Exhibition: Archaeology Of An 1860s Shopfront

Looking out through the western windows of Tūranga to the site of the new Christchurch Convention Centre, this exhibition showcases the archaeology and stories of the 1860s shops that once covered that same street-front.

Many of the huge array of artefacts excavated from the site were once "fancy goods" displayed on the shelves of shops like London and Paris House, Gould and Miles or the Well-Known Little Shop, for the perusal of early colonial settlers in need of a little retail therapy.

Come along to Tūranga from April 23rd onwards to find out more, including why these objects were thrown away (possible culprits include clumsiness, fisticuffs and a lost labrador), how many times shops on this street burned down (more than you think) and what these artefacts, together with the stories of the shops and shopkeepers, can tell us about colonial consumer culture in 1860s Christchurch.