This photograph must have been taken before 1918 because Bennett's Booksellers moved to Broad Street at that date. However, it could not have been taken before 1915 because of the presence of the Premiere Drapery Company, which occupied the premises on the corner of Church Street East and The Square from 1915. The patriotic bunting may be related to World War One. The large building with a clock tower is the Post Office, built in 1906 and situated on the corner of The Square and Main Street. It was Palmerston North’s fourth, and replaced a small wooden building on the same site. In 1988, when Telecom and Postbank became separate entities, the building ceased to be the Post Office. It currently operates as a restaurant and bar. Bennetts moved to Broadway Avenue (then Broad Street) in 1918.