Three Lamps by night

"The original Three Lamps at the intersection of Jervois Road, Ponsonby Road, College Hill and St Marys Road ...", c.1910, ref 4-887, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

 

Updated 14 June 2024.

Three Lamps is part of the Auckland landscape, even when you aren't necessarily referring to the heritage side. The lamps were a landmark for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their loss from central position at the busy intersection was mourned. The mock-up replacement attached to the Gluepot pub was tolerated -- barely, by some.

This year, Auckland Council have restored another version to the area:

"A historic Auckland landmark is about to be reinstated after a seven-year project to rebuild three street lamps in Ponsonby. The lamps sat on top of a pole in a Ponsonby intersection after they were installed in 1873, giving the area the name "Three Lamps". Now, after seven years' effort to get them back, the Auckland Council's Waitemata Local Board has given the go-ahead for replica lamps to be made from drawings and photographs and put up on an 11m pole at a cost of about $100,000. The pole will not be on its original site in the middle of the intersection but on the footpath a few metres away." 

It was a project started by the previous Western Bays Community Board, but the project's gestation took it through into the new political era.

Now, the replica, designed by David Gilbert, are up and shining. Tonight, I went looking for them.

Please excuse the quality of the night time shots. I'm a daylight photo amateur ...

Very impressive, I must say -- and apparently going down well with the locals. I do tend to think of them as "George's Lights", though -- George Farrant of both the old Auckland City Council and new Auckland Council was such a fervent supporter of the restoration. Well done to all concerned.

Unitec's Penman House

Auckland Star 1 February 1930

Enquiries that land on my digital desk about the story behind Penman House, Building 55 on the Unitec Campus at Mt Albert, near the corner of Woodward and Carrington Roads are just about as perennial as the grass. Sorry, at the moment I haven't got an up-to-date image of the building handy, but it hasn't changed all that much as far as the exterior is concerned, the most visible change being that the double open return verandah seen here in the 1930 image has been covered in over time.

I'll leave this post mainly in note form (Timespanner is, after all, a research lab, and things are added all the time).

At Auckland a new residence has been erected for the Medical Superintendent … 

(AJHR - Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives -  1909 D1 p. xi)

Dr Beattie is now living in the Medical Superintendent's residence, which has been well and economically built by the staff and patients, with a little outside assistance.

(AJHR 1910 H7, p.10)

It is proposed during the current year to transform the Medical Superintendent's residence into an additional neuropathic unit for female patients, on the lines of the Wolfe Home. This house, which contains fifteen rooms, is too large for its present purpose, and will provide good accommodation for at least twenty patients. A new Superintendent's residence can be built with a view to its saleability when the evacuation of the institution becomes possible.

(AJHR 1929 H7 p2)

The Medical Superintendent's residence at Auckland is far too large for its present purpose, and it is proposed to convert it into a residential clinic with accommodation for about twenty patients.

(AJHR 1930, H7 p2)

Recently the Mount [Albert] Borough Council passed a resolution protesting against the establishment of a special ward in the present residence of the medical superintendent of the Auckland Mental Hospital at Avondale. The protest was not supported at a meeting of the Mount Albert Ratepayers' Association last evening. "While there are points to be raised against the proposal, there are many factors in its favour," said the chairman, Mr. P. Floyd. "In all the years the hospital has been in existence, there has never to my knowledge been any trouble. A protest would be quite useless, because work has already been commenced on the doctor's new residence." No action was taken.

(Auckland Star 26 February 1930)

Strong objection was taken by the council members to the conversion of the residence of the medical superintendent of the Auckland Mental Hospital into a home for incipient mental patients. Mr. G. C. Munns, M.P., for Roskill, had sent a letter to the Minister of Health (Hon. A. J. Stall worthy) embodying this objection.

"I notice, that the Mount Albert Terminus Ratepayers' Association does not see eye to eye with us in this matter," said Mr. G. E. Carr. This was a great pity, he thought, particularly as one of the prime movers in the association was a former council member. Mr. Carr considered that such an attitude on the part of the association did not accurately represent the considered opinion of the terminus residents.

