HF Wigram’s vision that produced a motor racing circuit

Motor Racing at Wigram – Part 1

It all started during The Great War (1914-18). The man with the vision was Henry Francis Wigram. Initially his foresight was simply of the need for a Canterbury-based flying school. Thirty years later this passion led to the provision of facilities on the outskirts of Christchurch that would also be found to admirably host motor racing of international quality.

In 1916 Sir Henry Wigram wrote a letter addressed ‘to interested parties’ expressing his concerns for the future security and defence needs of New Zealand, and proposing that a ‘school of aviation’ be established close to Christchurch. He was aware of the dramatic changes in warfare tactics taking place in Europe on the Western Front. A visit to England in 1913, where he witnessed a plane in flight, had revealed to his keen eye the limitless prospects for heavier-than-air war machines.

Henry Wigram was born in 1857. He had settled in Christchurch with his wife in 1883 where he established a number of successful businesses in the city. Both he and his wife were well-known for their public spirit and philanthropy. Sir Henry was the owner of one of the first automobiles in Canterbury. In 1902 he was elected Mayor of Christchurch. Later, in 1928, he was to receive his knighthood.

His first encounter with the concept of ‘flying machines’ came on a visit to England in 1908 when he had met up with others pioneering in this area. He was conscious that at that time there was next to no recognition of this potential in his home country.

Under the aegis of Sir Henry, the Canterbury (NZ) Aviation Company was formed in August 1916. To serve as an aerodrome, a farm of 106 acres was purchased at Sockburn on the western edge of the city. (Later, at its peak, it would occupy 688 acres!) Wigram was not only a man of vision but also a man of action.

Part 2 – At First a NZ Air Force Base – Wigram

Part 3 – Motor sport of another kind

Part 4 – Wigram, the Motor Racing Circuit

Part 5 – Wigram Motor Racing: The First Decade

Part 6 – The Hey-day of International Motor Racing at Wigram