Local historians weekly "Back Issues" article in the Manawatū Standard. The life story of Constance Abraham (1864-1942). Mother of seven, community leader in Palmerston North and accomplished sportswoman.
The Lido swimming pool is situated on 10 acres of land previously owned by the old Awatapu Golf Club. The pool was planned in 1964, building got under was 23 January 1965 and was officially opened 15 November 1966. The Lido consists of indoor and outdoor pools.
Local historians weekly "Back Issues" article in the Manawatū Standard. The history of radio listening since 1924. By the 1930's, it is estimated that more than half of New Zealand homes had a radio. Tuning in to the 'wireless' became a communal activity, bringing people together at the same time of day.
A J Berryman purchased the music shop business of J P Leary in The Square in 1920, carrying on this business. In 1932 he purchased a section in Broadway Avenue and constructed new premises. Two years later these were enlarged to cover practically the whole of his section of land. In 1934 Berryman’s opened up a sports department and expanded the radio service department. The building remains and is still used for retail.
99.4 FM Kiwi Music Week. Interviews, Live to Airs, Giveaways. 100% kiwi music all week. April 10th-16th. 99.4FM radio Massey.
Part of a collection of posters that were displayed at The Stomach, Lombard Street, venue for Creative Sounds Society Incorporated.
A large variety of subjects are depicted in the collection, but family, rural life and travel are the most prominent themes. The exact location of the photographs in the Young Collection is unknown, but W J Young lived on a farm in Mt Stewart, Rangitikei, and some of the photographs include his house. The Young family were apparently avid travellers and photographs later in the collection feature scenes from Rotorua, Auckland, Whanganui, as well as other unidentified locations. The portraits are all unidentified, but are presumably of members of the Young family. The photographers parents were George Henry (b 1833) and Jane McDowell (b 1842, d 1916). They came to New Zealand in 1877. The same year, they bought the home farm on Mt Stewart and called it Kilrudden after Kilrudden House, the home of the McDowell family in Ireland. The couple had four children: Ann (b 1873), Margaret (b 1876), John (b 1878) and William James (b 1880). William James married Mary Elizabeth Thompson and they had four children: Doris (b 1914, d 1989), George (b 1916, d 1991), Royden McDowell (b 1925, d 1992) and Noel William (b 1927, d 2013).
This booklet discusses the various uses of natural gas, including for water heating, space heating, cooking appliances and using CNG (compressed natural gas) in vehicles. It included a separate insert outlining the installation and usage costs associated with conversion to natural gas.
This photograph was taken by the Manawatu Evening Standard to illustrate fashion, but it was not used. The women are unidentified, but the location appears to be the Woodville Racecourse.
This photograph was created by William James Young in the early 20th century. The tram is crossing Queen Street, with the Direct Supply Company (D.S.C.) store visible on the corner.
A large variety of subjects are depicted in the collection, but family, rural life and travel are the most prominent themes. The exact location of the photographs in the Young Collection is unknown, but W J Young lived on a farm in Mt Stewart, Rangitikei, and some of the photographs include his house. The Young family were apparently avid travellers and photographs later in the collection feature scenes from Rotorua, Auckland, Whanganui, as well as other unidentified locations. The portraits are all unidentified, but are presumably of members of the Young family. The photographers parents were George Henry (b 1833) and Jane McDowell (b 1842, d 1916). They came to New Zealand in 1877. The same year, they bought the home farm on Mt Stewart and called it Kilrudden after Kilrudden House, the home of the McDowell family in Ireland. The couple had four children: Ann (b 1873), Margaret (b 1876), John (b 1878) and William James (b 1880). William James married Mary Elizabeth Thompson and they had four children: Doris (b 1914, d 1989), George (b 1916, d 1991), Royden McDowell (b 1925, d 1992) and Noel William (b 1927, d 2013).
The lane is named for hydrangea, hydrangea macrophylla. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
During 1970, Palmerston North gas supply changed from using coal gas, manufactured at the Napier Road gasworks, to using natural gas, piped from the Kapuni gas field in Taranaki. Natural gas first arrived in the city on 23 June 1970 and the Napier Road gasworks ceased operations on 22 November 1970.
