By Roselyn Fauth

About seven years ago, I got curious about the buildings in Timaru’s CBD. I had no background in architecture, and my research and history skills were, well, pretty slim. Then a family friend, Phil Brownie, handed me his Timaru heritage reports from the 1980s. I flicked through them and that was it – I was hooked. I got pretty far through my hunt. I made a list of international, national and local events, plotted them on a timeline and popped the buildings conception dates into the list. Then I looked for stories on people from all walks of life, the business owners, residents, politicians, sporting icons, sex workers, opium den workers, chinese grocers, public servants, fire starters, constable murderers, even tales of ghosts. What I have ended up with is a dense document that if taken for a mornings wander round town might leave you feeling proud of local people and places of the past too. Or in need of a beverage and carbs to refuel the brain and body.

I then found out that the council had someone reviewing the files that Phil had given me, and so I parked the project for a bit until the work of Dr Anne McCully was published and I could check my information was correct and in line with the official Timaru District Council Heritage Reports. If I am also honest... I also procrastinated on printing the big hunt, in the worry that it might overwhelm people, but I think it is time to revisit the file, tweak it and fire it off to the printers. Because I think this information even though it's dense, I think it is really interesting and relevant. If not a bit of entertainment, it tells us more about our past, and invites us think critically about who we are because of our past, with today's lens. 

For me, the bricks and mortar in our town are more than just structures. They’re like monuments of our past, bookmarks in our history that remind us who we were and where we’ve come from.

I’ll be honest – hunting for history hasn’t been easy. There have been plenty of gremlins along the way: missing records, contradictions, photos that didn’t quite match the stories. But I’ve been lucky too. Lots of people have shown me where and how to look, and without their guidance, I’d probably still be scratching my head.

Somewhere along the way, I realised I was learning just as much about myself as I was about the buildings and the people behind them...

Why I Started Drawing

The short answer: frustration. A lot of museum archives come with copyright restrictions, and while I don’t make money from WuHoo Timaru projects, and what I do is not for commercial use, I still like to respect people’s rights. So instead of just lifting photos, I hunted them out, took some of my own, and dropped them into my design software. Then I started manually tracing over the top. Ai these days could probably whip them up in no time, but I really enjoyed the process of creating the building illustrations, studying and learning about the architects designs.

It turned into a real education. Sometimes I have spent hours on a building, you get to know them in a way you can’t by just glancing up from the footpath. By looking closely, I’d find myself having little internal chats with the architects: why that curve? why this angle? what were you trying to say here? Maybe there wasn't always a great deal of thought, and perhaps the decoration above a window or under a roof came from a moulding catalogue. But in many situations I can see the mark of a persons ideas, and craftsmanship of its makers.

Timaru Stafford Street - Photo Roselyn Fauth 2023

I have learned that our CBD isn’t just a collection of shops and offices... it’s a mash-up of centuries of ideas, styles, and influences. Kings, queens, wars, relsions, politicians – all those global stories filtered down and ended up shaping the facade on the streets of Timaru.

And then there’s the flipside: the losses. Some buildings went in fires, some were strengthened or simplified beyond recognition, and some were destroyed because they weren’t considered fashionable, practical or economical anymore. That really made wonder – what does it take for a building to be considered “heritage”? What do you keep, save or throw away. And what do our choices say about us as a community?

Whites Aviation photo from Retrolens - Multiple Aerial Photos stitched together to show the coastline in 1956

1909 Photograph taken by an unidentified photographer employed or contracted by 'The Press' newspaper of Christchurch.Stafford Street, Timaru, with carts, horses and people in the street. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008815-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29944621

Stafford Street, looking up, 1904, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.001032)

From Curiosity to 65 Facades

What started as a way around copyright has turned into 65 illustrations of Timaru’s building facades.

Some were traced over the oldest photos I could dig up. Others show buildings that look the same today as when they first went up. And then there are the ghosts – buildings that once stood proudly in the CBD, now replaced with something new.

The poster that came out of this project might have gotten a bit out of hand, I didn't set out to make so many, but at its heart it’s just me trying to teach myself and celebrate the buildings that shape our city.

I have learned that Heritage buildings connect us to the people and dreams that shaped our communities and they remind us we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.

