Stalls assigned to the cathedral's canons and lay canons for their term of office. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
Stalls assigned to the cathedral's canons and lay canons for their term of office. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
For the first time in years, pictures of the wrecked interior of the Christ Church cathedral have been released.
The images come from a Beca drone that was flown inside the building in 2019.
The footage was released exclusively to the Herald.
The building was devastated by the February 2011earthquake and stood fenced off for years until a decision to reinstate the cathedral was made in 2017.
Heritage expert and Anglican lay cannon Jenny May was one of the few people who entered parts of the damaged building after the earthquake, alongside Urban Search and Rescue, to retrieve items important to the Anglican church, including the processional crosses, silver chalices and the bishop's crosier.
The roof interior was taken over by pigeons, which are in the process of being removed. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
Ten years on, the drone footage revealed an interior frozen in time, with large piles of rubble throughout the building, and a thick layer of pigeon poo covering everything under the rafters.
An area near where the cathedral tower collapsed had developed its own "micro-climate", with trees and plants growing in exposed areas.
The interior has been left relatively untouched for almost a decade after Urban Search and Rescue teams finished searching the building. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
Stalls, seats allocated to the cathedral's canons and lay canons, remained, as well as the organ, which contained about 4000 pipes.
Stabilisation work on the building is now well underway, and the entire reinstatement is expected to take up to eight years.
The West Wall, which used to hold the large Rose Window above the main doors. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
Many heritage aspects of the building are also being saved, rescued, or put back together, including the large Rose Window in the West Wall.
In October 2020 it was revealed the cost to reinstate the cathedral, build two new buildings, and do the surrounding landscaping would be about $154 million.
The South Aisle. While some artifacts were saved after the earthquakes, much remains inside. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
The Christ Church Cathedral Reinstate Trust is expected to soon release a guided video tour of inside the building, narrated by May.
The cathedral organ contained about 4000 pipes. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
A wild garden has grown in an area near where the cathedral's tower used to stand. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
The roof interior was taken over by pigeons, which are in the process of being removed. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
The North Aisle holds the entry door to the North Porch, which is being stabilised. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
The reinstatement of the cathedral is expected to take up to eight years and cost about $154 million. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
Stalls assigned to the cathedral's canons and lay canons for their term of office. Photo / Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
