Image
ccl-cs-6019

Christchurch Brick Company

Situated at 180 Tuam Street, the warehouse for the Christchurch Brick Company was designed by Samuel Hurst Seager and built in 1906.

By 1874, Town Section 1121 on Tuam Street was owned by William Montgomery. In 1886, he transferred part of the section to Charles Franklin Todhunter. In 1901, the property was transferred to Thomas Norrie Horsley and George William Horsley. The Horsley brothers had started a brick manufacturing firm after purchasing Farnley works in 1898. In 1903, they amalgamated with Wigram Brothers brickworks in Hillsborough to form the Christchurch Brick Company. 

The title to the property was transferred to the company in 1906. In that year, a warehouse was constructed for them according to designs by Samuel Hurst Seager. The construction made use of bricks, rock faced bricks, and sand lime bricks.

The northern façade of the building, which faced Tuam Street, was designed in the manner of Edwardian Classicism. On the ground floor was an arched window and an arched entrance way. Above this, on the first floor of the façade, were two arched windows with keystones featuring decorative faces. Set between the windows was a decorative feature. The façade was topped by an entablature and a pediment. 

Inside the building, upon entering from Tuam Street, was an office to the east. To the south of the office was a set of stairs which led up to the first floor. Beyond this, further to the south, was the work room. Here, separated by a wall from the first set of stairs, was another set of stairs that led up to a mezzanine floor which overlooked the work room.

In 1924, the property was transferred to the son of Thomas Horsley, Robert Charles Horsley. In partnership with Frederick James Good, the company became Horsley and Good. Good died in 1937, and in November the company was registered as R. C. Horsley Limited.

Although Robert died in 1944, the business continued and in 1946 the property was transferred to Robert’s widow, Isabella.

In 1955, Isabella transferred the property to Tuam Investments Limited. By 1957, Fuller Brothers printing press was operating from the building. Alterations were approved in 1956 to install fire escapes (as seen on the Tuam Street façade) and to turn the front door on Tuam Street into folding doors.

In 1993, the building qualified for restoration under the Christchurch City Council historic buildings retention incentives policy and its interior and exterior was upgraded. In 1996, the property was transferred to Graeme Bruce Edwards. In 2000, it was transferred to Bruce Thomas Anson Wright.

In 2009, Wright sold the building to Justine Marriott and Chris Bissell. They operated an antiques and collectables business known as The Blue Kiwi.

The building was damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes and subsequently demolished.