1934-07-11 When Timaru Is On Pleasure Bent: An Animated Scene In Stafford Street During The Holiday Season - supplement to the Auckland Weekly News, 11 July 1934, p.43. Please acknowledge Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19340711-43-01 - No known copyright restrictions

[Stafford Street, Timaru], New Zealand, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014724)

Why Heritage Matters

Heritage buildings aren’t just “old.” I think they are storytellers. Every one of them holds something about the people, ambitions, and ideas that built this place. When you look closely at an old façade, you’re not just seeing brick and stone – you’re seeing the hopes and choices of earlier generations.

That’s why registered heritage buildings matter. They’re a way of acknowledging what’s worth holding on to. They remind us that our towns aren’t just places to live and shop – they’re living records of who we are.

If you’d like to see Timaru through a different lens, I’ve put together some guides you can print off for free, plus that poster of 65 facades which will soon be available to buy. Take them with you on your next wander through town, and see which buildings speak to you.

Sometimes the best way to connect with history is simply slow down, look closer, up and down. The stories are there, written into the walls waiting for you to read them.

1900 Street scene, Stafford Street, Timaru, including horses and carts. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008712-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29945985

The 1868 fire that destroyed three quarters of Timaru's CBD wooden buildings, started behind the shop on the far right at the corner of Stafford Street and Church Street and destroyed buildings up to near Woollcombe Street. Looking across Strathallan Street from site of P.G.G.. Hocken Snapshop. hocken.recollect.co.nz/24022

The Ship Hotel on the corner of Strathallan and Stafford Street, Timaru, sometime in the 1860s prior to the fire of 1868. A copy negative, believed to have been taken by William Ferrier, of an original print. South Canterbury Museum - CN: 2019/049.34

Heritage buildings aren’t just old walls; they’re storytellers, holding the hopes and choices of the people who built our towns

1910 New Zealand Government Life and Accident Insurance building, Stafford Street, Timaru, with men, horses and carts in the foreground. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008809-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29939829

Stafford St. 1941. Photographer New Zealand Herald W B Beattie. 'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1370-464-02' when re-using this image. Hay's Building to the right. Learn more

CML Building Corner - Timaru. Photo: Roselyn Fauth 2025 

The CML (Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd) building, during an overnight fire on 17 April 1951. Depicts the local fire brigade's ladder unit in action, dousing the top of the building with water while a crowd looks on from the street below. The man at the top of the ladder was identified as GG Beckingham in 2020. Reports of the fire in the "Timaru Herald" of 18 April 1951, record that second and ground floor premises were heavily damaged by water. It also mentioned one of the few casualties was Mr E Harvey, of Tasman Electric, who suffered a mild electric shock while retrieving stock from within the building. - South Canterbury Museum CN: 2012/100.05

Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 35-R1485

Corner of Stafford, Church and Strathallan Streets. Store SC Dresden - sold pianos. The Old Bank Hotel Robert Bowie, Stafford St., sold pickles.

1911 A fleet of motor cars in parade, on a street lined with commercial buildings, Timaru, to celebrate the coronation of George V. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008618-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29944218

A Side Quest: What Makes a Building Heritage-Worthy?

Spending so much time drawing these facades got me thinking: what actually makes a building worthy of heritage recognition, registration, and protection? Why do some survive while others vanish?

In New Zealand, this all comes under the care of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, who keep the official Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Buildings and sites are registered in two main categories:

• Category 1 – the heavyweights: places of special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage value.
• Category 2 – places of historical or cultural heritage value, still important, but not quite as rare or significant as Category 1.

There are also special listings for Wāhi Tapu and Wāhi Tūpuna, which recognise sites of importance to Māori.

So how do they decide? A building might be recognised because of:

• its history (linked to people, events, or themes)
• its community value (a place locals really care about)
• its aesthetic or design (unique, beautiful, or an excellent example of a style)
• its craft or technology (showcasing unusual materials or techniques)
• its rarity or representativeness (either one-of-a-kind or a strong example of its type)
• its symbolism (a landmark with memory or identity attached)
• its Māori values (relationships with mana whenua and whakapapa)

Of course, not every building needs to tick all the boxes. But if it strongly meets some of them, it’s a good candidate for heritage recognition.

