Entry East Wall

The first panel, under the Seal of the Canterbury Association, gives the names of the members of that Association. It is interesting to note the number of Association members whose family names became place -names in Canterbury, such as: Coleridge, Ashley, Godley, Heathcote, Sumner, Lyttelton, Harewood to name a few.

The second panel, under the Arms of the Diocese of Canterbury, has “The Bidding”:

 “You have come to see this Cathedral. Remember that it is the House of God and a place of prayer. Observe here how men have used their talents to build a Shrine for God’s Glory and to create a place for your worship. Having seen the beauty of form and colour, craft and skill, pause a while to pray and thank God for His good gifts to our fathers and to us their children. Ask a blessing on those who minister, and on those who worship and seek strength to serve their generation.

Pray for God’s blessing on our City, our Nation and our World that He may teach us and all men the Beauty of Truth, the Wisdom of Love and the Spirit of Fellowship. And go forth from this Sanctuary of God with renewed strength to witness more gratefully for Him in your daily life. The Lord preserve thy going out and thy coming in.”

The third panel, under the Arms of the Diocese of Christchurch, recounts briefly the story of the foundation of Canterbury.

The fourth panel, under the Arms of Christ Church, Oxford, records the establishment of Christchurch as a city, the first town in New Zealand to be so designated.

The bench-mark is on the floor below this panel and gives Christchurch as 20.314ft above Mean Sea Level, Lyttelton. Surveyors and engineers still use this mark.