Mourning is typically a very personal and complicated process. We often confide in others and tell them we are grieving, but in many cases it can be hard to tell at first glance whether a person is in mourning. Apart from people wearing black during funerals and the use of black remembrance armbands by sports... Continue Reading →
Pshhhhhhttttt. Click. Riiiiiiiiiiiip. There are many sounds of summer but the one I remember with childhood fondness is the treat of opening a cold can of soda on a blistering hot day. The history of beverages spans centuries, cultures and many ingredients. However, the advent of that fizzy carbonated sweet drink stored in a sealed bottle... Continue Reading →
The Ashburton Museum & Historical Society Inc. collection, which is cared for by the Museum staff of the Ashburton Art Gallery & Museum, contains a vast number of photographs covering various topics relating to Ashburton District's social history. Businesses, farms, celebrations, portraiture, family groups, services, buildings, disasters... if it happened, chances are people took photographs... Continue Reading →
The Ashburton Museum has come a long way since the Ashburton Historical Society first met on 30 October 1958. Individuals with a mutual interest in this district’s history came together with a common goal: to preserve and display materials that were deemed important to Ashburton’s past. 63 years and several Museum buildings later, the Ashburton... Continue Reading →
The idea to build a hydroelectric power station at Lake Coleridge came during a time when New Zealand was beginning to take electricity use seriously. During the 1880s and 1890s, growing interest in electric power led the Christchurch City Council to consider building a hydroelectric power station on the Waimakariri River. However, this never came... Continue Reading →
Holiday greeting cards are synonymous with the season, and over the years, whether home or abroad, Ashburtonians have made sure to pass along their Christmas wishes to friends and family. The Ashburton Museum & Historical Society Collection contains a number of Ashburton-themed Christmas cards, as well as various photos and memorabilia relating to Christmas in... Continue Reading →
When looking back at history, we often tend to focus on the big events and build our view of the past around those. However, sources such as newspaper articles from the summer of 1921-1922 can give us an interesting glimpse at everyday life in days gone by. During that hot and sunny season, there were... Continue Reading →
The Ashburton District has had a long history of thriving businesses, of which there have been an impressive number and variety. Coachbuilders, factories, agents, retail stores, and many more enterprises, big and small, have played their role in supporting our local economy and communities. Let's take a look back at a selection of photographs of... Continue Reading →
These images are from a photograph album which was kept by Frederick Walter Rogers (1896 - 1971), who was the son of Harry Rogers, Coldstream Estate manager for the period these photographs were taken. Not only does the album feature images of normal life on the Coldstream Estate in the 1910s, but it also contains... Continue Reading →
Ashburton Borough School was opened on 19 February, 1872, and was the first Government school in Ashburton. With an initial roll of 4 pupils, the school has since grown to accommodate 350 students this year, which is Ashburton Borough School's 150th jubilee. The story of Ashburton Borough School began at least 4 years earlier, in... Continue Reading →
Ashburton Museum 