A 14-page booklet describing the activities of the Gas Department during the conversion from coal gas to natural gas.
The way is named “The Cutting,” a railway term referencing excavation in a land rise in order to lay railway tracks. There is a deep cutting at the rear boundary of this street, on the North Island Main Trunk. November 2018.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
From the 1920s it was acknowledged that the Palmerston North Railway Station and goods shed were no longer large enough for purpose. Services to and from the station, and the rails through the centre of town, were also causing traffic congestion. The solution was to move or 'deviate' the railway around, instead of through, the city.
Milson became suburb in 1925. At request of landowner Mr Henry Vile it was named after Mr Robert Milson an early settler who had owned the block of land. The Railway Department purchased 37-acres of Mr H Vile’s property and built dwellings there for workers on the upcoming railway deviation.
The Milson railway deviation was to branch off at Longburn and run along the northern side of Palmerston North, later joining with the New Plymouth and Napier Lines. Twin lines would run between the Milson Suburb and Boundary Road (later Tremaine Avenue) where the new station was proposed. The station was originally planned for Rangitikei Line.
Deviation work started in 1926 but stalled during the depression.
Work recommenced on the Milson cuttings in 1937. There were two excavations. A main cutting started about half-way along Boundary Road (later Tremaine Avenue) and extended under the bridge at Milson’s Line. The second was further from the city where the two lines diverged. “The Cutting Way” is situated along the second cutting. About 60 men were employed to carry out the work.
Railway worker, Mr JB Blenkhorn, lost his life in an earthfall while working on a Milson cutting in June 1938. The work gang were sitting having lunch under a clay bank, when it broke. A huge fall of earth came away from the 10-foot bank. Another member of the gang, Mr Jack Chapman, was seriously injured.
Spoil from the cuttings was used in the base of the excavations to form the rail roads, it also lined the sides of the tracks in gradients that were later metalled. The remainder was manoeuvred into two large mounds. These were removed to where spoil was required at other points of the tracks, and 70,000 cubic yards was reserved for filling at the station site.
This photograph was created by William James Young in the early 20th century. The woman appears to be on the tower of St Matthew's Anglican Church, Hobson Street, Auckland.
A large variety of subjects are depicted in the Young collection, but family, rural life and travel are the most prominent themes. The exact location of the photographs in the Young Collection is unknown, but W J Young lived on a farm in Mt Stewart, Rangitikei, and some of the photographs include his house. The Young family were apparently avid travellers and photographs later in the collection feature scenes from Rotorua, Auckland, Whanganui, as well as other unidentified locations. The portraits are all unidentified, but are presumably of members of the Young family. The photographers parents were George Henry (b 1833) and Jane McDowell (b 1842, d 1916). They came to New Zealand in 1877. The same year, they bought the home farm on Mt Stewart and called it Kilrudden after Kilrudden House, the home of the McDowell family in Ireland. The couple had four children: Ann (b 1873), Margaret (b 1876), John (b 1878) and William James (b 1880). William James married Mary Elizabeth Thompson and they had four children: Doris (b 1914, d 1989), George (b 1916, d 1991), Royden McDowell (b 1925, d 1992) and Noel William (b 1927, d 2013).
Work began on the deviation of the railway line to the outskirts of Palmerston North in 1926 but it was not completed until 1959.
The lane is a combination name. It acknowledges Ashhurst the town and Grove Road – which the lane branches off. February 2020.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
The way is named for the cabbage tree, tī kōuka. A native plant of Aotearoa New Zealand. March 2017.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The grove is named for banksia integrifolia, banksia. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The avenue is named for bouvardia, bourvadia longiflora, 'humboldtii'. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The court is named for azara microphylla, the vanilla tree. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The court is named for buttonwood, conocarpus erectus. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The close is named for crabapple, malus. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The way is named for dogwood, cornus. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The grove is named for foxglove, digitalis purpurea. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The court is named for coprosma. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand. March 2017.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
The court is named for boronia. An exotic plant found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The aerial image is a derivative of the Palmerston North City Council online mapping Geographic Information System (GIS).
