Maid of the Avon Steamer and Stanmore Road Bridge

It's hard to imagine now, but this spot was once a real barrier. Back in 1861, there were only two vehicle bridges over the Avon River, and both were way over at Market Square – now Victoria Square. One was on Whately Road, which is now Victoria Street, and the other was nearby on Colombo Street.

So, if you lived north of the river, like many people did by then, you had to find a way across to get into Christchurch town. You could try crossing by boat, or you'd have to trek all the way to those distant bridges. The roads weren't much help either; they were basically just tracks through flax and swampland, dusty when dry and often impassably muddy when it rained.

Even though the rivers were obstacles for land travel, they were also used as highways for moving goods because the roads were so bad. The Avon’s main wharf was at a place called The Bricks, which is just above where the Barbadoes Street bridge is now.

That year, 1861, thirty-two people signed a petition to the Provincial Government, asking for a bridge right here in Avonside. They felt that after ten years of settlement, there were enough people living on this side to justify building a bridge east of the town. The petition was presented on October 16th, and the Provincial Government actually granted their request. They paid £400 towards the cost, and another £237 was raised by public subscription, probably from the petitioners themselves.

The bridge was built in 1862. It was the only bridge over the Avon east of the town boundaries until 1876. This road became the commercial center for the suburb that grew up around here, which later became known as Richmond. The original petition is still stored in the Canterbury Provincial papers at Archives New Zealand in Christchurch.