Feilding racecourse tea kiosk

This has to be one of the most beautiful tea kiosks in New Zealand at any point during the 20th century. Feilding racecourse itself was South Street land leased by the Feilding Jockey Club in 1889-1890, then bought outright in 1895. These tea rooms were apparently, according to the heritage assessment for the site, now Manfeild Park (2011), demolished in the 1930s-1940s, the lovely ornamental lake filled in. The racecourse was sold to the Manawatu District Council in 1999, and the club's racing operations transferred to Awapuni.

But oh, how grand the kiosk must have been.

Tenders were called in August 1906 for construction of the kiosk, to the design of architect Alexander James.  Work was complete by March 1907, but by 1908 both the club's meetings and the local A&P show's patrons using the racecourse and the kiosk put pressure on the kiosk's capacity. It was too popular for its size.

By 1909, the kiosk had doubled in size.

(Description of A & P show)
On past the pond, and the visitor looks up with surprise Like the work of a magic wand, the tea kiosk has seemingly grown in a night. At any rate, it had not been noticed before that the quaint Japanese building which has risen from the lake has doubled itself in size since last the visitor was down that way. 

Feilding Star 2 February 1909

(Description of A & P show)
The ladies' tea kiosk is a special source of at traction. It is surrounded by water, crossed by two handsome bridges, with a fountain playing in the centre, with swans and other birds on the water, also a tame deer in an enclosure. Tastefully set-out tables, accommodating three or four persons each, are placed in and around the kiosk, which is one of the most picturesque features in the landscape.2

Feilding Star 2 February 1910

The postcard itself is poststamped 1912 -- so this was from the kiosk's pre-WWI heyday. A great shame it is no longer with us.

Tait Park reopened

Back in June 2009, when I first posted about Tait Park in Avondale, this is what it looked like. 

  Yesterday, after a two-year makeover project by Auckland Council, in conjunction with the previous Avondale Community Board and the now Whau Local Board, Tait Park has been reopened, renewed.

I've mentioned the box before.

The concentric rings of old bricks fascinated me. There are some Avondale ones: J J Craig, Glenburn, both from the same yard but different periods. A lot of New Lynn ones. Then there's the mysterious "BTA" bricks,  "F F Arch Hill" (another Arch Hill brickyard from near Grey Lynn?), Granger bricks from Whitford, and "Clayton & Co" stamped bricks from Hobsonville. For more info, see my post on the New Lynn brickmakers' memorial.

The ribbon cutting.

I'm delighted as to how Tait Park has turned out. From me being concerned about the possible loss of a heritage name on the landscape, to the Avondale Community Gardeners spearheading plans for replanting of the area, to the Council and local politicians getting in behind the project to return a nice place for a break from life's rush back to the community -- it's a great result. Interpretive sign to come.

My 2009 report on Tait Park can bed found here.

The Pohutukawa Junction

St James Church in Wellington Street. Ref. 4-3542, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

On passing by a spot on the way to the on-ramp to the North-Western motorway from the city, a cabbie said he reckoned the site used to be that of a church. He was close -- a church had once been on the same block, now obliterated by motorway development.

In 1864, at a point where Wellington, Nelson, Hobson and Pitt Streets used to converge, a Presbyterian church was constructed.

A meeting was held on Friday night, 26th, of the Building Committee of St. James's Church, for the purpose of opening the tenders for the erection of the new church, Wellington and Nelson streets, of which Mr. T B. Cameron is architect. The following were the tenders Philcox and Vaughan, £3,666 Ephraim Mills, £3,800; Wm. Cameron £3,157; Samuel Goodill, £2,995; A. R. Watson, £2 940; Andrew Anderson, £2,587; John Young, £2,720; James Newell, £2,700; C. Leighton, £2,676; Andrew Clow (accepted), £2,657.

Southern Cross 29 August 1864

We've seen builder Andrew Clow's work before: the Edinburgh Castle hotel, and James Halyday's furniture factory.

