29 May 2025

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The Antigua Boatsheds has had a refresh to its roof, cladding and exterior with support from a Christchurch City Council Heritage Incentive Grant. Delve into the building’s history.

The first boat was launched into the Ōtākaro Avon River from the Antigua Boatsheds in 1883 to “meet the demand for pleasure boating” in Christchurch.

More than 140 years later, the Category 1 heritage-listed, green and white striped building is still used for the very same reason.

Now the sheds are the last historical commercial boatsheds remaining in Christchurch and are one of only a few left in the country.

They were built by two Lyttelton boat builders - Albert Shaw and J T Tidd. 

Within a year of opening, the boatsheds had 40 boats “continually in use” and the premise was even extended an extra 9m along the river.

New owner Samuel Anstey (well-known as one of the leading amateur florists of Christchurch at the time) expanded the services in the late 1890s, offering a photographic dark room for visitors to use. 

He built up a remarkable photographic record and is believed to be responsible for a collection of more than 1,000 glass-plate negatives which have been showcased on Christchurch City Libraries digital heritage site Canterbury Stories. 

Image from Christchurch City Libraries Canterbury Stories

Many of those glass-plate negatives remained in the space under the roof of the Boatsheds until the early 1970s, when Canterbury Public Library librarian R. C. Lamb collected the images from the then owner of the site, W. S. Dini.

A few years later in 1907, a fire, thought to be caused by the furnace used to steam the timber for boat construction, destroyed half of the building and fleet of boats.

The boatsheds were rebuilt with a second storey added to the eastern end and in the 1920s a shop was added to the western end – you can still get a coffee and scone there today. 

From there the history of the sheds has been smooth sailing, having been owned by the same family since 1978.

They continue to offer kayak, canoe and rowboat hire on the Ōtākaro Avon River, just as they did when they first opened in the 19th century.