Townsend Observatory, owned and administered by the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, is part of the

Arts Centre An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, New Zealand and was open on clear Friday evenings. The building collapsed in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

History

James Townsend was one of the Canterbury Pilgrims, having arrived on the '' Cressy'' in December 1850. In his retirement, he lived on Park Terrace, just north of the site of the

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, Engl ...

. In 1891, he gifted his equatorial telescope to the college, as he wished to make it available to the community. Townsend's telescope was built by

Thomas Cook & Son Thomas Cook & Son, originally simply Thomas Cook, was a company founded by Thomas Cook, a cabinet-maker, in 1841 to carry temperance supporters by railway between the cities of Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham. In 1851, Cook arran ...

in 1864. Triggered by Townsend's gift, the Astronomical Society of Christchurch made its funds of NZ£420 available to the college on the understanding that an observatory would be built. New Zealand was in a recession, and the college was reluctant to start a new building. Townsend died in November 1894 and did not see the observatory being started. In 1895, the decision was made to build a new biology building including a tower for the observatory. It was

Benjamin Mountfort Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort (13 March 1825 – 15 March 1898) was an English emigrant to New Zealand, where he became one of the country's most prominent 19th-century architects. He was instrumental in shaping the city of Christchurch's unique ...

's last major design for the college and cost twice his estimate, but nonetheless was not lavish. In an editorial, the local newspaper, ''

The Press ''The Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand owned by media business Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One com ...

'', called it "a small but picturesque looking structure". There were maintenance problems with the roof and the original canvas and wooden dome structure had to be replaced in 1914. In the early 1940s, the same problems occurred and the telescope suffered damage, but it was not until 1950 that the roof was replaced. The observatory was open to the public from 8pm to 10.30pm, during the non-daylight saving months from March to October. The observatory was destroyed, and its historic Cooke 6" refractor telescope damaged when the part of the Arts Centre housing them collapsed as a result of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The University hopes to be able to restore the telescope. The restored tower and telescope opened as a hotel in 2022.

References

External links

Townsend Observatory webpage

The Arts Centre website
{{Astronomical observatories in New Zealand Astronomical observatories in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Christchurch 2011 Christchurch earthquake Benjamin Mountfort buildings 1890s architecture in New Zealand