(Auckland Star 12 March 1930)

1930s, Robin Hyde was an inmate at "The Lodge", as the house was then known. From Young Knowledge, The poems of Robin Hyde (pdf file):"Hyde's room on the first floor of The Lodge had two sets of windows facing north and west and looking onto the enclosed sleeping porch that extended around those sides of the building now called Penman House on the Unitec campus. Hers was the only private room at The Lodge; other patients slept in dormitory rooms."

PARTY FOR FUNDS.

A most enjoyable afternoon party was held at the lodge of the Mental Hospital last week. The function was organised by Mrs. A. E. Armitage, one of the official visitors to the institution, to raise funds for the purchase of tools and materials for the arts and crafts classes. A most generous response was made during the afternoon to Mrs. Armitage's appeal.

The guests were received by Miss Mayze, the matron of the Mental Hospital. Songs and musical items were rendered by Mesdames Rattray and G. Crespin, and recitations were given by Miss D. Saunders.

The main hall and drawing room were artistically decorated with autumn-tinted flowers and clusters of green. A dainty afternoon tea, which was arranged by the matron, was served in the dining room. The guests were conveyed to and from the hospital in the cars of Mesdames Clark, F. Wilson, Kirkup and L. Caughey, and the Misses Fleming, Rishworth, Mason and Sumerville. 

(Auckland Star 5 May 1936)

Locked and closed doors are gradually being dispensed with, and the future shows us open, sunny homes like the unit and the lodge, two of the ideal houses at the Auckland institution, where the mentally sick convalesce before going home. 

 (Auckland Star 21 October 1940)

A young nurse is in charge of the Wolfe Home, where between 40 and 50 men and women are convalescent. Fully-trained, with eight years' experience, this nurse has to do all the cooking herself (since domestics and cooks are also hard to get), as well as nursing, housework and supervision of the patients. She has only one nurse to help her, the patients themselves the rest of the domestic work. A third nurse is in charge of the Lodge, where 24 women are on the road to recovery. She is entirely on her own, and here again, as everywhere in the hospital, patients, who are well enough help do the work. These figures are typical of the general position at the hospital.

(Auckland Star 5 August 1944)

"In grounds of Oakley Hospital. Baptist City Mission Board, leased in & transformed the house, formerly a female ward called "the Lodge" into a family type hostel for psychiatric patients on leave."

 (NZ Index card entry, Auckland Scrapbook  December 1973- p.169, Auckland Library)

At some point, "The Lodge" may have become known as "Oakley Lodge". When the Baptists applied to lease it from the Auckland Hospital Board in 1973 as a hostel for ex-psychiatric patients, they proposed to name it "Carrington House" (NZ Card Index). That name seems to have been superseded by "Penman House".

"Penman House has been leased from the Auckland Hospital Board by the Baptist City Mission and is a supervised boarding house for psychiatric patients on leave. Named after the Penman family."

 (NZ Index card entry, Central Leader 24 October 1973, p.18, Auckland Library)

[This Penman House not to be confused with the "Penman House" named as 65 Lloyd Ave, Mt Albert in the Owairaka/Mt Albert Heritage Walks booklet (page 31). Although the true Penman House at Woodward/Carrington Road corner was so-named after the same family.] 

"Local residents protest at purchase of 145 Carrington Rd by Auckland Area Health Board for use as a halfway house for ex-psychiatric patients."

 (NZ Index card entry, Central Leader 23 January 1991, p.1, Auckland Library)

Last time I was inside Penman House, early last decade, it was administration offices. 

Update 9 September 2012:

The sun shone a bit today, so I took photos of the building.

Penman House dominates the landscape. The top of the roofs of the building are visible from the overbridge at the Mt Albert shops.

From Carrington Road, east elevation.

North elevation, main entrance.

View from the north-west corner.

West elevation. Taken from down a slight slope.

Storage building at the rear.

Southern elevation.