What I’ve come to realise is that deciding what’s worth keeping isn’t just about bricks and mortar. It’s about what we, as a community, choose to remember, and what we’re prepared to let go of. And its also about looking after the modern buildings we have now, so one day they too can stand the test of time, and be considered as prominent and heritage worthy.

Overlooking Church Street and towards the harbour, Timaru. You can see the Old Bank on the Corner of Stafford and Church Street. - The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008810-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29946828

Looking along Stafford Street, Timaru showing (on right) the Empire Hotel, with advertisement for Speight's Beer, boxing show and taxi stand outside; England McRae Ltd - ironmongers; P W Hutton and Co (by advertisement for Onoto Pens) - bookshop. On the left is the Crown Hotel, with motorcycle and sidecar parked outside. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 35-R1477

Corner of Stafford and Church Street, Timaru - Photography By Roselyn Fauth 2025

When we protect heritage buildings, we protect the stories of who we were and who we’re becoming

1934-07-11 One of Timaru's Main Shopping Centres: A Busy Day In Stafford Street North - supplement to the Auckland Weekly News, 11 July 1934, p.43. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19340711-43-01 - No known copyright restrictions

1915 Looking down Stafford Street in Timaru, circa 1915, with shops lining both sides of the street. The shop second in from the right, with the ornate facade, is the business of T & J Thomson. Cars, horse drawn carriages and bicycles can also be seen on the street. Taken by Frederick George Radcliffe. Tiaki IRN: 133640 Tiaki Reference Number: 1/2-006892-G Collection: PA-Group-00408: Radcliffe, Frederick George, 1863-1923 : New Zealand post card negatives

Side Quest: When Do We Knock It Down and Build New?

One of the hardest parts of heritage is knowing when to hold on and when to let go. Not every old building can or should be saved. Some are unsafe, some no longer serve their purpose, and some have been altered so much they’ve lost the very character that made them special. But the flip side is just as important: not every new build automatically improves things. Sometimes demolition wipes away layers of memory that can never be replaced, and what goes up in its place doesn’t always add the same value. For me, the question isn’t simply “old or new?” It’s:

• Does this building still tell a story worth keeping?
• Can it be adapted or repurposed to serve today’s needs?
• If it goes, is what replaces it going to be thoughtful, durable, and loved enough to become tomorrow’s heritage?

There are times when knocking it down is the right call. Fires, earthquakes, or practical needs sometimes leave no other choice. But there are also times when a community loses something precious because the decision was made too quickly, or without asking what future generations might think of it. Maybe in the end, heritage isn’t about stopping change. It’s about making those choices with care, so that when we do knock something down, what rises in its place is worthy of standing in our history too.

Looking south along Stafford Street, Timaru showing (at right) A Washer and Company - auctioneer. At left is W Angland and Company - grain and produce merchants, outside of which stands a motorcycle with sidecar. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collection 35-R1476

Side Quest: What Do We Need to Do Now for the Future?

Spending all this time looking back makes me ask: what about the buildings we’re putting up today? Which of them will our kids and grandkids look at and say, “that’s worth keeping”?

Heritage is also about making good choices now. The decisions we make now about design, materials, and care will shape what stands the test of time.

I think it comes down to a few things:

• Looking after what we’ve got – making sure existing heritage buildings are maintained, strengthened, and celebrated, not just left to crumble until demolition feels inevitable.
• Designing with pride – building new structures that are thoughtful, durable, and beautiful, so they too can earn respect in the future.
• Telling the stories – plaques, guides, illustrations, murals, oral histories: the more we connect people with the meaning behind a building, the more likely we’ll value it enough to keep.
• Having the conversations early – asking not just “is this useful?” but also “what will this mean in fifty or a hundred years?”

I have learned that heritage isn’t fixed. It’s not just the Industrial brick, Victorian stonework or the Edwardian store fronts... one day, it might be the buildings we’re walking into right now. And whether they survive will depend on the choices we make today.

1900 Stafford Street, Timaru, with people standing in the street, horses and carts and people on bicycles. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008716-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29947735

Timaru, 1902, Timaru, by Melvin Vaniman. Purchased 2024. Te Papa (O.051719)

Side Quest: What Are Blue Heritage Plaques?

