Rangiora is a growing semi-rural North Canterbury town about 15km north of Christchurch. It’s where I grew up, and where I’m raising my own family.
In Rangiora, at the High Street, Oxford Street, and West Belt roundabout, there is a small triangular reserve with a sign saying “Bells” on the corner. Discussions are often had in the community asking what, exactly, the story is behind this sign.
The more long-standing members of the community will probably still remember the old Oxford-Rangiora railway that was closed in 1959. This line connected Oxford, a small town about 30km west of Rangiora, to the main trunk line at Rangiora Station.
This railway ran from the Oxford West Station on Mill Road (now the site of Ashley Industrial Services Ltd sawmill), then east along the north side of Oxford Road (previously Oxford-Rangiora Road). On entering Rangiora, the line then curved northeast through Bells reserve (along the current footpath that runs through the reserve), along what is now the driveway for 108 West Belt, then ran along the south of Blackett Street until it reached the main Rangiora Station. Blackett Street was built in sections between about 1900 and 1956 alongside the railway.
Steam train traveling west along Blackett Street. Photo from Rangiora An Early Pictorial Record, an edited volume by the Rangiora Photographic Society Inc.
The footpath going through Bells reserve. The railway tracks would have been about where the path is.
The Oxford-Rangiora railway was completed in June 1875. The line was opened mostly for freight trains – moving totora logs from Oxford to the main trunk line at Rangiora for transport into Christchurch, although passenger trains were also run. The line opened with a party in Oxford attended by Sir John Cracroft Wilson (who founded Cashmere in Christchurch), with music, drinking, speeches, and toasts. However, there were also many grumblings that the line had taken far too long to complete (Globe 22/06/1875).
At the time the plains around Oxford were covered in a dense native forest known as Harewood Forest. This forest was prized for its abundance of totora – the slow growing native hardwood being a highly sort after building material in the 19th century for timber framing. Oxford town was established in 1859 as a logging town to take advantage of these native timbers. The location of the new town was described in the Lyttelton Times as being “selected with considerable judgment, being situate upon the junction of the main roads, and having a frontage to the river Eyre and immediately adjoining to the Harewood Forest” (Lyttelton Times 18/5/1859: 5).
Originally the timbers were carted along Oxford Road to Rangiora by horse and dray, but the very poor quality of the road quickly became apparent.
How does this explain the Bells sign?
Coming into Rangiora from Oxford, Bells was the name of the small train station that sat on this reserve. A 1923 survey plan, and aerial photographs from the 1940s, show this station as being a small square building with what appears to be a small platform in front.
Crop of Deposited Plan 6615, Canterbury Land District. Published 1923. Bells Station is visible
Aerial photograph of Bells Station taken between 1940-1945. www.canterburymaps.govt.nz
And the Bells name? The land that was taken for this station was owned by Mr. J. Bell, esq, who owned a 30.3ha block of land fronting Oxford Street and West Belt until 1923 when it was subdivided for housing lots.
Closing down of the Oxford-Rangiora railway
Ultimately, the use of the Oxford-Rangiora line began to decline in the 20th century after the tōtora trees were all harvested and the demand for freight dropped off. By the 1950s the line was barely being used at all. The line was closed in 1959, and the tracks were removed in the early 1960s.
In its heyday the line had been a boon for Oxford, driving the towns economic and population growth. Arguably the railway is a major reason why Oxford is such a large and energetic rural town today. The lumber trade was also critical for the growth of 19th century Christchurch, Rangiora, and Amberly, and cemented Rangiora’s place as the major market town in the district – driving the growth of the town.
Environmentally the line also had a major impact. Today, Oxford is surrounded by farmland with pockets of beach forest and scrub towards the foothills of the Southern Alps. All remnants of what must a been a very impressive totora forest have been completely removed.
And what other evidence is left of this railway in Rangiora? Blackett Street still has its wide verge on the south side which was the original railway reserve. Over the years most of this has been legally incorporated into the road reserve, but there is a small strip outside of the Elephant Park that is still legally designated as railway. Then there is the driveway to 108 West Belt which is part of the old railway reserve. And the buildings of Luisetti Seeds on the east end of Blackett Street are shaped to follow the original layout of the Oxford-Rangiora line as it curved to join the main trunk line.
The wide verge the still exists on the south side of Blackett Street, Rangiora. The rails would have run along about where the trees are. This section of the the verge, outside the Elephant Park, is still legally designated as railway.
East most end of the Oxford-Rangiora railway where it curved to meet the main trunk line, taken c.1900. Buildings that are now part of Luisetti Seeds. Image from Rangiora An Early Pictorial Record, an edited volume by the Rangiora Photographic Society Inc.
