Well Well Well

Posted on 3 March 2023 by Clara Watson

In early 2022 when I was asked if I would be keen to lead the dig at an aerated water factory site, I was pretty fizzed. It’s not every day that you get to work on this type of archaeological site, and having the chance to dive into the archaeology of a specific industry is always a good time – at least in my books. As you’ll see, our St Asaph Street site did not disappoint, and it certainly turned into quite the big job, with a total of 78 archaeological features being identified. For those interested in some quick stats we found 22 rubbish pits, five wells, two earthenware pipelines, an area of hydrocarbon staining (yuck), and a whole lot of post holes and piles. Together all of these features build up a brilliant picture of what happened at the site during the 19^th and early 20^th century. Today I’ll be focusing on wells and discussing what the five wells from our site can tell us.

If you want to get super technical, there are three basic methods of constructing a drinking well: dug, driven, and drilled. Dug is pretty self-explanatory, driven involves smacking a pipe into the ground, and drilled involves the use of specific drilling machinery. We see wells of all different shapes and sizes within the archaeological record here in Christchurch, and throughout wider New Zealand.

Most people would easily recognise the classic brick lined well. Typically, these beauties appear on our earlier Christchurch sites, as well sinking technology sharpened up in the late 1860s and early 1870s.

A yellow brick well found in central Christchurch. It was originally full of artefacts. Note the artesian on the left interior.

Sometimes we find unlined wells, although I’m not convinced these would be that great with Christchurch’s soft silty base. I know our Dunedin and Southland teams find these a bit more than us.

An unlined well uncovered in Invercargill. Photo courtesy of the Invers team.

Timber or barrel lined wells pop up from time to time.

A barrel lined well found by Hamish back in 2017 – what a cool find!

Less common, but still quite funky, are tube wells – a type of well made from a vertical earthenware pipe, easily comparable to the warp pipes in Super Mario.

Neda’s tube well and adjacent artesian (left), and Mario on a warp pipe/tube well (right). I see no difference.

But overall, the most common type of well we encounter is the trusty artesian. Artesian wells are long metal pipes sunk into the ground that tap into Christchurch’s underlying aquifer systems. Then, just when you think it can’t get any better, we find wells within wells. If you want to learn more about wells in general and Christchurch’s underlying aquifers, check out a blog written by our comrade Hamish here.

Three wells are better than one? The gorgeous well-inception uncovered at the Convention Centre.

Christchurch didn’t have a piped water supply until 1909, so settlers needed their own well to access fresh water. Given Christchurch’s swampy and riverine environment, they didn’t have to dig too deep to reach the pure underlying waters. This accessibility and quality is largely why Canterbury proved to be a popular location for aerated water factories. Between 1883 and 1923 there were more aerated water factories in Christchurch than Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin combined, and it was said that in Canterbury there was a factory every 20 miles (Robson, 1995: 44). With all of this in mind, it comes as no surprise that we found five wells at our site.

The first artesian well (Feature 21) identified on site was actually found in the centre of a fairly large, and somewhat soggy, rubbish pit. These two features were located to the immediate west of the aerated water factory building, as outlined in the 1877 plan of the property. A convenient location, likely easily accessible through a side door. In contrast, these features fall within the boundary of the 1884 factory buildings (remember how Henry Joseph Milsom started the construction of new and extensive factory buildings in 1884) as shown in an 1899 survey plan. This indicates that our first artesian well relates to the earlier phase of the factory and was likely abandoned around 1884.

The large rubbish pit in which our first artesian well was found. Featuring Hamish in the background.

The exposed artesian well in the centre of the fully excavated rubbish pit. Featuring Tristan in the background.

Site plan showing the locations of artesian wells (light blue) and the brick-lined well (dark blue) in relation to building footprints. These are shown over the 1877 Strouts Map (underlying with infilled building footprints) and an 1899 survey plan (outline and dotted infill). In this plan we can see the location of Feature 21 to the immediate west of the 1877 factory building footprint, but within the footprint of the 1884 factory, which led us to identify that the well was probably abandonned in 1884 when the factory extension took place.

Analysis of the artefacts recovered from within the rubbish pit also support the abandonment of the well in this mid-1880s period, as they were determined to have a terminus post quem (earliest possible deposition date) of 1876. The location of the artesian in the centre of the rubbish pit is no coincidence. It is very likely that the formal cut of the surrounding rubbish pit represents a removed reservoir, tank, or structural base. If such a structure was removed, the remaining void would be ideal for an opportunistic rubbish pit, especially if you were undergoing renovations. As the recovered artefacts were commercial, relating to factory waste rather than domestic refuse, this seems pretty likely.

An artesian well with concrete reservoir trough, South Pasadena USA c. 1884. Source: University of Southern California Libraries and California Historical Society: calisphere.org/item/c381877653c774457691a8b6a3e95cc6/.

Interestingly, a series of circular post holes were arranged around our first well and its rubbish pit. I reckon these post holes represent one of three things.

