Last Hotel Post-Mortem at the Gladstone Hotel

The commercial buildings you're looking at here, on Durham Street, replaced the Gladstone Hotel back in 2005. The hotel had a few names over the years – it was also called the Gladstone Tavern, the Durham Arms Hotel, DB Gladstone, The Christchurch Club, and The Devonshire Arms, or just The Glad.

It was a live music venue from 1971 to 1990. When DB Breweries took over in 1971, it became a popular spot. During the punk and post-punk era, bands like the Pin Group, the Gordons, Playthings, and the Clean played here to packed crowds.

But the site has a much longer history. The first meeting of the Christchurch Club happened in the original building here in 1856. George Woodman owned it then, and the first liquor license in Christchurch was acquired a couple of months later. In 1862, the Christchurch Club moved, and the original building became the Devonshire Arms.

By 1875, hotels in Christchurch were required to accept cadavers before burial. In 1876, a new, larger two-story hotel was built under John Barrett's ownership, and that's when it was christened the Gladstone Hotel.

The Gladstone has the distinction of being the last hotel in Christchurch to host a post-mortem. That examination was in July 1901. A Dr. William Diamond carried it out and told the coroner that working in such cramped quarters was difficult. His wish was granted that same day, as the architect for the new morgue, Mr. S Hurst-Seager, handed the keys to the completed building to the City Council.

In 1970, DB Breweries bought the Gladstone. Gary Lings was the proprietor in 1971 when it became known for live music. A proposed development in 1985 didn't happen due to funding issues, and the accommodation closed, turning it into the Gladstone Tavern. By 1990, it was renamed the Durham Arms.