If you’ve ever wandered through a historic town in England, you’ll probably have seen those striking blue plaques on walls – little round signs that quietly announce “Something important happened here.”

Well, we’ve now got them in New Zealand too. The New Zealand Blue Plaques programme was launched in 2020, inspired by the UK’s famous scheme but tailored to tell our own stories. It’s run nationally by Historic Places Aotearoa and supported locally by heritage trusts and councils.

A Blue Plaque is a permanent public marker placed on a building or site with recognised heritage value. They’re not just for Category 1 places – they’re for buildings, people, and events that a community wants to highlight and share. The idea is simple: you’re walking past, you see a blue circle, and suddenly you’re connected to a story you might otherwise have missed.

They’re also designed to be accessible. The text is short and clear (around 20–25 words), and many plaques now link to websites or QR codes where you can dive deeper into the history.

In Timaru, for example, you might spot a plaque on [insert a local example here – e.g. the Landing Service Building, Oxford Building, or Captain Cain’s statue depending on what you want to highlight]. It’s a little nod to our past, but also a way of saying, “This story belongs to us all.”

Blue Plaques are about making heritage visible in everyday life – not locked away in archives, but right there on the street, part of our daily walk.

I joined the Timaru Civic Trust in 2023, and have recently helped to create four more blue plaques for Timaru. Aigantighe, Croft, Miles Archer & Co Grain Stores and The Oxford Building. There's a fair bit of work involved in these as they need to be well researched, checked, sponsored and then meet the national criteria too. Thank you to Nigel Gilkison for the epic work he did in helping to establish the blue plaques, and to Christopher Templeton who has been working with me to get these four melted into shape at the foundry and out onto walls.

Stafford Street, Timaru 41916? Looking down Stafford Street, Timaru. Showing (at left) Ballantyne's store at the corner of Stafford and Canon Streets; A Washer and Company - auctioneers. On the left is H A Glenie - motor and livery stables; Adams Ltd - motor garage. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 35-R1486. No known copyright restrictions

Leading by Example

I believe heritage only really matters when we put our words into action. That’s why I’ve been proud to play a part in supporting the rejuvenation and guardianship of two of Timaru’s most iconic buildings: the Landing Services Building and the Timaru Customhouse as a volunteer on the Timaru Civic Trust Board.

Both are landmarks that tell the story of how our city was built — not just physically, but socially and economically. The Landing Services Building is a rare survivor from the days when surfboats brought cargo ashore before we had a proper port. The Customhouse is a reminder of the bustling trade and regulation that helped shape Timaru into a thriving town.

By helping the Civic Trust care for these places, I feel like I’m paying something back — not just to the people who built them, but to future generations who deserve to walk past these buildings and still feel connected to the story of Timaru.

For me, it’s about showing that heritage isn’t only about remembering. It’s about active guardianship — making sure the treasures we’ve inherited are still here, alive and well, for the people who come after us.

Hopefully this inspires you, the way Timaru’s buildings have inspired me, to get curious, ask questions, and see our CBD with fresh eyes.

 Buildings that have been preserved to be the same as they day the opened

1910-11 Sacred Heart Basilica - Blue Plaque that was organised with the Timaru Civic Trust and South Canterbury Historic Places Trust. Right: The church. Photography by Roselyn Fauth 2025

Roman Catholic Church, Timaru, 1912, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (O.001824)

Roman Catholic Church, Timru - Photo By Ferrier - in handwriting reads, RJ Newton - Postcard sourced from Facebook

St Marys Church, Timaru, circa 1909, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051437)

Saint Mary's Anglican Church, Timaru, with crowds of people and a motor car out the front. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008664-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29947796

Edinburgh Portrait Gallery, St Mary's Church, Timaru (1871). Hocken Digital Collections, accessed 10/09/2025, https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/52118

St Mary's Anglican Church, Timaru 1894 - Photo by William Ferrier. The New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal, 30 June 1894, p.616. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18940630-0616-01. No known copyright restrictions

Timaru.  From the album Scenes of New Zealand, circa 1880, Timaru, by Messrs. F. Bradley & Co. Te Papa (O.042400)

Chalmers Church from Church Street, Timaru, circa 1910, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051446)

