Heart of the city : the story of Christchurch's controversial cathedral / Edmund Bohan.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 331-334) and index.

Utopian dreams and harsh reality -- Bishop Harper and the Cathedral Commission -- A desolate site in the middle of the Square -- A Cathedral is consecrated -- The age of Julius -- Completion at last -- A symbol for a city -- War, pestilence and remembrance -- Hard times -- Another war, peace and Canterbury's centennial -- Deans make their mark -- The Cathedral's centenary and artistic disputes -- The age of Coles and Bluck -- A new dean and bishop -- 'In quires and places where they sing' -- Spaces transformed -- Earthquakes -- Demolition or reinstatement? : the debate begins -- Court cases and options -- Evidence and decisions : the Dean report and Cathedral Working Group report -- Towards restoration -- Epilogue -- Renderings of the proposed rebuild.

"Even before Christchurch was settled its cathedral was the focus of ferocious public debate. Where should a cathedral be built? How would it be paid for? Should it be built in wood or stone in an earthquake-prone country? Who should oversee the building? It took too long to build and its financial position has often been perilous. In recent memory there were quarrels over a visitors' centre and whether ratepayers should help to pay for earthquake strengthening. And, when it was left almost in ruins, should it be demolished, rebuilt or restored? Most important of all to the people of Christchurch, to whom did it really belong? It has been a tranquil and lovely place of devotion and worship, and a venue for the celebration of civic, national and international events. Thousands of tourists have walked its aisles and climbed its tower. It has won fame for the beauty of its music. Along with the Avon /Otakaro River, its silhouette appears on all the city's official signage. Christ Church Cathedral has stood in its Square for close to a century and a half. Acclaimed historian Edmund Bohan tells the fascinating story of this controversial but beloved building, from its beginnings in an embryonic settlement to its resurrection after disaster. In a lively, approachable text, well-illustrated throughout, he outlines the cathedral's remarkable past and brings to life the equally remarkable people who have worked and worshipped there. He details the triumphs and the troubles, and looks to a future in which this instantly recognisable church will once again stand as the safe and welcoming heart of the city to which it belongs"--Page 4 of cover.