What it is
The buildings were the original campus of Canterbury College, today the University of Canterbury, along with those of Christchurch Boys' and Girls' High Schools. Architects Benjamin Mountfort and later Samuel Hurst Seager designed much of the complex, including the Clock Tower and the Great Hall. Ernest Rutherford studied here, and Rutherford's Den recreates the setting of his early experiments.
When the university moved to Ilam, the site passed in 1979 to a trust that turned it into an arts centre. The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes caused severe damage and closed the complex; restoration has reopened most buildings since 2013, including the Great Hall in 2016, and the university's classics and music schools returned in 2017.
Getting there by bus
Hereford St near Montreal St (stop 52915), about 160 m away, and Rolleston Ave near Gloucester St (stop 52927), around 190 m away, are both served by route 8 (Airport/Lyttelton).
For more connections, walk about 6 minutes south to Christchurch Hospital Main Stop (stops 51824 and 14704) or St Asaph St near Montreal St (stop 14271), served by routes 3, 5, 7, 60, 80, 81, 84, 85 and 86; the hospital stops also have routes 91 and 92.