The Rev. Mr. Bruce made a short speech on "Ceremony." He also referred briefly to the want of a bell in St. James's Church, and thought that when a church had got a steeple it should also get a bell. He spoke of the prosperity of the Church, and was extremely glad to hear that the debt on the building was being liquidated … He was glad to hear of the progress that had bet n made in the church during the past year, and was happy also to know that the church was getting out of debt.

Auckland Star 9 April 1873

The Presbyterians added St James Hall, next the church, sometime around the late 1870s.

Meanwhile, at the corner of Wellington Street and Pitt Street, the Catholic Institute  was built in 1865. By 1908, it was a Marist Brothers school.

Detail from sheet G 11, 1908 City of Auckland map, Auckland Council Archives.

So, by 1908, the block featured the church, the hall, the school, and other smaller buildings. In 1943, the school was remodelled to become a servicemen's club during World War II. (Home and Building, September 1943 Spring, vol 6, no 4, p 18-19, via Index Auckland)

Then, came the 1960s and the motorways. With State Highway 1 under construction, ramps were needed for the central city. This block was chosen as the site, the buildings here doomed to make way for the motorway. St James Church was demolished around 1963-1964. The rest of the block gradually followed as the decade wore on.

The site during the mid 1960s. Photographer N M Dubois, ref 786-A011-6, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

So, why the title for this post? Because of a sculpture on the site, seen below in the aerial from Auckland Council's GIS website.

And seen much better at Auckland West blog.

The sculpture of a pohutukawa blossom was designed by Rod Slater in 2006, consists of 105 stamens, and has recently been refurbished after it faded quite badly in the Auckland sun.

I don't mind the pohutukawa blossom -- but it's unfortunate I had no chance to see the church.

Arch Hill -- why?

Detail from 1890 map of Eden County

From a phone call today came the enquiry: why is Arch Hill so-named? I hadn't much of an idea, so could only help the caller by pointing out resources. But I did start to wonder.

Arch Hill may to have come from the name of a farm on a hill, Allotments 32 to 35 and 37 of Section 5 and Allotments 20 & 21 of Section 7, Suburbs of Auckland, known as "Arch Hill Farm", first seen in the Southern Cross newspaper of 9 January 1855.

"Karangahapi Road" in those times was Great North Road.


Richard Beamish's name isn't to be found anywhere in the deeds indexes for the future Arch Hill area -- but Mr Young's name certainly is, over more than 60 acres. Possibly, Beamish was leasing part from Joseph Young on the handshake principle.

Southern Cross 14 June 1861

Before this sale, by 1860, the name "Arch Hill" for the steep incline of the old Great North Road (now Tuarangi Road) came to be adopted by the greater public. This incline was known latterly as Chinaman's Hill.

(From report on Auckland Provincial Council proceedings)
Mr. Cadman then moved No. 4 on the notice paper that the intention of the Government be called to the state of the Great North Road, from McDonald's creek to the top of Arch Hill ... also, a further sum of money for filling and cutting, so that the gradient of Arch Hill may thereby be so altered as to render that part of the Great North Road, and approach to the City easier of access.

Southern Cross 14 February 1860

Joseph Young's land sale wasn't all that successful -- he offered up Arch Hill Farm for lease to dairymen in 1863.

The boundaries of the new Arch Hill Road District were gazetted in July 1871, from the base of Chinaman's Hill along the southern side of Great North Road, nearly to Newton Road. It consisted of only 11 allotments in Section 7 of Suburbs, one of which was allotment 20, part of the original Arch Hill farm, so was probably the smallest of Auckland's territorial authorities. The first annual ratepayers meeting was held at Edgcumbe's Great Northern Hotel, 25 July 1871.
 
The district became known, rather unfortunately, for night soil depots in the early 1870s, termed "the Arch Hill Nuisance" in the press. The Arch Hill Brick Works was set up at the end of 1877, located within the district's boundary on part of the old Arch Hill farm. On the same site, right on the corner of Turarangi Road and Great North Road, the Arch Hill Hotel was opened in 1880, despite the residents best efforts to keep their small district dry.