The footprints of the mechanical rig used to sink the well.
The framing of a pump or rig feature, used to draw more water, possibly indicating things were drying up .
A shelter or roof structure, not marked on the survey plan.

Without contemporary descriptions or photographs, it is difficult to determine what exactly these post holes truly represent. But we can say that they are evidence for some related structure or activity. So, it seems there are more to artesian wells that just a pipe in the ground.

Circular post holes surrounding our first artesian well and associated rubbish pit.

An example of a deep well sinking operation in Christchurch c. 1920. Image: [Artesian well sunk by McClure & Clemence, 31 Horatio Street, Christchurch]. Marks, J M fl 1905 :Photographs of Christchurch and environs, 1890s-1910s. Ref: 1/1-000456-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23243245

An advertisement in the 1879 Southern Province Almanac (p. 102). Note the “wind-power pump for raising water”.

The next two artesian wells (Feature 19 and Feature 20) uncovered, were found quite close together. These two wells were identified at the immediate rear (south) of the 1884 factory building, as shown on the 1899 survey plan. So, we can safely assume these two wells relate to that mid-1880s expansion and refurbishment of the factory. With the two wells being adjacent, it is likely that one was a replacement, tapping into a deeper aquifer as the former well ran dry. Grouped wells have been observed elsewhere in Christchurch, showing that people preferred to maintain the same function of a space within a backyard or property – likely for accessibility and convenience.

Our second artesian well (Feature 19). Note the cap on the top of the pipe, which helpfully stopped the site from flooding (a common occurence when a digger bucket hits an artesian pipe that often leads to much malaise for the contractors).

Our third artesian well (Feature 21) with the top part removed.

Unlike our first well, these next two artesian wells do not appear to have had a reservoir or tank, at least not one built into the ground. They also had no adjacent post holes to indicate supportive or installation structures. Some artefacts were recovered from around our second artesian well (Feature 19). The artefact deposit was less formal and less artefact dense than the one associated with our first well, and it was interpreted as relating to the removal of the upper portion of the second well during its capping and abandonment.

The last artesian well (Feature 39) was found on the eastern side of the site, somewhat away from the location of the various factory buildings. This makes me think that this well wasn’t associated with the factory, as it would be inefficient to carry water over by bucket and there was no evidence for a subsurface pipe to the factory footprint. I also wondered if it could represent a water trough for horses, however, the stables were located to the north, so this seems unlikely. Instead, it seems more likely that this well was installed in the early 20^th century and utilised by Grummit White and Co who purchased the eastern half of the site in 1903.

What did I say- this is a typical view of an artesian well once uncovered by a digger. Sometimes we don’t even see the pipe without wading into the pooling water.

Only one brick lined well (Feature 22) was found at our site and it was located to the south of our factory buildings in close proximity to a small two-bedroom cottage. This small cottage was built in c. 1862 by a Mr J. Flemming, who owned the eastern side of our site before it was purchased by the Milsom’s in the 1870s. It seems to have been a rental during Mr Flemming’s ownership but was likely utilised as workers accommodation following the Milsom purchase.

Excavation of the well found it was backfilled with sterile fill, and there were no artefacts in the fill at all (I was quite disappointed!). However, the bricks making up the well provided information of their own. The sample brick collected had a bulge on its face, within the frog. This bulge was interpreted as being evidence of a manufacture error, and possibly represented where an air pocket had formed in the brick while firing. It is likely that the brick was sold as a ‘second’ as a result of this. The letters “F R” were stamped on the brick’s frog. While the brick manufacturer using these initials is not known, they appear to have been active during the early-mid 1860s. Based on the age and location, we can safely say this well relates to the occupants of our wee cottage and that it wasn’t installed by the Milsom’s. While this well doesn’t directly relate to our factory, it does show a division of domestic vs commercial space within our site. It also shows change over time in relation to site activity and well technology and use.

Our only brick lined well uncovered at St Asaph Street.

Who doesn’t love a side profile of a well – gorgeous!

The “FR” stamped brick recovered from our lined well.

While wells are a pretty common archaeological feature here in Christchurch, and it might seem a bit self-evident that an aerated water factory would need its own water supply, the morphology and location of the wells on our St Asaph Street site is able to provide us with information on the aerated water industry and the growth and development of Milsom and Mace’s factory. An artesian well might just be a pipe in the ground, but the water that flowed through it would have been carbonated and, in some cases, flavoured, and then used to fill thousands of bottles with soda water that were enjoyed across the district, meaning that they were a pretty key component to Christchurch’s aerated water industry.

Just like that my wells have run dry. So, check in again next time when we will discuss the findings from our numerous rubbish pits. With both domestic and commercial rubbish pits found on site, we have some fascinating findings and interpretations to share. And finally, it wouldn’t be an aerated water factory without bottles – see you in two weeks.

Alana Kelly

References

Robson, P. E. W., 1995. A History of the Aerated Water Industry in New Zealand 1845-1986. New Zealand Soft Drink Manufacturer’s Association and AGM Publishing Ltd., Wellington.