Eastern elevation.

All in all, for around 103 years old -- not a bad looking old lady. 

Various murals an' stuff

A bit of a mixed bag of things spotted on my travels around Auckland over the past couple of weeks or so. First, Onehunga, where a mural has been freshly installed (these shots taken 21 August).

Painted by members of Onehunga's YMCA Raise Up n Represent group. I recognised the origami peace cranes straight off, but it took a while to notice the stylised pixellated version of One Tree Hill (without the tree, of course. If we ever get to have trees once more on the mount, will they be added later?)

It's meant to be "hip hop" and "digital", according to artist Adrian Jackman. I can see that they've succeeded.

At the other end of the spectrum, and across the Manukau Harbour at Mangere Bridge shops, this old mural still lingers in behind the main street, facing the library carpark. There used to be a hangi takeaways here, apparently, and this was done as part of the advertising. A bit of Kiwiana, found unexpectedly.

At the back of the Karangahape Road shops, this mural along an otherwise dull streetscape of carpark entries and loading bays. Sorry I didn't get a better shot without the fantail at the end washed out by the sun -- a friend had offered me a ride to Mt Albert that day, and I didn't want to keep him waiting.

Advertising, yes -- but I do rather like this mural spotted in Dominion Road's Eden Valley shops.

More of my past landscape about to vanish -- the Avondale Book Exchange has gone, the shop now a household goods store. I wonder how long the illuminated sign will last. Photographed this week.

Finally, the Maori waharoa or gateway leading to a cycleway formed up Puketapapa/Mt Roskill (Winstone Park), with State Highway 20 in the background.

If there are any interpretive signs in the vicinity, I couldn't see them -- which is a pity. I'd liked to know the story behind the gateway, and this stone (above). Yes, they're nice, but seriously -- unless you have some kind of explanation on the ground, installations like these are just about as good as lawn ornaments.  They're pretty in the landscape, but the story is lost. Just my personal opinion.

Captain Musick's memorial

Aerial view of Musick Point, Howick, Auckland, March 1946. Reference Number: WA-02384-F.  Alexander Turnbull Library.

My friends Bill and Barbara Ellis sent through a few weeks ago images of the Musick Memorial radio station building, at Musick Point, Howick. The colour images attached to this post are from them (and thanks very much, Bill and Barbara!)

Captain Edward Musick (image from Evening Post, 13 January 1938) died in January 1938 when the plane he was captain of, the Samoan Clipper, exploded near Pago Pago. He hadn't visited New Zealand all that often, but his fiery death struck a chord amongst New Zealanders at the time, perhaps because he came to symbolise the pioneering field of flight, the reduction of our sense of isolation from the world, and the romance of it all. Flags in Auckland City flew at half-mast.

In May 1938, with national feeling still high, the Government announced that a two-way radio station proposal, intended by the Auckland Electric Power Board for the benefit of ambulance, police and automobile patrols, would be taken over and dubbed the Musick Memorial Station. In April the following year, a site was decided: Tamaki Point (Te Naupata), on the eastern side of the Tamaki River estuary, a site clear of transmission interference from power or telephone lines, and one seen to be "of very great value for the navigation of aeroplanes or flying boats to New Zealand from either America or Australia." (Auckland Star 15 April 1939) It was determined by the following month that Tamaki Point would be renamed from that time on as Musick Point.

There is something of a similarity between the classic 1930s architecture of the completed station, and the lines of the Samoan Clipper which had such an ill-fated last flight. According to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust:

"The design of the new building has been credited to John Blake-Kelly, who later became the first New Zealand-trained Government Architect. Its style represents an early local use of Modern or Functionalist-influenced architecture in Auckland, and was conceived as part of a wider landscape modelled on the appearance of an aeroplane and jet stream that was evidently intended to be viewed from the air."

Musick Point Air Radio Station, Howick, Auckland, 29 August 1946. Reference Number: WA-03615-F. Alexander Turnbull Library.

