chapter of the CBD’s story. This is The Exchange.
This isn’t just built heritage. It is a reminder. What do we choose to preserve? Whose stories do we remember? What can these buildings still share?
And what came before these walls? What stories, names and meanings of place do we still need to hear, from mana whenua and from the whenua itself?
That is why I am so proud to have been able to help the Timaru CBD Group in bringing Street Chat to Stafford Street’s empty shop windows. It invites us all to slow down, look closer, and find meaning in the places we thought we already knew.
Can you Spot this Spot from 1903? Tiaki IRN: 523290. Tiaki Reference Number: 1/1-008727-G. Collection: PA-Group-00103: The Press (Newspaper). Scene in Timaru, with Chalmers Presbyterian Church on right. A woman with a perambulator can be seen walking along the road in the foreground. Photograph taken after 1903 by a staff photographer for The Press newspaper.
This historic photo from Te Papa's online collection shows the Corner of Church and Stafford Streets in Timaru where the 'Great 1868' fire broke out 156 years ago, destroying 3/4 of Timarus early CBD. The old bank (on the right) is still there today. On the left is the Empire Hotel Building. It was demolished, and this is where Hallensteins is now. (Such a handsome building huh!)
The Empire Hotel replaced a wooden furniture shop that was destroyed after the 1868 fire. This is where the fire started and roared all the way down Stafford St to where the Theatre Royal is now. Imagine the scene the next day... smoking piles of ashes and brick chimneys, the devastation must have been overwhelming. Over 38 buildings were lost in just three hours, and many were only partially insured, leaving people with just the clothes on their backs. Despite the destruction, Timaru's resilient community rebuilt from the ashes, creating a new CBD, built stronger in brick and stone.
Next time you're walking down Church Street, look up and see if you can spot the tiny lions still perched on the remaining part of the Empire Hotels extension. It's a small reminder of a huge part of Timaru's history. Want to learn more about the 1868 fire? Check out our fun facts and coloring sheet. See how many heritage buildings you can recognize! Download it for free here: https://www.wuhootimaru.co.nz/1868-timaru-fire](https://www.wuhootimaru.co.nz/1868-timaru-fire
Image: Timaru, circa 1904, Dunedin, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014407) https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/16787
This building was designed by architect Frances Wilson, who is said to have practically rebuilt the town after the great 1868 fire, when 3/4 of the wooden CBD Burned down, and we had to rebuild in brick and stone. His original facade is gone, but the back of the building still contains his bluestone blocks. The beautiful 'lace' in this photo hasn't survived due to earthquake concerns. The building makes so much more sense when you can see how the architect had originally designed it.
I239838 TePapa
Fun fact: 156 years ago, a boy was melting glue over a fire behind what is now Hallensteins in Timaru. He stepped away for a moment, and when he returned, the shavings on the floor had caught fire. People rushed to a water tank for help, but because water had been stolen for horses, the tap had been removed. With no water and a hot nor'wester fanning the flames, the fire quickly spread—destroying not just one, but 38 buildings. It roared down Stafford Street, from the corner of Church Street to near Woollcombe Street, reducing three-quarters of our CBD to ashes in just three hours. Many were only partially insured and escaped with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Learn more about Timaru's devastating 1868 fire, which destroyed most of the commercial centre and left over 120 people homeless... But from the ashes, a new CBD emerged!
Download our free facts page and give the colouring sheet a try — color the flames or turn them into clouds. See how many of our heritage buildings you can recognize! Free download here: https://www.wuhootimaru.co.nz/1868-timaru-fire