By 1899, the district was sorting out a reticulated water supply, and had its own volunteer fire brigade with a fire station by March 1900, at around 252-258 Great North Road, adjoining the Arch Hill Road Board offices.

By 1912, Arch Hill was described as a densely-populated area -- but the siren call of Greater Auckland amalgamation with Auckland City was attractive for such a small district.

An important conference between the Mayor of Auckland (Mr C. J. Parr) and the Arch Hill Road Board took place last night, there being present all the members of the Board, the town clerk, and several ex-chairmen. His Worship sought information as to the financial position, indebtedness, and rating of the local body, which was fully given. The members said they desired to be informed by his Worship what the advantages would be if they came into the city. Mr Parr said it seemed rather absurd that 2,000 people with a ratable value of £12,400 should have a separate government, really in the heart of Auckland. No doubt the Road Board had done good work in the past, but all the best interests of the district could be promoted now by amalgamating and becoming part of a strong municipality.

One of the delegates mentioned the question of rates. Mr Parr said he thought it would not mean any increase in the general rates, but perhaps a decrease to the Arch Hill people, and quoted figures in favour of this view. His Worship said that any impartial person who cared to study the figures could come to no other conclusion than that the ratepayer of Arch Hill would benefit a great deal more than the ratepayers of Auckland by the union. The Road Board members thanked Mr Parr for the information he had given them, stating that it had never previously been put so clearly before them. They requested the Mayor to address a meeting of ratepayers. Mr Parr promised that if his engagements would permit he would do so, but at present he was unable to fix a date.

Auckland Star 11 October 1912

The district decided to join Auckland City in November that year, and amalgamation was official in 1913. Today, most tend to see the area more-or-less as part of Grey Lynn (although it was not part of that borough at all). But, the Arch Hill name does live on.

Chancery's changes

Again, buying a postcard led to me doing a bit of research to satisfy my own curiosity as to some of the story about a part of Auckland. The Chancery Street area has come up time and again, mainly from the 19th century references to it being something of a near-slum area by the 1860s. In the detail above from the 1866 Vercoe and Harding map of Auckland (NZ Map 18, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library), the area I looked into is from the second Wesleyan Chapel (left, fronting the corner of High Street and Chancery Street, on Allotment 27 Section 4, City), the Mechanics' Institute building alongside (Allotment 26), William Street through Allotment 25, and "Chancery Lane" through Allotment 24.

This latter accessway between Chancery Street and Victoria Quadrant (Kitchener Street) came to be known as "Bacon's Alley", after William Bacon, proprietor from the 1850s of the Oddfellows Arms Hotel, located at the corner of Chancery Street and the lane which would come to bear his name. Bacon purchased land in the area as early as 1843, but lost it to the Improvement Commissioners in the early 1870s when Auckland City Council took over the area to try to create a road link from Coburg Street (part of Kitchener Street now, south of of Victoria Street West) and Shortland Street.

For the purpose of obtaining such access it will be necessary that a new street should be formed from Victoria Quadrant, in the vicinity of the Wesleyan Chapel into Shortland-street, and thence into Fort-street, near its junction with Commerce-street; and that Victoria street should be extended into Victoria Quadrant, over land the property of Mr Thomas Outhwaite. To effect this it is expedient that lanes and private alleys in the vicinity of Chancery-street should be abolished, and that several houses and huts there should be removed, and that Chancery-street should be widened. The Commissioners by this Act, seek to obtain compulsory powers for the purchase of the estate interest, and rights of all persons in the land and houses required for the formation of such streets and works, and for the abolition of such lanes and private alleys as aforesaid, and for the acquisition of lands and houses adjacent to the same for re-sale by the Commissioners after the new streets have been formed and the old streets widened.

 (Star 23 May 1873)

That road link was meant to provide more direct access between the port and the sections being divided up for lease and sale by the Improvement Commissioners (see also my posts of the Drill Hall and Princes Street). But -- it didn't come to pass. The main effect was that the Wesleyan Chapel site, the Mechanics Institute, William and Bacon's Lanes all became property of Auckland City Council, much this remaining in Council hands until the mid 1980s.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, here ...

