2020-10-02 -43 172

Location

Woolston Cemetery (aka Rutherford Street Cemetery), Christchurch, New Zealand

Participants

The Quaternary (talk) family geohashers

Plans

Today's hash is in a cemetery. Should be easy to get to being a public space, but what happens if the hash is in the middle of someone's plot?!?

Expedition

My trusty side-kick and I set off, parking on the side street to the cemetery. Originally called the "Lower Heathcote Cemetery", its now known as the Woolston Cemetery or the Rutherford Street Cemetery. It is the second oldest cemetery in Christchurch, and opened in 1866 and is now closed. The cemetery is located within an industrial area adjacent to a busy arterial road (Rutherford Street) and factories.

"Arranged in the traditional monumental style of a late Victorian cemetery, the graves are laid out in a formal grid pattern. They are close together and are separated by narrow grass paths. Well established deciduous trees including many notable trees provide a pleasant enclosed woodland feel to the cemetery, however there are still views towards the Port Hills." (https://ccc.govt.nz/culture-and-community/heritage/heritage-in-the-city/cemeteries/)

Happily (what I took to be) the hashpoint was in a grassy path. The closest plot of graves was of the Cholmondeley family. In fact, it turns out that the Cholmondeley family are buried throughout the cemetery. One of the Cholmondeley relatives, Hugh Cholmondeley (not buried here) is a familiar name to the people of Christchurch, as "Hugh made his mark on history in 1925 when he founded the Cholmondeley Children’s Home in Governor’s Bay. Extremely fond of children, he and his wife Margaret (known as Mary) were childless. When she died of Appendicitis Peritonitis, Hugh made the decision to take over the land that had been owned by nuns and built a children’s home in her memory." (https://www.peelingbackhistory.co.nz/the-cholmondeleys-family/)

However, who is buried here is Hugh's sister, Georgiana Adelaide Cholmondeley, who died aged 23 at her home, Vale Royal, Port Levy, on 15 July 1866 - she was the very first person to be buried in this cemetery! (https://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Cemeteries/Woolston/HeathcoteCemetery.pdf)

Tracklog

Photos

We parked on a side street and this was our first view of the cemetery.
At the hashpoint and looking south. The hashpoint is just in front of my feet. Note that one of the closest graves (the one that reads "AGED 23 YEARS" at the bottom of the photo) is coincidentally the oldest in the cemetery.
Looking north.
Looking west.
Looking east, showing the Cholmondeley plot.
Caroline Fry (nee Cholmondeley) died aged 40 of TB; sadly her daughter aged 13 died the following month. Her parents are buried there too.
Georgiana Adelaide Cholmondeley, the first person to be buried in this cemetery.
George James Cholmondeley. This may have been Georgiana's cousin - she did have a brother with the same name, but he died much later than this.