page_title: Chief Post Office, Christchurch
section_title: Architecture and fittings
hierarchical_section_title: Chief Post Office, Christchurch / Architecture and fittings
caption_attribution_description: The Clocktower of the Chief Post Office in Cathedral Square in Christchurch.
context_page_description: The Chief Post Office or Christchurch Central Post Office, originally known as the Government Building, is located in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand. The building was initially a post office with other government services. Until the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, it was a Visitor Information Centre but has since been inaccessible, as access for the public to the central city has been removed. It was the site of the first telephone exchange in New Zealand. The structure is registered with Heritage New Zealand as a Category I heritage building.
context_section_description: Built of brick, the design is Italianate style with classical and Venetian Gothic elements. The upper windows feature pointed arches. A later renovation brought a third gabled bay to the north frontage. The building is registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I heritage item, with the registration number 291.
  Clock
  Reputed to be a replica of London's Great Clock of Westminster, a working, free standing, four faced turret clock was installed in 1879 within a clock tower. Underneath the east facing clock face is the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Notable for being unreliable, an electric clock was eventually installed to control the visible faces as slave clocks. While at one time it chimed on the hour and at the quarters, after the mechanisms were damaged in a 1980s fire, the clock became silent.
caption: The clock tower with the UK royal coat of arms
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