Shands, built in 1860, is Christchurch’s oldest wooden commercial building left in the central business district and its future in the central city was in peril.
Forming a unique heritage grouping of both Christchurch’s oldest CBD stone church, and oldest timber structure, Trinity Church and Shands Emporium are being preserved thanks to the close collaboration of The Christchurch Heritage Trust and their building partners.
After being devastated in the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake, the City’s Trinity Congregational Church building on the corner of Manchester and Worcester streets is breathing new life after a comprehensive restoration and addition.
Shands, built in 1860, is Christchurch’s oldest wooden commercial building left in the central business district and its future in the central city was in peril. It is the last building of its kind in the CBD. Shand’s is typical of buildings from the early years of colonisation. It is listed as a Group 2 on the Christchurch District Plan and a Category 1 by Heritage New Zealand.
The first step was to relocate the Shands building to its new site beside the church. This involved a high-profile night time shift along the city streets from High Street to Manchester Street, including lifting the structure over the cities tram lines. The building was temporarily located to the rear of the site, before being relocated to its final resting place once the foundations were completed.
The building was then completely stripped out from subfloor to roof, strengthened and then lovingly restored to its former glory. As much as possible of the original timberwork and joinery was retained.
A new precast building was constructed to the rear of Shands, including toilets and space for commercial kitchen.
