Heritage et AL

I have often wandered past a couple of prominent empty lots, one between Shortland and Fort Streets and the other bounded by Albert, Victoria and Elliot Streets in the CBD and wondered how it was that there could be car parks in what must be some of the more sought-after plots of land in Tāmaki. Other than the occasional night market pre-pandemic, what has been going on with these open-air car parks?  Turns out I’m not the only one - this has crossed other’s minds too and is a popular question. A quick Google turned a heap of results, and it looks like these are the most heavily reported on carparks in the country. A colleague had similar thoughts a few years back and wrote about the Albert Street site of the Royal International Hotel.  Image:  Artist's impression of the new Royal International Hotel on the corner of Elliott Street and Victoria Street West, 1960s, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1580-24. Artist unknown. Image:  Auckland Star building, Shor...

The heritage collections at Auckland Council Libraries offer of wealth of information on the history of our city, including an early census, and map collections that document the built and natural environment at various points in time. Each source has its own strengths, and when looked at together, a picture of Auckland’s lost neighbourhoods can be found. 1842 Map Image: Plan of Auckland as it stands in January 1842. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections Map 4601 This plan of Auckland as it stood in January 1842 provides many details of the town in its early years. Shortland Crescent (now known as Shortland Street) was the main street at this time. Among the most densely built parts of the town is the area on the southern side of Shortland Crescent where the sites stretch through to Chancery Street. The position of hotels on the map helps show the location of some of the streets we know today. The Sir George Gipps Hotel was located on High Street (marked with the letter M). The a...

 “For the evils of one exist in all and the whole system requires modification and the present wooden sheds doing duty as prisons cannot too soon be supplanted by properly constructed buildings.” - New Zealand Herald, 18 June 1864 Situated between a major modern highway and the ancient slopes of Mangawhau, Mount Eden Prison has become a stable fixture in Auckland’s landscape. For over 150 years, Mount Eden Prison has housed some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most infamous criminals, seen daring escapes, hangings, riots and strikes. Mount Eden Prison continues to fascinate for its secrecy, intrigue, and enduring nature in Tāmaki Makaurau’s history. But unknown to most is its close ties to prison reform and the rich history this prison can tell us about the movement to improve the treatment of those deemed to be least worthy of society’s care. Hidden behind unforgiving conditions, hard labour, and punitive measures, is a history filled with a desire for change and reform motivated by hum...

When Aucklanders opened their copy of the New Zealand Herald at their breakfast tables on Monday 30 April 1894 they would have found a colourful addition. That morning’s newspaper included a supplement containing four views of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland printed at Wilson and Horton’s Lithographic and Colour Printery. The chromolithographic posters feature views taken from four different elevated spots around the central isthmus, and are surrounded by vignettes of local businesses who had paid to be included in the posters. In the months leading up to publication the Weekly News and Herald had been advertising this issue and the posters as a “Special Extraordinary Chromolithographic pictorial supplements” and pitching them as of interest to tourists, potential migrants and as a memento for those who had spent time in the city and moved on. The posters would “give people at a distance an idea of the character and capabilities of our city.”  Auckland Libraries have recently acquired,...