Milsom, Mace and More

Posted on 17 February 2023 by Clara Watson

Today’s blog is the start of a three-piecer on one of Christchurch’s earliest aerated water factories, once located on St Asaph Street. Now we have written plenty of blogs about aerated waters in the past (see here, here, and here) so we won’t cover much of the general information on the industry. Instead, we will start by diving into the history of Milsom and Mace, two big fish in the pond of aerated waters, before getting into the archaeology discovered on site in our next blog. So, settle in with a glass of your favourite soft drink and enjoy.

The St Asaph Street aerated water factory, which is the subject of these blogs, was in operation from 1860, which is pretty early for the Christchurch setting. The only other manufacturer set up in central Christchurch before this was Thomas Raine, who was in operation from 1859. Raine (great name for a fizzy drink man) was initially located over on the corner of Peterborough and Colombo Street, but later moved to the corner of Gloucester Street and Cambridge Terrace.

The St Asaph Street aerated water factory was owned and operated by Joseph Milsom from 1860, although it wasn’t ‘officially’ purchased until 1863. The Milsom family became somewhat of a powerhouse in the world of 19^th century aerated waters in Canterbury. So, before we get into it, J. Milsom is not to be confused with R. Milsom (his brother), H. J. Milsom (his nephew), G. P. Milsom (another nephew), J. B Milsom (yet another nephew), or any other potential Milsoms out there. The many Milsom businesses are summarised below.

Keeping up with the Milsoms. A summary of the many Milsom businesses of Christchurch and surrounds, their locations, names, and operation dates. Honestly, it was a whole family affair. Compiled based on information from Christchurch Antique Bottle and Collectables Club Inc (2022).

Once established in 1860, J. Milsom initially traded under his name, before entering a partnership with his brother Richard in 1861. Richard also had an aerated water factory, which was located on London Street in Lyttelton. For the next two years the pair traded as R. & J. Milsom, operating out of both Richard’s London Street factory and Joseph’s St Asaph Street Factory. For reasons unknown the partnership ended in 1863 and the two went back to operating out of their own factories under their own names

An advertisement for R. & J. Milsom, detailing their dual locations. Lyttelton Times, 8/5/1861: 8.

Advertisement for J. Milsom’s goods. Southern Provinces Almanac, 1864: 126.

During this early operation period, two buildings are shown to be located on the property. It is likely that the building fronting St Asaph Street was the house where Milsom and his family lived as it matches the placement of the other neatly arranged houses on the surrounding sections. The second building to the south was most likely the original aerated water factory. No buildings were established on the western town section and the southern areas of the two sections were otherwise vacant at this time.

The St Asaph Street aerated water factory site highlighted in red, as shown on Fooks 1862 map of Christchurch. The eastern section was ‘officially’ purchased in 1863, and the western section was purchased in 1875. Note: Southwark Street was originally named George Street.

In 1866 J. Milsom formed a new partnership with his nephew Henry J. Milsom, with the business operating under J. Milsom & Co. Unfortunately, the partnership filed for bankruptcy in 1871, which, to be fair, was a pretty common occurrence during the 19^th century. A newspaper article from the time suggests that something a bit scandalous happened between the pair as Joseph Milsom declared that he was carrying on the business in his own account having ‘no connection with Henry Joseph Milsom’ who was a former business partner. Although whatever happened can’t have been too serious as Henry Jospeh Milsom remained in the employ of the Aerated Water Company. What exactly went on remains a mystery, but we haven’t seen the last of Henry.

A public notice. Lyttelton Times, 17/4/1871: 1

Following the resolution of the bankruptcy, the 1870s and 1880s proved to be a successful period for the Milsom family as branches were operated in Dunsandel, Ashburton, Sheffield, and Leeston (Christchurch Antique Bottle and Collectables Club Inc, 2022: 152). During these two decades, the family certainly had a strong hold on the market and by the mid-1870s, the St Asaph Street factory had grown. In Stout’s 1877 map of Christchurch, we can see the expansion of the factory in the centre of the site, with two smaller associated outbuildings to the east. Additionally, J. Milsom’s house in the northeast corner of the site appears to have been either expanded or replaced by this period.

Interestingly, Henry Joseph Milsom appears to have returned to the partnership with his uncle by 1876. It is possible that the returned partnership was triggered by Henry Joseph Milsom’s purchase of the neighbouring property to the west. There are two houses shown on this section in Strout’s 1877 map, a larger one facing St Asaph Street and a smaller one facing Southwark Street. It is likely that these were the original houses built on the property by Mr James Long Fleming who purchased it in 1863. A sales notice from 1864 describes the property as a quarter acre section of freehold land with a dwelling house of five rooms (likely the one facing St Asaph Street) and a cottage of two rooms (likely the one facing Southwark Street) (Lyttelton Times, 30/8/1864: 4).

The St Asaph Street aerated water factory site highlighted in red, as shown on Stouts 1877 map of Christchurch. Facing St Asaph Street are two houses, the large building in the centre is the new factory building, with two outbuildings to the east. Another small cottage faces Southwark Street.

