children in the loop
"The River Avon, near the Star and Garter Hotel, appears to present peculiar dangers to children...". So opined the Christchurch Star in 1884, when reporting the near drowning of Hurley Street residents Martha and Thomas Appleyard's son, David. A few years later, the very young daughter of Alice and Thomas Bullivant (7 Willow Street - Alice was Ernest Oppenheim’s sister) was rescued from the river by a Mr Warner and Mrs Cadwallader (who lived near the Star and Garter). In 1899, the young daughter of Sarah Anne Herron (who lived in Brightlings Lane) was rescued from a similar location by Frederick Swanston (resident of Oxford Terrace).
Three year old Walter Stenning was less fortunate. Tragically, he drowned when playing at the steps of a boatshed near Ward's brewery in 1887. Walter was the son of Alice Mary and William Morris Stenning, who lived at 32 Bangor Street (later site of Mary Butcher's store).
But the river could also be a source of delight.
Artefacts found under Cora Villa (396 Oxford Terrace) included the hull of a toy yacht. The split in the keel was designed to hold a weight so that the yacht could sail under its own steam (as it were), rather than being pulled along with a string. The hull's form is that of a leisure craft, suggesting it dates to the early 20th century. This house was just over the road from the river, and it's easy to imagine young children excitedly racing across the road to sail it on the river.
Several other children's artefacts were found under the house, including children's cups, shoes, marbles and a money box.
