This page is a brief guide to books containing information about St Albans and available through the Christchurch City Libraries. The New Zealand reference section of the library can be found in Turanga Central Library. You may need to ask a librarian to fetch some of these books and will need your library card.
Abberley Park [712.5 ABB (Pamphlet)]
History of property, pp. 3-5; development as public park, pp. 5-7. List of trees, p. 9.
Adams, P. The Allen family [993.83 ALL]
John and Emma Allen, arrived 1860. John Allen was a market gardener. Chs. 5 & 7: St. Albans.
Andrews, E. H. A brief retrospect [287693831 AND (Pamphlet)]St Albans Methodist Church. Detailed history, including many portraits.
Bashford, D. History of the St. Albans Public Library [027.493831 BAS (Pamphlet)]
Centennial 1873-1973 St Albans School [372.993831 CEN (Pamphlet)]History of school, pp. 10-14. Includes list of headmasters, PTA chairmen and members. Memories of school and district by S.J. Moore, including street names and history, pp. 28-2Notes on school by Jim Hoskins (1901), Mat Dini (1908), Len Hobbs (1914) and Alan Taylor (1946).
Brundell, A. The pilgrimage of Alfred Brundell (1829-1908) [993.82 BRU]
Brundell arrived in Lyttelton in February 1852 on the William Hyde and settled in St. Albans. Reminiscences of early days in Canterbury, pp. 15-32. In 1855, he moved to Kaiapoi.
Cresswell, D. Early New Zealand families: second series [630.9931 CRE]
Henry Matson of St Albans, pp. 135-143.
Darling, S. City streams [993.83 DAR (Pamphlet)]
St Albans Creek, pp. 27-31; Dudley Creek, pp. 32-36.
Garden parks [712.5099383 GAR (Pamphlet)]
Includes Abberley Park.
Glassey, L. The Berry’s of Berry Lane [993.831 BER (Pamphlet)]
Alfred and Mary Ann Berry. History of 52 Berry Street, pp. 26-30. Some local history but mainly genealogical.
Greenaway, R. L. N. Rich man, poor man, environmentalist, thief [993.83 GRE]
Includes chapter on James Speight of St Albans School.
Hamilton, D. Early churches in and around Christchurch [726.5099383 HAM]
Includes St. Albans Methodist Church, Wesley Methodist Church in Edgeware, and St. Albans Presbyterian Church.
Hawkins, J. E. An examination of the inception of greater Christchurch, 1890-1903 [352.093171 HAW (Thesis)]
Process by which Christchurch City amalgamated with the boroughs of Sydenham, St. Albans and Linwood.
Hough, E. The Aldred story [287.69381 HOU]
Aldred Methodist Church, Edgeware Road, opened 1955. Includes biography of Rev. John Aldred. Chapters on beginnings, ministers, buildings, Sunday School, Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades, other outreaches, music, drama, Women’s Fellowship, gifts made to church.
King, B. Sunbeam Kindergarten centennial, 1899-1999 [372.2180993831 KIN]
Includes history of kindergarten movement and 1999 staff profiles. “Sunbeam memories”, pp. 42-48 includes local history.
Living landscapes: Avon River catchment [333.9162099383 LIV]
Includes Lower Frees Creek, Rehua Marae.
Mair, A. J. Homes of the pioneers [728.09938 MAI]
Includes Chippenham Lodge.
Milburn, N. Strengthening a community [790.068 MIL]
Profile, pp. 3-4. Community needs and facilities, pp. 14-26. List of community facilities, appendix, pp. 10-14. Demographic profile, appendix, pp. 3-10.
Mitchell, R. The work of God: Wesley Church, Edgeware Road [287.69383 MIT (Pamphlet)]
Includes notes on Sunday School, Band of Hope, parsonage, women’s work, youth groups, organs and organists, choirs. List of ministers and fulltime workers. Description of stained glass windows, with list of donors and those they memorialise. Aldred Church, p. 16.
Morrison, J. P. The evolution of a city [993.83 MOR]
St Albans, pp. 29-30, 70-73, 110.
Norman, E. History of the Avonside Parish district [993.836 NOR (Thesis)]
Ch. 9, section 1: St. Albans.
Nuttall, M.G. The family and descendants of Samuel and Hannah Bradley, 1852-2002 [929.2 BRA]
The Bradleys settled in St. Albans in 1852 and Ohoka in 1865. Includes local and church history, pp. 10-16. Remainder of book is genealogical tables.