In Milson, a number of streets around the Clearview Reserve and off Clearview Drive are themed on plants found in New Zealand. This area was subdivided by Fair Investments Ltd. between 2002-2006, D.P. 91090.
This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 3rd December 1965 "David Dowthwaite (head boy Ross Intermediate)"
Lyndhurst Street was a Mr Frederick Bryant subdivision. His wife, Mrs Mary Ann Bryant, was born near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, and the Bryant family moved there in 1899. This road is named after the street, Lyndhurst Gardens, in the Southborough district of Tunbridge Wells. To learn more about the Bryant's, look at Bryant Street.
The first image is a derivative of this Palmerston North Borough map from 1923 by HR Farquar, Civil Engineer and Licensed Surveyor. It shows the original road formed in 1912, by Mr Fred Bryant, D.P. 2626, section 293.
The second image is a derivative of this NZ Cadastral Map - Town Series: Palmerston North Map 4 from 1961 by the Lands and Survey Department, New Zealand. It shows Lyndhurst Street after its extension in 1925, by Mr Frederick Needham, D.P. 7316 section 312.
Lyndhurst Gardens was formed in the 1880s by Mr William Willett and his son. It was part of a subdivison that started with Eton Avenue. The street wasn't originally named Lyndhurst Gardens, it was called Dalkeith Gardens until 1911. "Gardens" is a common street suffix in the United Kingdom.
The name is likely inspired by Lyndhurst, a village in the New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England. The recorded history of Lyndhurst (Saxon for ‘lime-wood’) began in 980 when a royal manor by that name was granted to the Abbey of Amesbury, Wiltshire. King William I, William the Conqueror, made New Forest a royal hunting ground by 1075. Lyndhurst was to become the administrative capital of the area.
Hatton, S. (2023, January 31). Lyndhurst Gardens, NW3. The Underground Map Project. https://www.theundergroundmap.com/article.html?id=23254
Lyndhurst Parish Council. (Last updated 2024, July 8). Village history: a brief history of Lyndhurst. Government UK.
https://www.lyndhurst-pc.gov.uk/history/village-history/
In November of 1912 correspondence from Mr F Bryant to the council, requested takeover of Lyndhurst Street. The borough engineer reported that the street had been completed in compliance with council conditions. Councillor Seifert did not agree. In October 1914 he advised that the street metal was not properly broken, and Lyndhurst Street should not be taken over until the metal was at an appropriate size. The engineer responded that rather than have inspection at the time of metalling, it was far cheaper to break the stones later. The street was taken over by the borough council.
Sewerage works were carried out in 1916 and were extended by eighteen chains (chain = 66 feet/20.12 metres) in 1921, under a water and sewerage loan. In July 1926 services to the Lyndhurst Street extension were delayed until the summer months, due to a large influx of subsoil water making winter work impractical.
Water tables were cleared in November 1919 and several times in the years to follow. The street did have trouble with accumulated surface water in the 1930s due to the uneven settling of the concrete kerb and channel. This was remedied by lifting the channel. The replacement of one-inch mains with four-inch mains in 1929 also helped manage stormwater in the Lyndhurst Street extension.
In May 1921 Lyndhurst Street was proposed as part of the town's new bus transit route. This was confirmed and municipal bus services started in September. To learn more about the introduction of public buses, look at this history of Cuba Street, where the first municipal bus barn was built.
Within the first month of services, suggestions were made in regard to changes to timetabling, to better work around town activities; the best locations for parking of buses; and, that a bugle be sounded to indicate when a bus was approaching each pick-up point (bus stop).
Small changes in timetabling often resulted in immediate pushback. For example, in October 1922 the 5:40pm Lyndhurst Street bus was cancelled. After complaints it was reinstated the following week. Then in July 1923, at a meeting of the Central School District, it was clear that ten minutes made a difference. A motion was carried to ask the council to revert back to the 8:45am departure time in Lyndhurst Street, as the new 8:55am time was making children late for school.