Henry Joseph Milsom’s return to St Asaph Street appears to have been in preparation to take over the factory from his uncle, who seems to have retired in 1880. Although J. Milsom does seem to continue to have had some involvement in the business, as it was not until 1882 that the firm begun to trade as H. J. Milsom and Co. But all up that makes over 20 years in the aerated water industry, which is a pretty good innings.

The business seemed to have prospered under Henry’s lead, as in 1884 he was advertising the removal of an old house, buildings, sheds, and other things to make way for the construction of ‘new and extensive buildings’ (Press, 5/4/1884: 3). It seemed as though he was planning another revamp of the factory and accommodations. However, in less than a fortnight after placing the advertisement, Henry died of a ‘short but severe illness’ at the St Asaph premises aged 42 (Press, 14/4/1884: 2). Henry’s widow, Mrs Amelia Jane Milsom, initially took over the running of the business, and later sold it in December of 1884 to Henry Mace (Star, 6/01/1885: 2). Thus, marking the end of the Milsom era at St Asaph Street.

Auction notice for the removal of buildings at the Milsom’s Lemonade and Cordial Factory, 1884. Press, 5/04/1884:3.

A public notice detailing the sale of the St Asaph Street factory to Henry Mace, following the death of Henry Milsom. Star, 6/01/1885: 2.

Henry Mace had an interesting life and was quite the successful man. He was born in Yorkshire, England in 1837, and, like many others, was drawn out to Australasia after the discovery of gold (The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District] 1903:367). In 1861, after a few years on the Australian goldfields, Henry crossed the ditch and began looking for gold in Otago. He, along with his brothers John and Charles, began prospecting at the junction of 12 Mile Creek and the Arrow River, with the ensuing settlement named ‘Macetown’ after the trio. Following his success on the goldfields, he became an important figure in the aerated water industry. Prior to his purchasing of the Milsom factory, he also ran factories in Hokitika and Wellington.

The man, the myth, the mohawk? The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District] 1903:367.

Tancred Street, Hokitika in the 1870s, looking towards the Southern Alps with the Hokitika River on the left. Part of the Mace & Dixon building is visible on the left. Image: westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/26468 .

After purchasing the Milsom business from Mrs Amelia Jane Milsom, Mace renamed the business ‘H. Mace’ and traded from the factory. He seems to have continued on with the site renovations started by Henry Milsom, as an 1885 description of the factory states he had a large main building, a stable, and a coach house. These buildings are likely the ones shown on the 1899 survey plan. Here is a full description of the factory:

“His large and commodious building is built of brick and stone, as also is a large six-stalled stable and coach-house, with an extensive loft, and is situated in St. Asaph-street, running through to George-street. The upper storey of the factory is used as a storeroom for the numerous articles used in the manufacture of cordials bitters, sauce, &c. The ground floor contains the factory, cordial room and office. Water is laid on throughout the premises, and the frequent use of it keeps the place pleasantly cool. The machine at work is a soda-water machine (by Barrett and Foster) with double cylinders, each containing eight gallons, capable of turning out 1600 dozen daily. It is driven by an Otto silent gas-engine of 3-horse power. This also drives the oat-crushing and chaff-cutting machines in the stable loft-Among the other apparatus are the several bottling machines, which are used for filling the Hogben, Lamont, and Coad patents, as well as the ordinary plain bottle—all of which are in use by this firm—a siphon, filler, and a gasometer, one of the largest in the colony. In the cordial room are the several casks in use for the manufacture of cordials, sauce, bitters, &c., whilst all the shelves are kept constantly filled up with them. They are all corked by the French. Gervais corking machine, which compresses and drives in the cork at the same time.”

– Illustrated Guide to Christchurch and Neighbourhood, 1885: 208.

The St Asaph Street factory site as shown on an 1899 survey plan. The factory is now in the centre of the western section. LINZ, 1899.

Henry Mace’s brand became known for their dogs head logo, variations of which featured on the bottles produced, and the business powered on through the 1880s and 1890s. In c. 1901, H. Mace became H. Mace & Co., with William Longton becoming a partner. But, soon after this, in mid-1902, Henry Mace died of rheumatic fever. Nevertheless, the business continued under his name, trading until 1923 (Christchurch Antique Bottle and Collectables Club Inc, 2022: 126-127).

H. Mace bottle with dog head logo in centre. Image: C. Watson.

Advertisement for H. Mace & Co.. Davie, 1902: 35.

By the turn of the 20^th century, the factory site was still owned by Mrs Amelia Jane Milsom. In 1900 she sold the eastern section to Grummitt, White, and Co., who were clothing manufacturers that specialised in waterproof clothing, and in 1906 she sold the western section to James and Catherine Rattray. Through the 20^th century the site became heavily built up with commercial buildings, but nothing too major seems to have happened. By 2004 much of the former factory site was used as carparks, which are an archaeologists best friend. You’ll see why next time.

