TheChristchurch Club is a historicprivate members' club in thecentral city ofChristchurch, New Zealand. The older of the two Christchurch clubs, it was founded by rural landholders in 1856; the rival organisation, theCanterbury Club, was a breakaway that was founded by urban professionals in 1872.
The Christchurch Club, originally simply known asThe Club, was founded by wealthyrunholders in 1856.[1]George Ross was one of the founding members.[2] At first, premises were rented in Durham Street for members who were visiting Christchurch to use.[3]Benjamin Mountfort, Christchurch's pre-eminent architect, was engaged to design the club's building for the site adjacent toLatimer Square on Worcester Street. The design is unusual and unique for Mountfort, and is thought to be a compromise between an Italian Palazzo architecture preferred by the club members that can be found in theTravellers andReform Clubs inLondon, and Mountfort's preference for a Gothic architecture. The chosenItalian Villa style was seen as relatively informal yet elegant and rural. The building was erected in 1861–62. Due to the composition of its membership, the Christchurch Club was "an informal seat of power in nineteenth century Canterbury". The building was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (since renamed toHeritage New Zealand) on 2 April 1985 as a Category I historic place.[1]
The Christchurch Club building suffered significant damage in the2010 and2011 earthquakes, and as of April 2016 operates out of the George Hotel while the historic premises are under repair.[4] There have been a number of attempts over the decades for the two Christchurch clubs to merge again, and the last such proposal was discussed in 2013.[5]
43°31′52.23″S172°38′29.65″E / 43.5311750°S 172.6415694°E /-43.5311750; 172.6415694