By June 1925 of a total of 45,909 passengers for the month, 4,153 were recorded on the Lyndhurst Street route. Six months later the Transit Committee recommended extending the Lyndhurst Street route as far as the corner of Armstrong and Featherston Streets, with an increase in fares. The fares increase was unpopular and in February 1926, traffic manager, Mr Peter Gardener Patton, successfully recommended lowering children’s fares on all routes. He felt that existing concession tickets made adult travel reasonable.
Around 1928 the Lyndhurst Street route became known as the Takaro bus route.
In 1925 Mr Frederick Needham laid the Lyndhurst Street extension, alongside the Bryant Street extension and Burns Avenue.
While footpaths in Lyndhurst Street received regular attention from 1915, there were two notable usages that impacted these. Residents were concerned about Lyndhurst Street being used as a route for sheep and cattle on their way to sales at the showgrounds. As late as September 1940 complaints were made on the danger to children and damage to footpaths and grass verges. The second was high use due to being on the municipal bus route, although this impacted the roadway more.
The Takaro Progressive Association was active in the late 1920s and 1930s in pursuing the tar-sealing of Lyndhurst Street and Lyndhurst Street extension, particularly in the sections travelled by municipal buses. In November 1932 for example, the association particularly pointed out the dust nuisance for residents from buses. By 1936 they also highlighted the use of the street by heavy transport lorries, avoiding central city traffic. From 1935 to 1940 the street was tar-sealed in sections as borough finances permitted.
In March of 1929 electrical transformers were built at the corner of Lyndhurst and Featherson Streets and the corner of Cuba and Lyndhurst Streets. Four years later the latter, a 50 k.v.a transformer, was replaced with a 100 k.v.a. transformer. Also, in 1933, low tension distribution lines were increased in size in Lyndhurst Street to meet the growing load.
Gas mains were enlarged in Lyndhurst Street in 1936 to increase capacity to meet demand. Thirteen chains of 4-inch pipes were laid to improve gas pressure to cookers and heaters. Replacement of pipes continued in 1937.
Mr James Blake purchased section 293, allotment 53, 6 Lyndhurst Street c. 1913. He appears to have lived there with his parents Mrs Margaret and Mr Samuel Blake, and younger sister Margaret (jnr). Mr J Blake was born in Woodville in 1887. During his time in Palmerston North, he worked as a drapery assistant for Collinson and Cunninghame Ltd.
In May 1916 he signed up with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, to serve with 29th Ambulance, New Zealand Medical Corps. Mr Blake listed his mother and sister as dependents on his recruitment papers (his parents later divorced). He trained at the Awapuni training camp in 1917. To learn more about the camp, read Poppy Place for the Awapuni Medical Corps Memorial by Evan Greensides.
His sister Margaret died in June of that year at Palmerston North Hospital; she was 23 years old.
Private Blake embarked on the HMHS Marama in September of 1917. The ship was outfitted with over 500 beds for wounded soldiers. Pvt. Blake made three trips on the hospital ship, before his discharge in 1919.
Initially he returned to his former position at Collinson and Cunninghame Ltd. However, he sold the Lyndhurst property to Mrs Bridget Mary Rose, wife of Mr William Edwin Rose of Nikau Farm, Konini, (near Pahiatua) in 1919; and by 1921 was residing in Kiritaki, Dannevirke.
There he took up farming. He married Miss Olive May Williams (b.1896, Timaru) in 1937 and the couple continued farming until retirement.
Mrs Olive May Blake died in June 1961, aged 65 Years. Mr James Blake died August 1972 at the age of 84 years. Husband and wife are interred at Mangatera Cemetery, Dannevirke.
Mr and Mrs Charles Francis Cronin lived on Lyndhurst Street, section 293, allotment 52 from c. 1913 to c.1918.
Mr CF Cronin was born in 1891 to Mrs Mary and Mr Patrick Cronin. He married Miss Lucy Winifred Bradbury, born 1892 to Mrs Eleanor Sophia and Mr Roland Keats Bradbury, in 1913. The couple had three children; Gerald Charles b.1916, Joan Winifred b.1917, and Lucy Eileen b.1921.
