Staff of the Four Square Foodmarket, Normans Road, Elmwood

1963

In 1963 a large number of people was still required to run the store and they are pictured standing outside the shop. From left to right are: Keith Roper, Mac Coull, Kevin Leary, unknown, Tony Leary. The bicycle was used for home deliveries. Before the telephone was common in homes, orders were collected in the morning and groceries were delivered in the afternoon. All staff were also required to weigh and then bag up such items as sugar, flour, biscuits, sticky raisins and dates. By 1990 only the owner/operators Margery and Keith Roper and two women were working in the shop. The delivery bike had been retired!

Area: North West / Bryndwr

Source: Private collection

Reference ID: CCL-KPCD07-0060

Uploaded by: Christchurch City Libraries

Copyright status: In copyright

Roper's Store, Normans Road, Bryndwr, Christchurch

1957

This area of Bryndwr (later Elmwood) was once a farm owned by William Francis Warner of Warner's Hotel. The farmhouse, built around 1880, later became the store on Normans Road (formerly Green's Lane). Alf and Ethel Roper took over the business in 1932. At that time it was half grocery and half commercial lending library, and right on the bus terminal where the tarseal ended and a shingle road began. After World War Two the suburban store came into its own and there were four additions to the building over a period of years. In 1957 it was decided to expand the shop into a more modern self-service grocery store. Paul Pascoe was commissioned to design Roper's Foodmarket. He had been the architect for the Harewood Airport building and the chapel at Arthur's Pass and wanted to maintain an interest in smaller buildings too. In the photograph taken near the building site are, shown from left: Ethel Roper, her son Keith Roper, Arthur Pimm and Jocelyn Green. The pile of bricks was for a proposed fireproof wall

Area: North West / Bryndwr

Source: Private collection

Reference ID: CCL-KPCD07-0061

Uploaded by: Christchurch City Libraries

Copyright status: In copyright

Four Square Foodmarket, Normans Road, Elmwood

1960

Customers are shown being presented with their prizes in a Crest Promotion Campaign.
By 1960 the grocery trade had gone through a time of promoting their businesses with cut prices (e.g., honey - two shillings and tuppence, buy two for four shillings and threepence) and was ready for games. Here customers are shown being presented with their prizes in a early version of Scratch 'n' Win tickets

Area: North West / Bryndwr

Source: Private collection

Reference ID: CCL-KPCD07-0078

Uploaded by: Christchurch City Libraries

Copyright status: In copyright

Four Square Foodmarket, Normans Road, Elmwood

1957

Designed by Paul Pascoe and built by Sharp Brothers, the store is shown shortly after it opened as a self-service food market in 1957. The opening specials are displayed on the windows.

Area: North West / Bryndwr

Source: Private collection

Reference ID: CCL-KPCD07-0059

Uploaded by: Christchurch City Libraries

Copyright status: In copyright

Shops in Normans Road, Elmwood, Christchurch

1965

By 1965 there had been further additions to the right of the Four Square Foodmarket. The old villa, the original grocery, is still intact but houses Elmwood Electrical. The Bryndwr Post Office is now a separate entity and no longer part of the grocery store

Area: North West / Bryndwr

Source: Private collection

Reference ID: CCL-KPCD07-0077

Uploaded by: Christchurch City Libraries

Copyright status: In copyright

Heather Guthrie with an "Elizabeth" spinning wheel

18 December 1982

Heather Guthrie, sister of Richard Ashford who is the owner of Hands Ashford NZ Ltd, demonstrating the "Elizabeth" spinning wheel on sale at the store on Normans Road, Merivale.

Creator: Christchurch Star

Area: North West / Merivale

Source: Christchurch Star Archive

Source: View in canterburystories.nz

Reference ID: CCL-StarP-00931A

Uploaded by: Christchurch City Libraries

Copyright status: In copyright

Copyright Christchurch Star.

Reuse license: Contact me

Permission for commercial reuse must be sought from the Christchurch Star.

Martyn the Moa outside Martyn's Cycles and Mowers Ltd

23 August 1989

Dave Direen with Martyn the Moa outside Martyn's Cycles and Mowers Ltd, 12B Normans Road.

Creator: Christchurch Star

Area: North West / Fendalton

Source: Christchurch Star Archive

Source: View in canterburystories.nz

Reference ID: CCL-StarP-01581A

Uploaded by: Christchurch City Libraries

Copyright status: In copyright

Copyright Christchurch Star.

Reuse license: Contact me

Permission for commercial reuse must be sought from the Christchurch Star.