Aerial photograph taken between 1940-1945 showing the Oxford line curving to meet the main trunk line. The buildings of Luisetti Seeds still have that pointed arrow shape following the line. Image: www.canterburymaps.govt.nz
If you would like to keep up-to-date with my posts consider following Top Hat Heritage on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TopHatHeritage
I live in White St. and really enjoyed reading this. I’ve moved here from Taranaki and it’s good to start learning the local history. Thank you for your work.
Thanks Richard! Let me know if there are any buildings around the town you would like to know about.
Nice bit of local history. I was raised in Stephens Street, and recall when it was no exit, as Blackett St hadn’t been extended between White St and West Belt.
my house is build as a lean to up against an railway shed on the corner of High Street and West Belt . The old track runs behind my fence and the Rangiora lodge Motel and comes out on West Belt at Bells. I was told it was a maintenance shed.
This is fascinating! I have lived here for 11 years and had no idea there had been a railway line running from Oxford to Rangiora. Really enjoyed reading your story. So well written too. I had wondered what the Bells sign stood for. Who knew! Thankyou so much for doing what you re doing.
Thanks :-). I really enjoyed writing this one.
My family, Elliott, resided at 35 West Belt, and was just over the fence from the Bells station. I was born in 1941 and have no memory of a Bells station building, but the small platform was there during my childhood. The twice weekly goods trains used to come from Oxford in the afternoons, and I was frightened may a time by the steam locomotive whistle! Deep respect for trains began in those years! I remember all the info about Blackett Street and the line curving around the Luisetti seed store buildings to join the main trunk line. I miss the steam trains and the former rail lines, but it is now a different world. I had 3 brothers who became locomotive drivers in the steam era.
I have fond memories of the train parked outside our house on Race Days at Rangiora, and also the train waiting at Springbank for patrons attending the Cust Grand Prix motorbike races. Every time I drive up Oxford Road, I feel a sadness that the line is gone, and wonder what happened to Mr Williams, the ganger who lived at The Springbank atation.
A very good story. Thank you for sharing!
[…] as the main market town for North Canterbury. The railways saw a steady stream of logs coming from Oxford, ready to be moved on to Christchurch or Amberly. And farmers from throughout the area brought […]
Great write-up. I grew up near the eastern end of Blackett St. My family have stories of the steam trains passing our gate.
You refer to the Oxford Rangiora Line. Maybe missed for simplicity was the Oxford to Sheffield part of the line which ran from 1884 to 1930.
The engineering behind the Waimakariri Gorge rail road bridge, still in use today, was significant.
Another memory is the occasion when the Rangiora Convent School and Rangiora Borough School had a combined picnic trip to Oxford.
Especially I recall passing our house and saw my parents waving from the verandah as passed by. I have no memory of the picnic itself.
A Vibrant Rant About Accident Attorney Near Me accident attorney near me
This Week’s Top Stories About Best Accident Attorney Top Accident Attorney
10 Things Everyone Hates About Best Lawyer For Accidents best lawyer for Accidents
Searching For Inspiration? Check Out Best Accident Lawyer Near Me accident Lawyer Near Me
The Biggest Sources Of Inspiration Of Built In Fridge Freezer indesit built in fridge freezer
5 Best Accident Lawyers Near Me Myths You Should Stay Clear Of Accident lawyers near me
Where Do You Think Accident Lawyers In St. Louis One Year
From This Year? Accident Lawyer Fort Worth
10 Healthy Habits For A Healthy Find Accident Attorney find Accident attorney (designlight.co.kr)
20 Trailblazers Are Leading The Way In Accident Lawyers In Virginia lawyers
10 Untrue Answers To Common Accident Lawyer In Augusta Questions Do You Know
The Right Answers? accident lawyer in augusta
The Most Important Reasons That People Succeed In The Milwaukee Accident Lawyer Industry accident lawyer jacksonville
10 No-Fuss Ways To Figuring The Top Accident Attorney You’re Looking For good accident Attorney
10 Personal Accident Attorney Tricks All Experts Recommend Personal accident Attorney
Is Your Company Responsible For An Accident Attorney Budget?
Twelve Top Ways To Spend Your Money local Accident attorney
11 Strategies To Completely Redesign Your Accident
Lawyer Savannah Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
5 People You Should Be Getting To Know In The Myrtle Beach Accident Lawyers Industry myrtle Beach accident lawyers
5 Killer Quora Answers On Accident Attorneys In My Area
Accident attorneys in My area
Five Things You’re Not Sure About About Miami Accident Lawyer i Accident Lawyer
What Freud Can Teach Us About Best Accident Attorney Attorney For Accident Claim
Are You Responsible For An Best Accident Attorney Budget?