While living in Lyndhurst Street Mr C Cronin was a clerk in the goods office of the Palmerston North Railway Station. He was an active ratepayer enquiring about the asphalting of footpaths in 1916 and 1917. By 1919 the Cronin Family had moved to Oxford Street.
Mr Cronin was heavily involved in the performing arts as a singer and actor. He was a member of the Manawatū Savage Club, City Choir, Manawatu Scottish Society, and Operatic and Repertory Societies. He was part of the executive for the latter. The couple were also Rotarians, and Mrs Cronin was involved with the Palmerston North Townswomen’s Guild.
In October 1926 after twelve years with Palmerston North Railways, Mr Cronin was transferred to Taihape. This was short-lived, by December of 1926 Mr and Mrs Cronin set up a private company, Manawatū Loan and Discount Co., Ltd, situated in the C. Smith Buildings in Palmerston North. The business later moved to the AMP Buildings.
They lived in Hereford Street for a time before building a home at 26 Manapouri Crescent (later renumbered 36) in 1932. The Cronin’s participation in community life continued, and Mr Cronin also owned and raced several horses in the 1930s and 40s. They lived in Manapouri Crescent until c. 1946, later transferring the property to daughter, Mrs Lucy New.
The Cronin’s stayed in Palmerston North for the remainder of their lives. Mrs Lucy Winifred Cronin died in May 1972, aged 80. Mr Charles Francis Cronin died in December of 1989 at the age of 98. The couple are interred at Kelvin Grove Cemetery with their son, Gerald, who predeceased them.
Mr Leonard Original Pascoe of Elizabeth Street purchased section 297, allotment 75, Lyndhurst Street c. 1913. A house was built at 21 Lyndhurst Street in 1915 for Mr and Mrs LO Pascoe.
Born in Christchurch 1889 to Mrs Anne “Annie” Elizabeth and Mr Augustus Pascoe, Mr Pascoe was employed by the Palmerston North Railway Station in his early years in the town. He married his first wife, Miss Violet Myrtle Ehrhorn in 1914. She was born in 1894, Sanson, to Mrs Anna and Mr Henry Ehrhorn.
The couple had three children, two born while in Lyndhurst Street; Dorothy Mavis b.1915, Violet Averill b.1917, and Lorna Myrtle b.1920.
Mr L Pascoe rose to the position of engine driver for the railway, before resigning in May of 1918. By June he was employed by the Glaxo Factory in Bunnythorpe as a fireman. Mr Pascoe was balloted in mid-1918 and unsuccessfully requested an extension. He did not serve, as World War One ended in November that year.
The couple sold their Lyndhurst Street house to Mr Martin Sydney in 1919.
Mrs Violet Myrtle Pascoe died in November 1920, seven days after childbirth. Aged 26 years, she was interred at Terrace End Cemetery. Mr Pascoe remarried two years later to Miss Lily May Neilson, born 1891 in Palmerston North, to Mrs Barbara and Mr James Neilson. The Pascoes had two children; Jean Katherine b.1923, and Barry Leonard b.1932.
Mr Pascoe was elected to the Bunnythorpe School Committee in the early 1920s and served as secretary from 1921 to 1931. He was secretary of the school jubilee committee in 1933, and president of the school committee in the early 1940s. Mr Pascoe was also involved with the building of the Bunnythorpe Hall and remained part of the Hall Committee serving as secretary in 1942 and 1943.
He was a member of the Oroua Lodge of Druids, Palmerston North, becoming Vice Arch Druid from 1922 and was elected Arch Druid in 1923, after which he remained a member of the Royal Arch Chapter no.10. He had a keen interest in sport and was secretary of the Bunnythorpe Football Club from 1924.
Mr Pascoe remained employed by Glaxo Laboratories as an engineer for the remainder of his working career, retiring in the early 1940s due to ill-health.
Admitted to hospital for two months in 1943, Mr Leonard Original Pascoe died in June of 1944 after a lengthy illness. He was 55 years old. Mrs Lily May Pascoe continued to live in Bunnythorpe and died in September 1974, aged 82 years. The couple are interred at Bunnythorpe Cemetery.
