Sir John Hall, a prominent landowner and politician, purchased the hall site on Hororātā Road to ‘purposefully erect a building to be used as a hall for the instruction, entertainment, enjoyment or benefits of the residents of the Hororātā district.’ The site was situated opposite the Hororātā Domain which was established in 1877 from land donated by local farmers. It would seem that money to pay for the hall was raised by subscriptions from local landowners and others and from entertainments.

The Hororātā Hall is 134 years old and is a listed heritage building in the Selwyn district plan. It was designed by Samuel Hurst Seager, a prominent architect in the 19th century. He designed civic buildings in Christchurch, many beautiful homes in Christchurch, few of which remain one being the Ngaio Marsh home in Cashmere (a listed heritage building), but where else will you find a Hurst Seager-designed public hall in a rural town? We need to enhance the Halls original 1890 character using its design and footprint as the centre piece of the facility.

It is clear that 150 years ago, our forebearers had the foresight and desire to create public spaces for the district’s benefit. They chose to build these facilities on public land rather than their own farms to give people independence from their employers and to create a diverse rural community. Our community has a proud history of growing and caring for these public spaces; we have deep-rooted connections to them.

The Hororātā Community Trust is the custodian of the Hororātā Hall and is working with the community to develop this facility. Now is the time to not just add to or renovate the Hororātā Hall, but reimagine and repurpose so it stands the test of time. The Hororātā Hall will honour our forebearers’ vision and continue cultivating a public space that will serve our community now and in 100 years.

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