Above, the Chancery area c.1857, from the lower slopes of Barrack Hill (Albert Park), in the vicinity of today's Bowen Avenue. The prominent building centre right was the second Wesleyan Chapel fronting High Street. To the right of the chapel, just across an un-named accessway which became Courthouse Lane in the 20th century, the Auckland Mechanic's Institute. The roadway from left to right is Victoria Quadrant (now part of Kitchener Street). Ref 4-864, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

The original Wesleyan Chapel was wooden, and built 1843 on the same site.  In 1846 (New Zealander 28 March), the chapel was enlarged, but in 1848 it was completely replaced by a brick structure (New Zealander 18 October 1848). This sparked off a heritage mystery which still lingers. The Silverdale and Districts Historical Society have a wooden chapel on their museum site which, it is claimed, is the old High Street chapel, after having been relocated to Parnell, and then to the Wade (now Silverdale) in 1860. But original deeds and documentation proving the High-street to Parnell to Wade links have been lost.

According to the New Zealander, 12 May 1849, the chapel was converted by that time into the Wesleyan Day School, adjoining the new chapel. It was still there Christmas Day 1852 (New Zealander). As the Sunday School, it appears to have remained in that position right down to 1874, when the Improvement Commissioners bought the property from the church trustees (Southern Cross, 22 May 1873). I've found one reference to a Wesleyan Chapel at "Wade Bridge" by 1866 (Southern Cross, 3 February) so, I tend to think at this stage that the chapel at Silverdale wasn't from High Street.

The same scene, c.1869. Where this bloke is sitting is now the busy road called Bowen Avenue. Ref 4-3390, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

Two images stitched together, from the 1860s, showing the view from another vantage point on what is now lower Albert Park. Refs 7-A5474 and 7-A5475, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

The scene in the early 1870s. Ref 4-8996, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

In 1875, the Improvement Commissioners proposed to offer the brick chapel to the Mechanics' Institute, in return for the Institute's land so that the connecting road could be pushed through. (Star, 2 September 1875) Nothing came of that, but St Paul's School did use the old Wesleyan schoolroom at the rear of the chapel for a time from 1876. (Southern Cross, 9 June) But the chapel and its site between High Street and Victoria Quadrant was to take on a new role -- that of the Magistrates and Police Courts, and (later) the Land and Deeds office.

A petition, very largely signed by members of the legal profession, Justices of the Peace, and prominent citizens, is about to be presented to the Hon. C. C. Bowen, Minister of Justice, having for its object the shifting of the District Court, Resident Magistrates' Court, and Police Court, to the old Wesleyan Chapel, in High-street ... The Wesleyan Chapel is a large and commodious edifice. By the expenditure of a moderate sum every convenience could be secured. The mere shifting of the Court house would save to the public and the profession in a single year all the costs of the improvements five times multiplied. The Minister of Justice will do well to accede to the prayer of the petition, as a public benefit of no inconsiderable extent will be secured. 

Auckland Star 10 April 1876

"Watercolour painting by Walter Wright showing the Mechanics Institute which was situated on the corner of High Street and Chancery Street, the ramp at the right led to Courthouse Lane." Ref 4-675, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library. The lane to the left appears to have been just a blind access lane -- now all part of today's Chancery development.

The Mechanic's Institute, 1880s, probably before conversion briefly as the Auckland Public Library. The beginning of Courthouse Lane can be seen in the foreground, at that point simply a pedestrian access. Ref 4-25, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

The old Mechanics' Institute, one of the few links between past and present day Auckland, is to be demolished in the course of a week or two, after an existence of over 60 years. The building, a quaint old one, adjoins the Magistrate's Court at the corner of High-street and Chancery-lane, and though for some time past its dignity has been disturbed by the hubbub of the workroom, some 30 or 40 years ago it boasted the name of  "The Mechanics' Institute," and for many years the front portion of the building was used as a public hall, where matters of great national import were ofttimes heatedly discussed with all the fire and spirit of the "good old days." The library which was attached to the Institute after a time fell on luckless days, and after futile efforts had been made to interest the Government in its behalf, it was in 1879 offered to the City Council as a free gift to form the nucleus of a public library. The offer was accepted, and in 1880  the Free Public Library came into being, continuing in the old building till 1887, when it was transferred to the present building by virtue of the Costley bequest, and Sir George Grey improved the occasion by donating his splendid collection of books and other treasures to the institution.