Grummitt and White Christchurch clothing factory St. Asaph Street, Christchurch. The aerated water factory site is on the right. Image: CCL-KPCD13-0006, Christchurch City Libraries, 2021.

Alana Kelly

References

Christchurch Antique Bottle and Collectables Club Inc, 2022. Unearthed: Bottles of the Christchurch & District Soft Drink Industry 1860-1980. Christchurch Antique Bottle and Collectables Club Inc, Christchurch.

Christchurch City Libraries, 2021. [online] Available at: https://christchurchcitylibraries.com

Cyclopaedia Company Ltd., 1903. Cyclopaedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]. The Cyclopaedia Company Limited, Chistchurch.

Davie, M., 1902. Tourist’s Guide to Canterbury. P. A. Herman, Christchurch. [online] Available at: https://christchurchcitylibraries.com/DigitalCollection/Publications/1900s/TouristGuide1902/Pages/83338-001.asp

Fooks, C. E., 1862. Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand [map].

LINZ, 1899. A 8690, Canterbury. Landonline.

Lyttelton Times, 1851-1920. [online] Available at: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers.

Mosely, M., 1885. Illustrated Guide to Christchurch and Neighbourhood. J. T. Smith & Co., Christchurch. [online] Available at: https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-MosIllu.html

Press, 1861-1945. [online] Available at: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/.

Southern provinces almanac, directory, and year-book, 1864. Lyttelton Times, Christchurch. [online] Available at: https://canterburystories.nz/collections/publications/southern-provinces-almanac/ccl-cs-11851

Star, 1868-1935. [online] Available at: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers.

Strouts, F., 1877. Map of Christchurch, Canterbury compiled from data supplied to City Council and District Drainage Board [map].

West Coast Recollect, 2023. [online] Available at: https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/

We’re Feeling 2022

Posted on 23 December 2022 by Clara Watson

And just like that, it’s Christmas time again. 2022 has been a really great year for archaeology in Christchurch. We’ve worked on some big projects this year, and we’ve had some super interesting finds.

Jumping back to the start of this year, we spent most of January and February on the site of the new Court Theatre. This section of Colombo Street was a strip of retail stores, and a lot of what we found were features that related to these stores. We also found some pretty amazing artefacts, which generated a lot of media attention with Alana giving an interview to the Press and Clara appearing on the news talking about the site.

Neda and Alana excavating the remains of a fireplace. Unfortunately, the site had asbestos contamination so the field team were kitted out in full PPE at the height of summer.

A rubbish pit full of crystal tumblers, dishes and wine glasses that never made it out the shop door.

Once this brick well was abandoned, the occupants of the site made use of the space by throwing their rubbish into it.

Alana confirming that the well was dug into the water table by testing the waters for herself.

The smoking pipe that garnered all the media attention! This smoking pipe was made by L. Fiolet, a French pipe manufacturer that made high end pipes. The pipe depicts the confronting scene of an Indian mutineer about to slaughter a woman and was inspired by the 1857 Indian Mutiny.

The autumn months were spent mostly doing lots of projects where the works were located in road reserves, things like service renewals and road upgrades. While these works aren’t always the most exciting, there was the added fun of over half of the office going down with Covid at once after a now infamous Friday night at the pub…

Carly was one of the few that avoided being infected at the pub, which meant she was under strict instructions NOT TO CATCH COVID while everyone else was off sick, as someone had to hold the fort. Luckily, she wears a mask with style.

During this period, we also excavated the site of an aerated water factory. It should be of no surprise that we found lots of soda water bottles (although almost all of them were broken we should mention before we start getting messages from bottle collectors), along with more domestic items from the factory owner’s household. We’ve just finished the report from that site, so expect a blog post on it in the new year!

One of the rubbish pits from the soda water factory site that was chock full of bottles! The feature in particular dated to when the factory was first established, and mostly had bottles from England and Australia in it.

Just a few of the bottles that came out of the above feature!

At the end of June, we started our excavation of the Te Kaha site, where the new multi-use arena will be constructed. This project was particularly exciting as we went in ahead of the other earthworks crews and went through and investigated 23 of the archaeological sites that will be destroyed in order for the stadium to be constructed. We were on site until mid-October, and over the course of that time found hundreds of features and thousands of artefacts that relate to 19^th century domestic households. Once again, we managed to hit the mainstream media, with a few newspapers doing stories and Clara appearing on the news again.

Rather unfortunately for us, July happened to be Christchurch’s wettest July on record, which made excavating interesting… Metservice very quickly became our most visited website as we tried to determine if it was going to be dry enough for us to make it out to site.

We also got slammed with lots and lots of big features. See the above example with a Neda for scale.

A rather unintentionally dramatic photo. Hamish and Amy definitely have career options starring in action movies if the archaeology gig doesn’t work out.

One of the best bits about being on a big project like this is getting to work with a large team on site. This photo was taken at the end of a particularly grueling week where we were slammed with big rubbish pits- as you can see from the photo most of them were waist deep!

