Cranmer Square

Like its near neighbour Latimer Square, Cranmer Square was named for an early protestant martyr, Bishop Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer Square was part of the original design of Christchurch when it was surveyed between 1849 and 1850 by Edward Jollie. Cranmer Square was used as a sports ground with cricket, soccer and hockey being played there. The Christchurch Normal School and the Christchurch Girls High School both used it as part of their school grounds. Celebrations for the first successful trans-Tasman air flight, by Charles Kingsford Smith, were held in Cranmer Square in late 1928. It was supported by Heritage New Zealand at that time. In October 2020, a resource consent had yet to be submitted to enable this to occur. Cranmer Square was covered in white crosses on ANZAC days between 2015 and 2018 honouring the servicemen and women who died in WWI in 1915. == Notable buildings ==

A number of buildings surrounding Cranmer Square were destroyed in the earthquakes of 2011. There have been a number of buildings that have gone up in their place. Cranmer Courts The historic Cranmer Court building was located close to Cranmer Square until it was demolished in the aftermath of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The building had previously been a normal school, and in 1877 became the country's first teachers' training college. Celebrations for the first successful trans-Tasman air flight, by Charles Kingsford Smith, were held in Cranmer Square in late 1928. ==References==