"The Musick memorial radio station at Auckland, which has been established primarily to meet the requirements of the trans-Tasman and the trans pacific air services, is now in operation," stated the Minister of Aviation, the Hon. K. Jones.

"The test, which have been conducted with the Rose Bay terminal, at Sydney, and with Suva, Fiji, indicate a high grade of service is assured," added the Minister. Regular schedules are now being observed by the station with Rose Bay, Suva and Awarua."

The facilities provided at the Musick Memorial station, stated Mr. Jones, included (a) radio telegraph transmitters for a point-to-point service with overseas airports and local aeradio stations, such as Awarua, which would co-operate in the direction-finding service; (b) radio telegraph and telephone transmitters for working to aircraft, and sea direction-finding equipment, to assist in the navigation of aircraft on overseas flights.

Assistance for Coastal Shipping.

The Minister stated that the new radio centre, with its separate transmitting stations and modern teleprinter service to Mechanics' Bay, besides meeting the requirements of overseas services, would be an important national asset and would provide a nucleus for all radio services required in Auckland. When the final scheme was in operation, the comprehensive cervices at Musick Point would also make it possible to extend services to ship stations and include small ships, which at the present time had no radio facilities, but to which a radio telephony service would be a great boon and would give a greater measure of safety in the operation of the coastal trade.

Auckland Star 26 August 1939

Musick Point Air Radio Station, Howick, Auckland, 29 August 1946. Reference Number: WA-03617-F. View of the interior of the Musick Point Air Radio Station building, Howick, Auckland. Radio transmission technology lines the walls and station personnel are at work. Photographed on the 29th of August 1946 by Whites Aviation. Alexander Turnbull Library.

Civil aviation moved its services to the Auckland International Airport at Mangere in 1966, while the Post Office retained maritime and emergency radio services from the station until it closed in 1993. In 1999 it became occupied by the Suburban Amateur Radio Club, and was rededicated by the American Ambassador in 2003.

Panmure's first bridge

Hatton, W S fl 1850-1870 :Panmure Bridge Auckland 1859. Reference Number: B-078-018. A large steel-framed bridge over a river, with a hill opposite with several houses. Alexander Turnbull Library.

It would appear that the image above was incorrectly dated at some point in its existence -- for it shows a bridge which existed not in 1859, but from 1865. Perhaps it was supposed to be "1869".

The bridge shown is the first Tamaki River bridge at Panmure, linking that district with Pakuranga and the rest of greater Howick. John La Roche in his article on the bridge in Evolving Auckland (2011) writes about some of the bridge's history, where local residents petitioned the Auckland Provincial Council in February 1857 for a bridge to get across to the other side, without having to rely totally on boats and boatmen, or crossing at Otahuhu. As with most things in colonial Auckland, the process was long and drawn-out. The locals were still campaigning in November that year.

Southern Cross 27 November 1857

In March 1858, when a Provincial Council member moved to have £4000 put on the estimates for erecting the bridge, his fellow councillors turned that down on the grounds that there was no firm price available as to the cost. Instead, they voted for a budget for costs for pinpointing where the bridge might be located. October 1858, and the Council were still waiting for a survey of the Tamaki River, in order to sort out the location question.

Then, in 1861, it looked like some progress had been made.

Southern Cross 16 July 1861

Or ... perhaps not.

Panmure Bridge. The council went into committee on Message No. 60, referring to the erection of a bridge over the Tamaki at Panmure, and after a prolonged debate, it was resolved to request his honor to offer a prize of £50 for the best plan and estimate for a bridge at the point named, which would not interfere with the navigation.

Southern Cross 18 February 1862

The issue was the length of the Tamaki River, and what it would take for settlers to have both a bridge by which they could cross the waters, yet not be impeded if they wanted to travel by boat up or down them. Most of the time, where bridges were constructed on the waterways, that was where access by boat started and stopped -- but in the case of the proposed Panmure Bridge, the needs of the people upstream at least at Otahuhu had to be taken into account.

So, the Council tried again.