Mr Frederick Crossley M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Surgeon, began operating from the Woodfield Stables on Cuba Street in March 1918. From July 1918 until September 1926 he also operated from his residential address, 26 Lyndhurst Street. By November 1927 the Lyndhurst Street property was sold, and Mr and Mrs Fred Crossley moved to Wellington.
In 1924 Mr Herbert "Herb" Rasmus Jensen sold his farm in Karere (Awapuni) and lived in Stoney Creek (Whakarongo) for a couple of years. In 1927 Mr Herb R Jensen moved to 157 Lyndhurst Street (later renumbered 82). There he advertised his patented Mole Drain Plough. He was a contractor of heavy tractor work for excavations and fillings, specialising in mole draining.
Mr HR Jensen also operated as a farmers’ transport carrier and contractor from c. 1934 to c. 1940 carting livestock and farm produce, such as wool. By 1941 he had become the local agent for the Newport Oil Filter, working from his Cuba Street yard and residential address, 82 Lyndhurst Street. By the mid-1940s Mr H Jensen appears to have carried out mainly municipal contracting from his Cuba Street business.
The Takaro Wood and Coal Depot operated from 101 Lyndhurst Street on the corner of Featherston Street from 1924. It was operated by Mr Frank Grover until June of 1925 when it came under the management of Mr Hugh Vallance. At some stage in the early-1930s the address became 32 Featherston Street and this was renumbered 70 Featherston Street in 1936.
In November of 1927 Mr G Edwards opened a new butcher’s shop on the corner of Lyndhurst and Chelwood Street. By 1930 it was owned by Mr E Edwards, advertised as Takaro Central Butchery in local newspapers, and the following year as Takaro Butchery.
At the start of 1933 the interest in the business was sold to Mr Harold Toms, who was replaced by manager Mr Arthur William Scadden eight months later. The butchery was now named Takaro Butchery Ltd., of Chelwood Street.
By 1936 having successfully started its commercial activities with a grocery in Broadway Avenue, the Manawatū Co-operative Society Ltd., took over the Takaro Butchery, retaining Mr AW Scadden as manager. It was advertised as being situated on Lyndhurst Street. The society went on to purchase further butcheries in Terrace and West End.
In May of 1941 Mr A Scadden transferred to the West End Butchery to manage the store in his son’s absence. Mr George Arthur Scadden, manager, had left to serve in World War Two. The Manawatū Co-operative Society placed Takaro Butchery under the management of Mr Frank Trembath. The society was later known as the Consumers’ Co-operative (Manawatū) Ltd and had stores throughout Palmerston North.
To learn more about the Co-operative Society, read A small idea 50 years ago – today, a multi-million dollar business on page 2 of this jubilee edition of Co-Op Consumer Times.
Mr Alfred “Alf” Peter Jensen (late of Kairanga, Bunnythorpe) moved to 103 Lyndhurst Street (later renumbered 8) in 1928. He was a hay presser and agricultural contractor, offering hay baling, ploughing and harvesting work. He ran his business from his home in Lyndhurst Street until 1936 when he moved elsewhere in the city.
From 1937 a furniture factory operated from 133/134 Lyndhurst Street (appears to have later been renumbered 50). The cabinetmaker, Mr Pedersen, specialised in oak furnishings. This may, or may not, have been Mr Richard Andrew Pederson who ran a furniture factory in Chelwood Street from 1926 to 1930.
From 1944 the Emmanuel Congregational Church of Broadway Avenue, established a branch Sunday School at 89 Lyndhurst Street.
Prior to World War Two Mr Leslie William Ayers, a watchmaker and jeweller, operated his business from Cole’s Buildings on Te Marae o Hine the Square, and later the Library Buildings (until 1937). In 1944, after serving out World War Two within Aotearoa New Zealand and having returned to civilian life, he worked from his private residence 87 Lyndhurst Street watchmaking, repairing and engraving. He was also a member of the New Zealand Home Servicemen’s Association and president of the Manawatū Branch.