Clara’s favourite feature from the project- a privy pit! We don’t normally find privy pits in Christchurch, as the dry earth closet system was favoured due to the high-water table, so it was really exciting to get such a great example (only archaeologists would get excited about centuries old poop).

A handful of finds from the site. We’ve got hundreds of boxes of artefacts to go through, so we’ll definitely be busy cataloguing them next year.

The CMUA team at the end of a very long, but very rewards, three and a half months.

As we’ve come back into summer, we’ve been busy writing up reports from the sites that we excavated this year. During the second half of the year, we’ve also once again had interns from the University of Canterbury through the PACE internship program. Emily worked for us on a research project related to the stadium site, while Hannah worked on a project for Lyttelton Port Company to display some of the artefacts that have been found in their office building. It’s been great to host interns again, and they always do such a good job with their projects.

We were super impressed with Hannah’s creativity in finding ways to display artefacts that were both informative and functional. There are definitely some good ideas there for other clients if they’re looking for ways to incorporate artefacts into their developments.

And in a full circle moment, we’re ending the year by cataloguing the artefacts from the Court Theatre site. The artefacts from the site are early for 19^th century Christchurch, with lots of features dating to the 1850s, which has been super cool to see. We will hopefully be sharing some of our findings with you all next year.

One of the shops at the site was a shoe shop, and to say that we found a few shoes would be a massive understatement. Clara had to steal additional desks from people while they were on site as there were too many to fit on her desk.

Some of the pretty ceramic vessels found at the Court Theatre site waiting to be photographed.

We’ve had a bit of a sabbatical from social media this year with so many big projects taking priority, but we’ve got big plans for next year, including hopefully some good in person events for Archaeology Week and Christchurch Heritage Festival. And with that, we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas from the UOA team!

Underground Overground Archaeology

Not just horsing around

Posted on 2 September 2022 by Tristan Wadsworth

Horses were a big part of everyday life in 19^th century Christchurch and were integral for transport and farming endeavours. They were present on the Canterbury Plains long before the Canterbury Pilgrims arrived in 1851, with John Deans having imported three mares for his Riccarton farm in 1843 (Orwin, 2015: 52). But horses were not just for transport or farming, they were also a big part of the community’s leisure time, with horse racing becoming a beloved pastime for many Cantabrians. While horses are used a lot less for transport and farming these days, horse racing is still a widespread sporting activity.

Photograph of a boy riding a toy horse and buggy in c.1920-1930s. Image: Roland Searle, 1920-1930s.

The settlement of Canterbury had been underway less than a year before a public meeting of colonists was called to discuss the establishment of a jockey club in the fledging township in September 1851 (Lyttelton Times, 6/9/1851: 1). The results of this first meeting appear to have been promising, with many of the leading names among the colonists pledging support. They were already discussing their intention to select a site for a racecourse in Riccarton and to have the grounds prepared in time for the first Canterbury Anniversary festival races which were to be held in December 1851.

The objectives for forming such an institution went beyond the mere establishment of horse racing for sport, but also for encouraging the breeding of good horses which “has always been considered a truly English object” (Lyttelton Times, 20/9/1851: 5). The Canterbury plains were considered particularly well adapted for the production of superior horses, and it was hoped that such breeding establishments would stimulate economy and cause an increased demand for locally grown oats, hay, and straw.

Despite the promise shown at the first meeting, for reasons not outlined in the contemporary newspapers, the jockey club was not established in 1851. Nevertheless, even without a jockey club, Cantabrians would not be without horse racing. For the first three years of settlement horse races were held for the December anniversary festival in Hagley Park, organised by a committee of volunteer citizens (Lyttelton Times, 20/12/1851: 6, 25/12/1852: 10, 3/12/1853: 12).

Advertisement to form anniversary race committee in November 1853 (Lyttelton Times, 5/11/1853: 1)

A public meeting to discuss the formation of a jockey club in Canterbury was held for a second time in September 1854 (Lyttelton Times, 16/9/1854: 1). Many of the same gentlemen were present at the second meeting as at the first, and the same high objectives were discussed, but this time the meeting proved successful and the Canterbury Jockey Club (C.J.C.) was formed (Lyttelton Times, 8/11/1854: 4). The first general meeting of the C.J.C. was held in early December 1854 to establish the rules of the club and elect its first officers (Lyttelton Times, 29/11/1854: 1). The annual Canterbury Anniversary races were not held in December 1854 in ‘consequence of the general unsuitableness of the season’ and instead they were postponed until the following March (Lyttelton Times, 20/12/1854: 5). As an alternative to the anniversary races, the C.J.C hosted a New Year’s Day race on their ‘new course’ on 1^st January 1855 – utilising for the first time the racecourse at Riccarton (Lyttelton Times, 23/12/1854: 4).

Photograph of Phar Lap galloping in c.1920s. Image: Te Papa Tongarewa.