Southern Cross 28 February 1862

A little over a year later, the Council appointed a committee "to consider and report the best means of erecting a bridge over the Tamaki river, at Panmure." (Southern Cross, 18 March 1863)  The following month, the committee reported back that they felt a suspension bridge was best to allow navigation of the river to continue, and that a budget of £15,000 be raised for the purpose. However, it was found shortly after that, through technicalities, the budgetted cost couldn't be included in an Empowering Act at the time, and so there were no funds. The Government could pay for a punt, but not a bridge.

A public meeting was organised in June 1863, to urge the Government to pass a special Act to enable funding for the bridge. The bill was submitted to Parliament in October, and Parliament appointed a committee to look into the matter, which still tried to sort out what kind of bridge should be built, and whether it should be an expensive iron suspension bridge, or something far cheaper.

By January 1864, estimates received by the Provincial Council from its London agents went as high as £40,000 to £50,000, which probably made some in the council chamber pale. Later that month, the council's own Bridge Bill Committee recommended "in favour of the Bill, and of the erection of a wooden pile bridge, with an opening in the centre, swinging on a turntable, for the convenience of vessels." (Southern Cross, 20 January 1864)

The Tamaki Bridge Act was passed in March 1864, and planning once more proceeded. Tenders were advertised in April. An advertisement for masons to dress the stone used on the bridge's abutments was placed in the newspapers in August by the contractors, McNeil & Wilson of Invercargill. The latter's successful tender was for £11,548 12s 6d. A cardboard model of the bridge was forwarded to the NZ Industrial Exhibition of 1865 by William Weaver, the province's engineer-in-chief. Piles for the bridge, the longest required for any work in the province to that date, were conveyed from Whangarei. Stone was brought in on the barque Ellen Simpson (NZ Herald 18 March 1865) and the brig Sarah Gladstone (NZ Herald 21 April 1865).

The new bridge included what was described as a "swivel opening" at the Panmure end, 40 feet wide, controlled by "iron machinery" some 50 tons in weight, manufactured by Messrs Russell of Sydney, supported on masonry. While the overall engineer was William Weaver for the Provincial Council, the NZ Herald reported that the resident engineer was a Mr Baird. At the inauguration of the new bridge, the laying of the last corner stone on 20 October 1865, "A dance was extemporised upon the new bridge, in which, his Honor the Superintendent and the Engineer-in-Chief joined, the latter leading the light infantry brilliantly. There were no lads of the village so far as we could see, but the lasses seemed to enjoy themselves upon the new timbers immensely." (NZH 21 October 1865). The dance, it was reported a little later, was to the music of "the good old English dance of Sir Roger de Coverley". [There's an example of the music on You Tube.]

The cornerstone itself weighed a ton and a half, and after the Provincial Superintendent Robert Graham laid the cement bed with a ceremonial silver trowel, the stone was lowered carefully by means of a "powerful travelling crane." Once in place, Graham "finally adjusted the stone by striking it three times with a mallet, made of beautifully polished kauri, turned and fitted with a rimu handle."


John La Roche writes that there were some delays until traffic was finally admitted across the bridge from March 1865. Tolls were charged, from tuppence for someone walking across it, to 2 shillings for a carriage or public conveyance.

The swinging part of the bridge was a mechanism mounted on a circular rail, turned by a hand-operated winch. Delays opening that gap to allow boats carrying farmers' crops to market caused complaints, but the bridge remained in use for 51 years, until replaced in 1916 by a higher-level ferro-concrete bridge.

Auckland Weekly News, 28 September 1911, ref AWNS-19110928-14-6, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

The turning mechanism on that first bridge remains to this day. These images come from Bill and Barbara Ellis (many thanks).

Troublesome during its working life or not, this seems like incredible engineering for a small colony as we were then, in the middle of the 19th century.

At the moment, it is proposed to undertake conservation work for this reminder of the Provincial Council era of engineering and construction works in the Auckland region, so hopefully future generations will be able to look at part of the past, while the present roars on at speed close by.