The east side of Christchurch's Cranmer Square between Chester and Kilmore Streets in 1940, 1959 and 2007. The cottage to the Left in the earlier photographs dates from the early 1870s, but had been demolished by 1965.
In this drawing the early 1870s cottage is to the Right. At the far Left is the extant mid 1870s shop at the corner of Kilmore Street, which had become the Tuck Shop of the adjacent Normal School by the 1950s. Next to the shop is an extant mid 1850s cottage. The two storey house to the Right of the this cottage was the pre 1877 home of William Wilson, Headmaster of the Methodist Church School in Durham Street.
In 1900 the Methodist church in St Asaph Street burned down, with the adjacent church hall suffering minor damage. In an area that was becoming increasingly industrial, it was decided not to rebuild the church. The hall was dismantled and rebuilt as a school behind Wilson's house, across the boundary to the gable roofed dwelling next door. This early 1860s house was also part of the school, which had five teachers and 75 pupils, including 12 boarders by 1904 (above). Demolished by 1975, the site of William Wilson's house has been a car park ever since.
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