The C.J.C.’s first official race meeting was held at the Riccarton Racecourse in March 1855. The festivities comprised two days of events which included a hurdle race and races over a half mile, one mile, two miles, and three miles (Lyttelton Times, 17/2/1855: 1). The meeting was well patronised with attendance on the course being numerous (Lyttelton Times, 14/3/1855: 4). Since its inaugural race in 1855, the Riccarton Racecourse has continued to be the home of racing in Christchurch and since 1865 it has been the location of the annual New Zealand Cup race.

Map of the facilities at the Riccarton Racecourse in 1939. Image: Evening Post, 5/8/1939: 22

Just as it had been predicted in 1851, the formation of the Canterbury Jockey Club and the establishment of horse racing in Christchurch stimulated the Canterbury economy. The breeding of thoroughbred racehorses was quickly taken up, and numerous advertisements for stud horses of fine racing lineage began to appear in the local newspapers.

Advertisement to stud the well-known thoroughbred horse Joe Miller (Lyttelton Times, 20/10/1855: 2)

Auction houses were also erected for the specific purpose of selling horses. David Barnard had constructed his horse repository on Cashel Street (near the corner of High Street) by the beginning of 1863 (Press, 3/1/1863: 6). Within three years Barnard had erected a specialised area within the auction house specifically for the sale of racehorses which he called “the Christchurch Tattersall’s” (Lyttelton Times, 8/6/1866: 2). The name Tattersall’s persisted, and the Tattersall’s auction houses remained a fixture on Cashel Street until the 1930s. Barnard’s horse repository also became closely linked with the Canterbury Jockey Club, with the club using the premises as its club rooms for a number of years (Lyttelton Times, 17/7/1865: 2). A description printed in the Lyttelton Times in December 1865 indicates just how popular and well patronised the horse bazaar was:

It is well known that at Barnard’s repository thousands almost congregate every Saturday. It is the Christchurch fair, where all classes, high and low, rich and poor, are to be found. Horse dealers, horse buyers, horse sellers, and horse breakers are always to be found here (Press, 14/12/1865: 3).

Photograph of Tattersall’s horse bazaar (originally Barnard’s repository) on Cashel Street in the c.1880s. Image: Christchurch City Libraries.

Back in 2014, we excavated part of the site of Tattersall’s horse bazaar, and while we didn’t find remains associated with the bazaar itself, we did uncover a cellar structure which you can read about here.

With horses playing such a big part of everyday life in 19^th century Canterbury, it is no surprise that horses appear in the archaeological record. Horseshoes are ubiquitous on every site, which attests to the ubiquitous nature of horses as the primary source of labour and transport prior to automation [1]. I’m reminded of the ‘Great horse manure crisis of 1894‘, the notion that in the late 19^th century the issue of removing horse manure from the street was one of the major issues facing urban transport and development. To remove the manure, you’d need to bring in more horse and carts to remove it, which just produces more manure! It’s horse manure all the way down!

Anyway, we also find the remains of horse bridles, yokes, and other accoutrements, further attesting to the primary role of our equine accomplices in hauling everything (including their own manure) that the fledgling city of Christchurch needed.

Horse workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your yokes!

Toy horses have always been popular, and we find these on sites as well.

Toy horse (left ) and horse shoe (right). Image K. Bone.

The remains of the horses themselves are also relatively common. Less so than sheep, pig, or cattle, but isolated horse bones are often parts of an assemblage, likely the remains of some butchered for dog feed. On occasion we find whole skeletons, not of racehorses, but likely of work horses submitted to the earth for their final rest.

Horse skeletons found associated with a stable at the Isaac Theatre Royal Site (left) and at in a farming context at Redcliffs (right)[2].

A selection of ceramics showing horse imagery.

And in the very end…

Early 20th century Gloy Glue pot. Image: J. Garland. To read more about 19th century glue, see here.

Lydia Mearns

Footnotes

[1] Ed – Unfortunately, by nature of being excavated, any luck contained therein these shoes has already slipped out.

[2] Ed – Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yet/ Feels shorter than the Day/ I first surmised the Horses’ Heads/ Were toward Eternity

2021: A Busy Year

Posted on 23 December 2021 by Clara Watson

If there was one word to describe 2021, then it would be busy! It’s been a hectic year on all fronts this year. Thinking back to March-April we were definitely like ships in the night, with everyone coming and going from different sites. Even Clara and Kirsa were both covering multiple sites- something that never happens! We had a wee reprieve from fieldwork in the middle of year, but made up for it with assessments. And then had the same pattern over the latter half of the year- with lots of fieldwork around September and October and lots of assessments the past couple of months. While it made for a full on year, it did mean that there was plenty of opportunities for lots of photos.

Smiles all round before a big survey.

Jamie and Rebecca pausing their survey to pose.

Clara contorts her body to shade the feature- the technical term for this is “throwing shade”

Neda takes a break mid half-section to show off her finds.

Jamie and Neda are 10/10 so happy about the number of rubbish pits and features that were at this site.

What’s this? A shoe? Rebecca really taking the time to appreciate the artefacts coming out of the site.