10 Very Bad Ways To Invest Your Money best accident attorney Near Me
The Best Advice You’ll Ever Receive On Best Lawyers For Accidents Florida Georgia
The Leading Reasons Why People Perform Well Within The Bosch Side By Side Fridge Freezer Industry side by side fridge freezer for sale
Are You Confident About Doing Best Lawyers For Accidents?
Check This Quiz Personal Injury accident lawyer (muabanthuenha.com)
15 Current Trends To Watch For Attorneys Accidents Attorneys Accidents
This Is The Intermediate Guide In Accident Lawyers In Queens accident Lawyer in the bronx
Everything You Need To Learn About Best Accident Injury Lawyers
accident Lawyers Firm
15 Unquestionably Reasons To Love Top Accident Attorneys Accident Attorneys
10 Meetups About West Palm Beach Accident Lawyer You Should Attend new york city Accident lawyers
Responsible For A Good Accident Attorney Budget?
12 Best Ways To Spend Your Money Good accident Attorney
The Most Prevalent Issues In Attorneys Accidents Attorneys accidents
Accident Attorney Explained In Less Than 140 Characters
Good Accident attorney
Best Accident Lawyer Near Me: The Secret Life Of Best Accident Lawyer Near Me California colorado
15 Up-And-Coming Best Accident Attorney Bloggers You Need To Follow
Top accident Attorneys
10 Wrong Answers To Common Accident Claims Lawyers Questions: Do You Know The Right Ones?
accident claims Lawyers
Need Inspiration? Check Out Fridge Under Counter stay connected With our a+++ rated Frost free fridge freezer
What Is Integrated Fridge And How To Utilize It?
refridgerator
There Is No Doubt That You Require Fridges Frydge
A Look At The Good And Bad About Cheap Fridge Online
%%
Take a look at my homepage; Subscribe For Free
Why We Enjoy Smeg Mini Fridge (And You Should Too!) fridge freezer for sale
Fridge Tools To Streamline Your Everyday Lifethe Only Fridge Trick Every Person Should Know freezers
15 Interesting Facts About Fridge That You Never Knew Frydge
A Brief History Of Fridge For Sale History Of
Fridge For Sale Fridge Freezers For Sale
A Look At The Good And Bad About Subcold Mini Fridge fridge
How To Explain Integral Fridge To Your Grandparents shop
A Brief History Of Freestanding Fridge History Of Freestanding Fridge built-in Fridge
What Is Fridge Larder? History Of Fridge Larder fridge Freezer uk
What Is The Evolution Of Built-In Fridge Built-In fridge
Why American Fridge Frezzers Is Your Next Big Obsession? fridge freezer Uk
This Week’s Most Popular Stories About Integrated Fridge Frezer fridge freezer for Sale
30 Inspirational Quotes About Smeg Fridge Fridge Freezers
10 Websites To Help You Become An Expert In Fridges For Sale Frydge
Why American Fridge Frezzer Isn’t A Topic That People Are Interested In American Fridge Frezzer frydge.Uk
9 Things Your Parents Teach You About Cheap Fridges Fridge For Sale (Blowncandle.Com)
30 Inspirational Quotes For Retro Fridges Fridge freezer clearance
The 10 Scariest Things About Fridges http://www.frydge.uk
What You Must Forget About Enhancing Your Fridge For Sale Fridge For Sale
What NOT To Do With The Fridge For Sale Industry Frydge
Freestanding Fridge Explained In Fewer Than 140 Characters Fridge Freezer
10 Things Everybody Hates About Integral Fridges refrigerators
Lader Fridge: The Good And Bad About Lader Fridge near
15 Amazing Facts About Integral Fridges http://Www.Frydge.Uk
It’s The Ugly Real Truth Of American-Style Fridge fridges & freezers (Indira)
Why Fridge For Sale Isn’t A Topic That People Are Interested In Fridge For Sale fridge for sale
What Is Small Fridge? History Of Small Fridge fridge for sale (Allison)
How To Outsmart Your Boss Integrated Fridge Frezer http://www.frydge.Uk
Responsible For A Under Counter Fridge Budget?