1903. Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth Street, Timaru. Photograph taken after 1903 by an unidentified photographer employed or contracted by 'The Press' newspaper of Christchurch. Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth Street, Timaru. Tiaki IRN 692740 Tiaki Reference Number 11-008730-G. Collection PA-Group-00103 The Press (Newspaper)

A view from the lighthouse on The Terrace, Timaru, looking west toward Chalmers Church, circa 1920. Several buildings and businesses can be seen along Stafford and the surrounding Streets, including the Carlton Bros, coal merchants. The title and photographer's name appear in the lower centre of the image.  Chalmers Church - South Canterbury Museum 2466b

  South Canterbury Museum The Methodist Wesley Church, Timaru (# 4419)

Buildings that have been rennovated to reflect modern colours and fashion

Dominion Hotel - Timaru - Rennovated - Photo Roselyn Fauth Aug 2025

Reilly's Dominion Hotel. Hocken Digital Collections, accessed 10/09/2025, https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/23644

Timaru, 1800s, Dunedin, by Burton Brothers studio. Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (O.034093)

Hocken Snapshop (20th Feb 2019). Public Trust Office, Timaru. Aotearoa Collection hocken.recollect.co.nz/24052

Buildings that have been saved from becoming car parks

Photo of the Timaru Landing Services Building - Courtosey of Phil Brownie

Photograph of the foot of George Street, Timaru, circa 1868. The building is pictured in the centre is a landing service building (either the Timaru Landing and Shipping Company or the George Street Landing Service), while Rhodes' original cottage is to the left. South Canterbury Museum 2000/210.095

Here you can see the boat launch at the foot of George Street, the Landings Service Building and beside it the Rhodes cottage. Hocken Snapshop hocken.recollect.co.nz/24023

Buildings that have been purchased to be preserved

Timaru-1902 Custom-House-August-2025---Photography-By-Roselyn-Fauth

Customs House, Timaru. Ref: 1/2-044242-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22314180

Timaru circa 1904 Dunedin by Muir and Moodie Te Papa C014423 - section of photo

Building that have rose from clearing old sites to make way for the new 

A great example of removing the old to make way for the new. The Oxford building opened late 1925, and has stood for a century. A stunning landmark with a story of its own on the site. - Photography By Roselyn Fauth May 2018.

ABOVE: Turnbull and Clarkson’s wooden shop ‘The Corner’ on Stafford St and George St around 1862-68 before the Great fire. – South Canterbury Museum CN 201904932. Their partnership created one of Timaru’s earliest wholesale and drapery businesses (Clarkson & Turnbull Ltd, 1863–68), forming a bridge between Christchurch’s Cashel Street trade (Dunstable House) and Timaru’s provincial commercial development. On 7 December 1868, Timaru burned. A fire tore through the business district, destroying three quarters of the wooden towns shops, offices, and homes. Fanned by a hot nor wester, flames leap from roof to roof. Neighbours formed bucket lines, but little could be done. From the shock, the grief of loss of all their hard work, they mustered the energy to rebuild. They built stronger, in brick and stone. The corner where the Oxford stands today, was destroyed in the fire. Rebuilt. And Rebuilt again in 1925.

ABOVE: 1870 photograph of what was then known as South Road, Timaru (present day Stafford Street) showing construction underway of Richard Turnbull’s Stone Store up the hill on the left.  On the corner is Richard Turnbulls shop that was rebuilt in stone after the 1868 fire. – Alfred Charles Barker, Canterbury Museum ID 13/57.

Postcard - Timaru April 1876 Herald Office on Great South Rd and other buildings. (Stafford street just down from Theatre Royal). The obscured building on left is the Criterion Hotel, later renamed the Excelsior. - Curtosy of Jason Westaway

The Post Office and the Public Library, Timaru. Hocken Digital Collections, accessed 10/09/2025, https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/23731

Stafford Street, Timaru (1880-1884). Hocken Digital Collections, accessed 10/09/2025, https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/66686

What has been looked after and repurposed

1896 premises of The Dresden Piano Company and Hutton Co Stationers Booksellers Stafford Street Timaru. 1896 by William Ferrier for The New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal, 29 February 1896, p.224. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18960229-0224-01. No known copyright restrictions

Section of a photo of Stafford Street, New Zealand, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014725) 

Section of a photo of Stafford Street, New Zealand, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014725)

 A colour slide showing the Grosvenor Hotel, Timaru, circa 1985. The slide mount bears the processing date "Oct 85NZ". South Canterbury Museum 2016/053.005

1916 Exterior view of the Grosvenor Hotel, Timaru, circa 1916, photographed by Frederick George Radcliffe. Timaru. F.G.R. 5553 - National Library 1/2-006876-G & hocken.recollect.co.nz/52786 No known copyright or other restrictions on use exist in this image.