Auckland Star 23 September 1909

"Looking from Bowen Ave (right), Victoria Quadrant now Kitchener Street (left) showing the Northern Club(centre) and Albert Park (right)", 1880s. Ref 4-133, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

The Chancery area in the 1880s. The former chapel building is now extended, with what appears to be front and rear porches, serving as the district and police court. Ref 4-140, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

The Chancery district, in Hickson's 1882 map of Auckland (NZ Map 91, Sir George Grey Special Collections). Courthouse Lane has yet to be mapped, but probably existed as an unofficial access past the Mechanics' Institute building. William and Bacon Lane are survivors (although William Bacon's Oddfellows Hotel didn't). Another lane further east, shown in 1866, didn't last.

The Court House in High Street, formerly the Wesleyan Chapel, unknown date. Ref 4-774, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Library.

In 1880, the Crown took over the former Wesleyan Chapel site as a Residents Magistrate's court and Police court. (Star 16 March 1880) The District Court's sessions opened there 14 March 1881. (Star 21 March) By 1911, the building had become the Land and Deeds office, as the district court moved to the new building fronting Victoria Quadrant.

This is the postcard which attracted my attention to all this: the NZ Express Company's Central Sample Rooms, at the top of Courthouse Lane, fronting Victoria Quadrant, from 1906.

I especially like this detail of two of the company's carts, ready and waiting for service. Courthouse Lane, as can be seen, was quite narrow.

In this detail from a 1909 plan (DP 2789, LINZ records, crown copyright), Courthouse Lane isn't even named. The site of the Central Sample Rooms building is in yellow.

Originally four storeys, the company added two more in 1913 (ACC 213/83k, Auckland Council Archives). The site was leased to NZ Express from 1903 by the Council (NA 113.13) until 1945 when the site was leased to Nagel Creations, manufacturers of lingerie.

Auckland city, viewed from the Grand Hotel, 1910s. Chancery Street is on the right. Photographer unidentified. Reference Number: 1/1-002803-G, Alexander Turnbull Library.

In the above image, Albert Park is to the left, Chancery Street to the right, the Central Sample Rooms just left of centre (and by then built up to 6 storeys), with the Police Court/Deeds Office just to the right of the Sample Rooms, other side of Courthouse Lane.

Then in 1985, Council sold the land first taken over by the Improvement Commissioners more than a century before for a road which was never created. NZI engaged in a massive redevelopment of the area, involving the closing of William (now Warspite) Lane, closing and re-creating Bacons Lane as a broad street to the east, and the demolition of the existing buildings, including the old Central Sample Rooms by 1988-1989.

So, today -- this is Courthouse Lane from lower Albert Park. Left is the former courthouse building (referred to in this post), while to the right is the new building (1990s) in place of the Central Sample Rooms. Oddly, it fills much the same footprint.

Closest I could get to recreating the 1906 postcard's view. There has been much in the way of foliage growth on the hill since then ...

I quite like the new building. A pity the old one is gone, but it had been altered and added to over the years, and was simply the standard Edwardian mercantile style. However this one does indeed look quite smart -- and if you want a nice cuppa and a meal, go to the coffee shop right on the corner there. They cook a wonderful eggs benedict.

This is more or less what Warspite Lane has become -- a set of steps, leading to Chancery Square. All now a far, far cry from the seedy hotels, infamous brothels, grimy streets and places of learning and worship in the edge of the ridge.

A taste of electric rail

A friend gave me a head's-up about this promo model of a cab of an electric train currently on display at Newmarket Station.