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› Christchurch Hospital turns 160
13 June 2022
In 1861, the Canterbury Provincial Council voted to build a hospital in Christchurch and set aside a whopping £1,500 to cover construction.
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A spot in Hagley Park on Riccarton Avenue was selected and despite the ‘Hands off Hagley’ protests from local citizens, it opened on 1 June 1862. The original hospital was two storied and resembled a barn. Dr Burrell Parkerson was employed as the resident surgeon and Dr Silas Stedman as physician and both were on salaries of £300 per year. By 1917, the last of the original buildings had been demolished as new facilities were constructed including a separate fever ward. Additional buildings included a stable and a fowl house.
Over the years, the campus has transformed and grown as the pictures below show.
The original Christchurch Hospital in 1862 Christchurch Hospital in 1963
Christchurch Hospital in 1979 Construction of the new hospital wing in 1989
Waipapa in 2020