Original wooden Grosvenor that got burnt down in fire. Circa 1875 - Picture of Grosvenor Hotel, Timaru

What we could loose

August 2025 - Photography By Roselyn Fauth

What we have changed and modified

A modified historic image of the National Bank - South Canterbury Museum - CN4837 

Timaru, New Zealand, by Burton Brothers. Te Papa (C.014415)

General Post Office, Timaru, 1912, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.002561)

1900. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/692723

Timaru, New Zealand, 1912, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.001029)

Timaru.  From the album: Scenes of New Zealand, circa 1880, Timaru, by Messrs. F. Bradley & Co. Te Papa (O.042400)

The Public Library, Timaru, circa 1909, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051443)

William Ferrier took this photo of the Post Office and the Public Library, Timaru. Hocken Snapshop hocken.recollect.co.nz/24086

Stafford Street, North, Timaru, 1905, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.001038)

[Flour and Saw Mills, Timaru], New Zealand, by Burton Brothers. Te Papa (C.014395)

The Theatre Royal on Stafford Street, Timaru, circa 1990.  South Canterbury Museum L2012/007.008

What we have relocated

The Blackett Lighthouse was originally on the Terrace, No. 7. It was later relocated to the corner of Te Weka Street and Benvenue Ave, and then again to the Benvenue Cliffs. It is a Category II structure and the Historic Places Trust.  LEFT: The Lighthouse at its current site in 2021. Photo Roselyn Fauth. RIGHT: Timaru's lighthouse being relocated 1980.  Courtesy of South Canterbury Museum 2014/107.73

Timaru circa 1904 Dunedin by Muir and Moodie Te Papa I834851 - section of photo

What we have lost

Club Hotel that used to be owned by Strong Work Morrison, Timaru's first beach master, on the corner of timaru s Stafford, Strathan Street intersection MA I470176 TePapa Dunedin. Today the corner has been revitalised as a town square. And the building was demolished and replaced with a modern building that in 2025 housed the ANZ Bank.

Crop from a photo of Timaru in 1875. By Burton Brothers, Alfred Burton. Te Papa (C.014374)

Demolition Timaru Hydro Grand - Photo Geoff Cloake 2017

Timaru Hydro Grand - Photo Geoff Cloake 2017

Hydro Grand Hotel, Timaru, 1913, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.001803)

Demolished Olympia Theater and former drill hall - South Canterbury Musuem

Trinity Prebyterian Church, Timaru, circa 1910, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051445)

Timaru, from Grosvenor Hotel, New Zealand, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014406)

Timaru township. The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives. Ref: 1/1-008713-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/29947494

The High School, Timaru, circa 1909, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051438)

Convent, Timaru, 1911, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.001031)

Hospital, Timaru, circa 1905, Dunedin, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014378)

Town Hall, Timaru, New Zealand, by Burton Brothers. Te Papa (C.014419)

Timaru, circa 1880, New Zealand, by Burton Brothers. Te Papa (C.014400)

Timaru, 1875, Dunedin, by Burton Brothers, Alfred Burton. Te Papa (C.014373)

Congregational Church in North St, Timaru South Canterbury Museum

Timaru, New Zealand, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014369)

Guinness and Le Cren building, Strathallan Street, Timaru, with a group (management and employees ?) outside. Photograph taken between circa 1881 and May 1905. Photographer unidentified.

Timaru, 1875, Dunedin, by Burton Brothers, Alfred Burton. Te Papa (C.014372)

A view of Strathallan Street, Timaru, sometime in the 1860s. It appears to be taken from Le Cren's Terrace (now The Terrace) looking across to the Royal Hotel. A copy negative, believed to have been taken by William Ferrier, of an original print.