West Porch

Jollie Memorial Tablets

These tablets commemorate Edward Jollie, who assisted in the planning of Christchurch and Lyttelton and his grandson. Edward Jollie was born in 1825 and arrived in New Zealand in 1842. He took part in the survey of Otago and later of Canterbury, naming many of the streets of Christchurch and Lyttelton. He made the first overland journey with sheep between Nelson and Canterbury, having Jollies Pass named after him. He was a member of the Provincial Council from 1865 to 1876.

The 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.

The South Wall

The Canterbury Cross is a copy of one made, perhaps in Kent, in the eighth century. It is set in stone taken from the wall of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. As the emblem of salvation and the pledge of friendship, it was given to this Cathedral by the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral in 1935. It is one of 93 sent to cathedrals in the British Empire and in the United States of America. They were dedicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury at an Empire Day service, 1935, in Canterbury Cathedral.

The stones are gifts of the original fabric of the buildings mentioned: Christchurch Priory, Tintern Abbey, Glastonbury, Herod’s Temple, St Paul’s Cathedral, Christ Church (Oxford), and Christchurch (New Zealand). They were placed in position by the Canterbury Pilgrims’ and Early Settlers’ Association after the Pilgrims’ Service in December 1982.

The Doorway

The doorway, notable for the beautiful carving of the stonework, was given by the Cathedral Guild formed in 1873 partly to assist in collecting subscriptions for the building of the Cathedral and then contributing to some definite scheme towards the whole. The doors are of oak and were given by the Mothers’ Union of the diocese in memory of Mrs Mabel West-Watson, wife of the third bishop. The tympanum above is filled with a carved panel representing Our Lord in the act of Blessing. This was the gift of Mrs Bealey, sister-in-law of the third Provincial Superintendent, through the Cathedral Guild.