Additions and alterations included a two-storey wing in the Victorian Gothic style to the south in 1872, and in 1876 a substantial addition was completed facing present-day Rolleston Avenue. In 1882 an internal courtyard was roofed in. The Canterbury Museum is a museum located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the city's Cultural Precinct. The museum was established in 1867 with Julius von Haast – whose collection formed its core. 1904 the Honourable John Peacock, a distinguished pioneer, businessman and politician, bequeathed in his will the sum of 1,000 "for the purpose of beautifying the reserves and gardens in the City of Christchurch and improving the Avon River. This money was used to purchase an ornate Edwardian fountain which was made in England and established in the Botanic Gardens on a site not far from where the Robert McDougall Art Gallery now stands.In 1949 due to deterioration of internal parts the fountain was dismantled and placed in storage.
A number of unsuccessful efforts to have the fountain restored and re-erected were made. Finally, in 1993 renewed interest resulted in a project team being established and with Council and public funding support, it was able to ensure the fountain was fully restored and reinstated in the Botanic Gardens on a new site close to Rolleston Avenue. The total cost of the project was $270,000.
Bult September 1986 Canterbury Museum was first opened to the public on 3 December 1867 and has been located on our current site in Rolleston Avenue since 1 October 1870.additions were made until 1958 when the Rolleston Avenue frontage was extended and a new wing adjacent to Christ’s College completed. An extension was opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1977, and subsequently named the Roger Duff Wing in honour of a former Director. It houses the Hall of Antarctic Discovery.
