Exhibition offers a view of the past, present and future of culture and heritage in Timaru.

A new exhibition opening this weekend looks at the past, present and future of Timaru’s Theatre Royal and the South Canterbury Museum.

The exhibition, Then-Now-Next, takes a look at the heritage behind the iconic Theatre Royal and the South Canterbury Museum, before looking in detail at the plans for a redeveloped Theatre combined with a new exhibition and programmes facility for the South Canterbury Museum.

The exhibition draws upon historic images, documents and artefacts, including some recently recovered by archaeologists researching the site behind the Theatre once occupied by the Drill Hall on Barnard Street. It also features details and architectural images of the planned redevelopment and new facility that will combine these two institutions.

Visitors will be able to follow the history of the Theatre and Museum, and look at how the community will benefit from the development and combination of both on the Stafford Street site.

Then-Now-Next runs at the South Canterbury Museum, Perth Street from 2 September to 8 October.

A token, storage and a Theatre

Who would have thought a stone store could become the theatrical heart of South Canterbury? This is exactly how the Theatre Royal got its start.

Richard Turnbull was born in 1826 in Oxford, England. He came out to New Zealand in 1851 and farmed near Christchurch for 11 years. He then moved to Timaru in 1864 to partner with David Clarkson and establish Clarkson and Turnbull - General Importers, Drapers, and Clothiers a general store. It was known as ‘The Corner’ and stood where the Oxford building stands today. This was the first building to be built there on the corner.

Back then, people used British coins, including gold, silver, and bronze, along with foreign coins as money. Copper coins were rare, so Turnbull, Clarkson, and other retailers issued their own tokens worth a penny or half-penny. These tokens were like advertisements and profitable because they cost less to make than their value, and many were never exchanged because they could be easily lost. This practice continued until 1881. New Zealand didn't have its own currency until 1933.

ABOVE: 1865 “New Zealand Timaru” Token , by Clarkson & Turnbull. The reverse shows a ship in harbour, behind a breakwater. The business was the first to export flour from Timaru. The harbour at Timaru was unsafe for vessels in high winds until the construction of a breakwater, a project that did not begin until 1879. – Courtesy Te Papa (NU005401)

The Turnbull and Clarkson token design is intriguing. It shows a harbour, even though it was issued two years after Timaru became a port in 1861, before a breakwater was constructed. Timaru had landing services for ships to trade during this time. This reflects their forward-looking approach to encourage business and gain support, although it was more of a hopeful idea at the time.

Things were going well until the ‘Great 1868 Fire’. It burned down their shop and three quarters of the central business area in the new town. The partnership between Clarkson and Turnbull ended. David went back to Christchurch and concentrated on his Dunstable House drapery shop, which he started in 1854. He sold it in 1872 to John Ballantyne, and it was renamed Ballantynes. John later opened a branch in Timaru in 1883, almost next door to where the Theatre Royal is today.

Read the full story on Panui here: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/panui/v2/culture-and-lifestyle/a-token-storage-and-a-theatre

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