(photograph © Kiwidutch)
St Mary’s Church in Church Lane, Merivale, Christchurch City, New Zealand is a beautiful stone (Church of England / Anglican church) that was built in the 1920′s.
I used to pass it quite often when I lived in Christchurch because friends lived close by, and so I was keen to see how it had fared during the earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks.
Only a few days after I took these photographs, we were hit by a cluster of over 30 aftershocks, several of them very large indeed.
It was with great sadness that I learned on the local News that pre-Dec23rd it had been supposed that much of St Mary’s might be slavagable and that with appropriate strengthening it might be (mostly) saved, but now, the December earthquakes had dealt a lethal blow and that only a fraction of it is now repairable.
CERA (Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency) quickly assessed the building and made their decisions and since my photogrpahs were taken it’s appearance has changed completely (see link below for photos)
http://anglicantaonga.org.nz/News/Common-Life/Quake-memorial-service
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
The Google Street view vehicle doesn’t appear to have gone down Church Lane, (probably because its a cul-de- sac) so the closest “before” shot I could get is this close up , taken from a side view from Papanui Road.
(photograph © Thank you Google Street View)
Having visited Christchurch before the earthquake, I’ve enjoyed seeing your “after” photos. So much destruction.
Comment by lulu — February 21, 2012 @ 3:18 pm |
I know LuLu… heartbreaking to see, These photos will one day be far less painful for me to look at, and hopefully I will have beautiful but very different photos of these places in the future as Christchurch rebuilds.
Comment by kiwidutch — February 21, 2012 @ 11:11 pm |
is Christchurch where you lived?
Comment by lulu — February 22, 2012 @ 5:07 am
LuLu,
Yes Christchurch is my “home town”… Seeing everything that’s happened is helping me to come to terms with the fact that many of my favourite places and the memories I have that go with them, will now just be only that: memories.
There will be no beautiful physical place (i.e. like the Camera House building) to return to.
Of course various companies may open up in a new premises somewhere else, or even eventually maybe rebuild on the same spot, but the old buildings with the history of you having been part of for whole periods of your life are lost.
On the scale of one building or two, you can get used to it but when massive chunks of a city disappear suddenly like this it’s like you loose your landmarks and your bearings.
I realise that in this part of ChCh’s history, that everyone is in the “coming to terms with” stage, and that it’s a healthy part of the grieving process so that we can wrap up that stage and move on towards the rebuild stage.
For me it’s also about documenting what’s happened so that I can remember what “was”, but also celebrate and contrast that with what “will be” one day as the future of the city unfolds and grows.
I may live currently in The Netherlands but close family and friends are in Christchurch, it’s where my Grandparents and Mother are buried, we have property there and will probably return to retire there, so the roots I have here are very much alive and I’ve been actively inputting ideas to the Councils Share an Idea scheme so that the city is one I do want to return to.
Comment by kiwidutch — February 22, 2012 @ 7:51 am
Thank you for your response. These thoughts help me get to know you a bit better.
Comment by lulu — February 22, 2012 @ 5:01 pm