12 Best Ways To Spend Your Money fridge freezers (M.tshome.co.kr)
It’s Enough! 15 Things About Under Counter Fridge We’re Fed Up Of Hearing fridge freezer small [Melba]
10 Things Everyone Gets Wrong Concerning Integrated Larder Fridge Fridge freezer next Day delivery
Best Accident Attorneys Near Me Tools To Help You Manage Your Daily Life Best Accident Attorneys Near Me Technique Every Person Needs
To Be Able To accident attorneys near Me
Accident Attorneys In My Area Techniques To Simplify Your Daily Lifethe One
Accident Attorneys In My Area Trick That Everyone
Should Know team
15 Top Accident Attorney Bloggers You Must Follow top accident Attorney
The Top Companies Not To Be Follow In The Top Accident Attorney Industry accident attorney denver (Halley)
A Peek At Find Accident Attorney’s Secrets Of Find Accident Attorney accident attorney virginia
8 Tips To Up Your Amazon Uk Online Shopping Clothes Game Vimeo.com
How Do You Explain Amazon Online Shopping Clothes Uk To A Five-Year-Old High-Quality Personal Blender
This Is The Intermediate Guide In Online Shopping Sites In United Kingdom stainless steel multi Roaster
15 Top Twitter Accounts To Find Out More About List Of Online Shopping Sites Uk Unicorn Beetle Iphone X Holster
How To Save Money On Online Shopping Sites For Clothes Vimeo.Com
The Unspoken Secrets Of What Is The Best Online Shopping In Uk Dust Collection Hose For Woodworking
5 Killer Quora Answers On Online Shopping Sites For Clothes 3.78 Litre Dutch Oven
10 Life Lessons That We Can Learn From Online Shopping Sites Top 7 Large Navy Rug 300X420 Cm
– Gene,
Greeting Card – Charge Card Etiquette Rookies OK바로론대부중개
Five Qualities That People Search For In Every
What Is The Best Online Shopping In Uk Zebra shark breeding
Boot Scooter: 10 Things I’d Loved To Know In The Past arlennizo.top
Buzzwords De-Buzzed: 10 Other Ways Of Saying Boot Scooters Cinda
Watch Out: How Car Boot Scooters Is Gaining Ground, And What Can We
Do About It arlennizo.top
7 Helpful Tips To Make The Most Of Your Boot Mobility
Scooters arlennizo.top
How Much Do Boot Mobility Scooter Experts Make? Arlen Nizo
The 12 Best Collapsible Scooters Accounts To Follow On Twitter arlennizo
The No. One Question That Everyone Working In Car Boot Scooter Needs To Know
How To Answer arlennizo.top
10 Of The Top Facebook Pages Of All Time About Car Boot Scooters Arlen Nizo
The Three Greatest Moments In Car Boot Scooter History http://www.arlennizo.top
The Most Effective Advice You’ll Ever Get About Collapsible Scooters arlennizo
Sage Advice About Car Boot Mobility Scooter From The Age Of Five arlennizo.top
“Ask Me Anything:10 Responses To Your Questions About Collapsible Scooter arlennizo.top
Need Inspiration? Look Up Lock Smith For Cars elsycrays.top
What To Do To Determine If You’re Set To Go After Akun Demo Hades Vs
Zeus oscarreys.top
The American Fridges Freezers Case Study You’ll Never Forget Zack Foxworth
20 Trailblazers Lead The Way In Double Glazing Unit Repair Terrell
20 Trailblazers Leading The Way In Double Glazing Repair Kit Jere Alas
8 Tips To Enhance Your Bunk Bed Online Store Game Edda Fay
Are You Responsible For The Bunk Beds For Children Budget?
12 Tips On How To Spend Your Money Demi
What Is The Reason? Car Key Mobile Locksmith Is Fast Becoming The Most
Popular Trend In 2023 elsycrays.top
The Top Wall Mounted Electric Fireplace Is Gurus.
3 Things lynnbolvin
15 Funny People Working Secretly In Collapsible Scooters arlennizo
Learn To Communicate Car Key Locksmith Near Me To Your Boss elsycrays
The Most Inspirational Sources Of Best American-Style Fridge Freezer http://www.zackfoxworth.top
17 Reasons You Shouldn’t Avoid Treadmill That Folds Up zackfoxworth.top
Five Killer Quora Answers To CSGO Cases To Invest In Csgo Cases
Incontestable Evidence That You Need Fireplace Wall Mount lynnbolvin.top
A Peek In Mobile Car Locksmith’s Secrets Of Mobile Car Locksmith elsycrays
10 Things You Learned In Kindergarden That’ll Help You With Mobility Scooters comfortable
electric scooters (Felix)
Ten Cheap Mobility Scooters Near Me That Will Actually Improve Your
Life cheap Motor scooters for sale near Me
Who’s The World’s Top Expert On Tree House Bunk Bed?
tree house bunkbed (Sammie)
Guide To CSGO Cases New: The Intermediate Guide Towards CSGO Cases New Csgo cases (jidelniplan.cz)
15 Interesting Hobbies That Will Make You Smarter At Mesothelioma From Asbestos Cassy Lawn
5 Clarifications On Coffee Machine Pods Coffee machine Cheap
One How Many Cases Can You Get In CSGO Success Story You’ll Never Believe Case Opening (Auth.Globus.Org)