A common theme this year, car boots filled up with artefacts.

Jamie and Neda explored new excavation techniques like digging with your eyes shut and digging upside down and sharing the spading.

Kirsa stoked with her feature.

Tristan, Carly and Alana enjoyed some well deserved ice creams after a tough day digging.

Rebecca and Neda demonstrating their fantastic bandaging skills on their first aid course- if anyone gets hurt we’ll be in safe hands.

Tristan demonstrated stone tool making for us.

Kirsa made sure to protect the plants during our earthquake drill.

Rebecca and Neda are still smiling despite the rapidly fading light as the digger continues to excavate late.

Jamie stands beside the now demolished St Mary’s Church in Pleasant Point.

A big milestone was the repealing of the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act at the end of June. We spent a good chunk of the first half of the year applying for general authorities for clients who had earthquake authorities with ongoing site works, or monitoring works for clients who were trying to get their projects finished before the legislation ended. For those of the team who were around in the heyday of the post-earthquake boom, it was a time to reflect back on when they used to be sent lists of hundreds of sites to appraise, and spent their days going site-to-site recording constant pre-1900 building demolitions and monitoring foundation removals.

A well deserved wine for these five (and for all the ex-UOA staff who also worked through the earthquake period).

We had four students work with us this year as part of the PACE internship program through the University of Canterbury. The students assisted Clara with cataloguing artefacts, wrote blog posts and helped put together exhibitions. It’s been great to see the interns develop their skills and to learn a bit about archaeology, and hopefully they’ll be able to use the experience in their future careers. We’ve also been able to offer one of them, Naquita, a part time job with us following on from her internship.

Three of our four interns from this year- Rosie, Alethea and Naquita.

Speaking of exhibitions, we had some good ones this year. For this year’s Archaeology Week, we had an exhibition of a doctor’s assemblage. Clara also spoke on the assemblage at a series of talks organised for Archaeology Week, and more recently presented on it at this year’s Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology conference (it’s been her favourite site of the year if you can’t tell). If you missed seeing it, there’s a summary of the talk here. For Heritage Festival we had another exhibition that was centred around the various types of artefacts found on archaeological sites in Christchurch. Our fabulous intern Alethea put together a website to accompany the exhibition (as well as doing most of the hard yards in terms of putting the exhibition together), and you can see that here if you missed it earlier in the year.

Clara speaking on her medical site as part of Beneath Our Feet: Archaeological Stories of Place, an event held for the 2021 Archaeology Week.

As has probably been a theme for most people this year, Covid has cast a shadow over the year. We’ve been pretty lucky to escape the worst of it being in Christchurch, but our lockdown did lead to some serious malaise.

Covid cat says wear your masks folks!

This year’s been a bit of a mixed bag in terms of projects. There’s been lots and lots and lots of drains and roading jobs and other infrastructure projects. These types of sites are interesting in a big picture way, when we take what we’ve learnt from all the individual sites and look at the infrastructure from 19th century Christchurch and what it can tell us about the infrastructure of a 19th century city, but are perhaps less interesting when you’re standing on the side of a road staring at a drain. We’ve had our usual rebuild and inner city development projects, which are always good for learning more about domestic life in 19th century Christchurch. And we’ve also been doing assessments and carrying out enabling and investigative works for some of the final big inner city projects. We’ve already found some extremely cool things on these projects, but have yet to really share those publicly as we’re saving them for exhibitions and displays that will hopefully happen next year or the year after. Looking at the calendar though, 2022 is going to be a really good year and we’ve got some exciting stuff in the pipeline.

A few favourite finds from the year.

With every year we welcome new people, and say goodbye to others. Neda, who interned with us last summer, employed the excellent job-obtaining technique of just never leaving once summer finished, and is now a full-time member of our team (as you might have already gathered from her photo-ops earlier on in the blog) We then sadly said goodbye to Angel, our Uncle Bulgaria, who was one of our main field archaeologists and always good at coming out with the best one-liners in the office. Next we welcomed Nigel from Australia. Nigel managed to time his starting at the company with a sudden spate of night works, which, with being the new guy, he of course got assigned to and is now known as Ole’ Night Works Nigel. Following Nigel we welcomed Carly and then Alana to the office. Carly has worked in America and Auckland previously, and brought some “wild” habits with her, like drinking a can of V before 9am, but also brings a lot of field experience as well as being a lovely person. Alana had been previously working mainly in Kaikōura and was extremely excited to dig her first historic rubbish pit on her second day of working with us. And today we say goodbye to Michael and Megan. Megan’s been with us since December 2014- meaning she’s worked with us for seven years! She’s done a lot over that time- lots of the work at the port and the various infrastructure jobs that took place under SCIRT. She’s been a team leader and has mentored a lot of our new staff members over the past few years. She’s a genuinely wonderful person and a great archaeologist and we’re really going to miss her!

We hope everyone has a great Christmas break and we’ll be back in February with more blogs on Christchurch archaeology. Byyyyyeeeee.