O’Malley, P. Hawkesbury Green: a history of the St. Albans Bowling Club, 1902-2002 [796.3106
OMA (Pam)] John Thomas Peacock, pp. 9-13. Includes biographical material on F.W. Johnston, D.E. Wood, H.B. Oakey, H.O. Hartmont, B.W. Sinclair, G.E. Harper, T.J. Edmonds, Ivy McIntosh, Gwen Gillespie, R.E. Pilkington, R.A. Snowden, Alison M. Bigg.
Our first one hundred years, 1876-1976 [283.93831 OUR (Pamphlet)]
St Matthews’s Church, Parish of St Albans. List of vicars. Biographies of Rev. E. A. Scott, Rev. R. A. Mortimer, Thomas Gordon , William Woodward, Amy Taylor. Brief chronological history.
Parker, S. Private gardens of New Zealand, Christchurch [712.6 PAR]
Includes Mary Matson, St Albans.
Parkins, D. Between the lines at Edgeware: an informal history of the croquet club [796.3540609383 PAR]
Includes notes on St. Albans Park. List of trophies, pp. 57-8; presidents, p. 59; champions, pp. 58-9; members at the end of the 20th century.
Parr, S. Canterbury pilgrimage: the first hundred years of the Church of England in Canterbury, New Zealand [283.938 PAR]
St. Matthew’s Church, pp. 191-192.
Presbyterians on the Plains: a history of the Christchurch Presbytery, 1840-1990 [285.2938 PRE]
St. Albans parish, pp. 62-3.
SAM. 12: Massey Crescent [711.40993831 SAM (Pamphlet)]
Special Amenity Area report. One-storey Californian-style bungalows, 1920s-30s.
SAM. 13: Francis Avenue [711.40993831 SAM (Pamphlet)]
Special Amenity Area report. Californian-style bungalows, 1920s-30s.
SAM. 14: North St Albans [711.40993831 SAM (Pamphlet)]
Special Amenity Area report. Californian-style bungalows, 1920s-30s.
SAM. 29: Ranfurly Street [711.40993831 SAM (Pamphlet)]
Special Amenity Area report. Houses built 1910-1920.
St Albans: celebrating 125 years of educational achievement [372.993831 SAI (Pamphlet)]
History of St. Albans, p. 4. St. Albans Wesleyan School, opened 1859, and St Albans Primary School, opened 1872. Section on music, p. 15. Interviews with Margaret Wilson (Bruce) and Elsie Heather.
St Albans east: local area traffic management scheme: draft [711.73099383 ST]
Covers roading network, bus and cycle routes, crashes, list of concerns, proposals, summary of issues and solutions. Includes Barbadoes Street, Hills Road, Warrington Street, Champion Street, Edward Avenue, Gredford Street, Cleveland Street, Woodville Street, Geraldine Street. Maps and illustrations.
St Albans: from swamp to suburbs: an informal history [993.831 SAI]
St Albans neighbourhood map [993.83 CHR (Map cabinet 5)]
Includes information panels giving brief information on history, demographics, issues, community facilities, roading and zoning, land ownership and waterways.
St Albans School diamond jubilee [372.993831 SAI (Pamphlet)]
History of school, pp. 5-39. Includes notes on Bible instruction, roll of honour.
Sargisson, L. & Sargent, L.T. Living in utopia: New Zealand’s intentional communities [335.993 SAR]
Includes Chippenham Community, pp. 84-7; Mansfield, pp. 87-8; Creekside, pp. 88-91.
Thomson, B. Sharing the challenge: a social and pictorial history of the Christchurch Police District [351.740993171 THO]
St. Albans police station, pp. 141-142, including list of officers.
Tipples, R. Colonial landscape gardener: Alfred Buxton of Christchurch New Zealand, 1872-1950 [712 BUX]
Ch. 3: St Albans history; Ch. 4: Buxton’s St Albans nursery.
Urban change Christchurch: geography jubilee, 1937-1987 [993.83 GEO (Pamphlet)]
Section 2: Merivale-St Albans.
Wells, R. Christchurch heritage houses [728.099383 WEL]
Sketches, with historical text on each house. Includes Hadleigh and Springfield Manor.
Willis, J. Selected architecture : Christchurch : a guide [720.99383 WIL]
Includes English Park.
Wood, D.E. The Christchurch metropolitan library service, 1852-1948: a critical survey [027.493171 WOO (Thesis)]
St. Albans library, pp. 80-3, 88, 91, 93, and other references. Includes photograph.
The Christchurch City Council has produced a Contextual History Overview which lists books dealing with the early history of Christchurch specific suburbs, architectural topics, transport, organisations and so on. Also lists old guidebooks and maps: http://resources.ccc.govt.nz/files/ChristchurchCityContextualHistoryOverviewAnnotatedBibliography-docs.pdf