Location
332 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch Central City (corner of Oxford Terrace and Cashel Street).
Current Status
Demolished. The site is now part of the post-earthquake rebuild area in the Christchurch central city. The building was demolished following severe damage sustained in the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence.
Active Years
Operated from at least the 1970s through to the 2010 earthquake.
History
The Star and Garter Tavern stood on Oxford Terrace, one of Christchurch’s most prominent riverside streets, on the corner with Cashel Street. The pub was a fixture of central Christchurch’s drinking and live music scene for several decades, occupying a prominent heritage-style building that overlooked the Avon River. Oxford Terrace had long been one of Christchurch’s most popular strips for hospitality, and the Star and Garter was one of its anchor establishments.
The tavern was known locally as a working pub with a broad clientele. Like many Oxford Terrace venues it attracted a mix of after-work drinkers, students, and regulars from across the city. The venue hosted live entertainment alongside its regular trade, contributing to the lively atmosphere that characterised the Oxford Terrace precinct through the 1980s and 1990s.
The building was among the many Christchurch heritage and commercial structures severely damaged or destroyed in the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes. The Star and Garter Tavern was subsequently demolished as part of the post-earthquake clearance of the central city, and the site has remained part of the ongoing rebuild of Christchurch’s inner city.