The addresses on Lyndhurst Street were renumbered in 1939. See p.161 to p.163 of the Rates Register of Street Numbers - Old and New.
The street was named for Mr Frederick Bryant, an early butcher and landowner in Palmerston North. He owned the land on which the original Bryant Street was formed. The street was extended in 1925, and Palermes Street was incorporated in 1926.
The first image is a derivative of this Palmerston North Borough map from 1923 by HR Farquar, Civil Engineer and Licensed Surveyor. It shows the original road formed by Mr Fred Bryant c. 1912, D.P. 2626, section 293.
The second image is a derivative of this NZ Cadastral Map - Town Series: Palmerston North Map 4 from 1961 by the Lands and Survey Department, New Zealand. It shows Bryant Street after its extension by Mr Frederick Needham in 1925, and the incorporation of Palermes Street in 1926.
Mr Frederick “Fred” Bryant was born 1860 in Auckland, the son of immigrants Mr and Mrs FW Bryant of Bristol, England. The children were raised in Auckland and Thames.
Mr Fred Bryant arrived in Palmerston North in 1883 and established himself in the land and butchery businesses.
He was in the string of proprietors of one of earliest known butcher stores in the township. Established by Mr James Green in 1872, the butchery was subsequently owned by Mr Sinclair George, Mr Joseph Beale, who sold it to Mr F Bryant in 1885, Mr William Reed, and Messrs Carter & Rawton. It was to become the Manawatū Meat and Cold Storage Co., and later the Manawatū Meat Co., Ltd.
After selling the above butchery to Mr W Reed in 1891, Mr Bryant opened F Bryant Wholesale and Retail Butcher in Te Marae o Hine the Square, next to the Bank of Australasia. From 1896 his store was known as City Butchery. Mr Reed purchased the butchery from Mr Bryant in 1900 and it was renamed W Reed Wholesale and Retail Butcher.
Mr Bryant married Miss Mary Ann Stevenson in Taita, Lower Hutt, in 1885. Miss MA Stevenson was born in 1864 to Mr William and Mrs Sarah Stevenson in Sussex, England. She was 13 years old when the family emigrated to Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, on the ship Wairoa.
Mr and Mrs Bryant had four children; Frederick William b.1886, Arthur Gilbert b.1888, Ernest Horace b.1891, and Keith b.1894.
While Mr Bryant did not participate in local government, he was an active member of the community. He became a life member of the freemasons, joining the United Manawatū Lodge, No. 1721. E.C., in 1889. He was worshipful master in 1894 and 1895.
Mr Bryant was early member of the All Saints' Anglican vestry and a one-time churchwarden. Later, in 1914, he gifted a section on the corner of Featherston and Kingswood Street to the All Saints'. In August of 1926 it was decided that this section would house a Sunday school and social hall.
He was an early and prominent member of the Palmerston North Bowling Club, and president in 1898. Well known on the bowling greens, he skippered the team that won the North Island Championships in 1898.
Mr Bryant had substantial property interests in Palmerston North and Shannon. He owned business blocks in Te Marae o Hine the Square, Rangitikei and Cuba Streets and built a number of business premises (Bryant buildings) in the central business district. He also subdivided land for residential occupation in Takaro and Roslyn.
The family moved to Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England in 1899. They did not return to Aotearoa New Zealand for nine years.
Mrs Bryant felt at home in England, and Tunbridge Wells was near her birth place. Mr Bryant took longer to settle, having been born and raised in the colonies. He joined the committee of a Colonisation Society at Tunbridge Wells, which paid the half fares of emigrants to countries with prearranged work or government land inducements. Canada was a popular destination.
Continuing business interests in the Manawatū required a presence in Aotearoa New Zealand. From 1909, after the couple's first return visit, Mr Bryant was to make fifteen trips back and forth.
In 1899 Mr Bryant went into farming at Shannon on Te Maire Farm, an extensive acreage which he added to over time. He was chairman of the Buckley Drainage Board for a period. In 1929, holding 800-acres under the management of Mr AE Burling, he offered the land for sale to the government.
When the Land Purchase Board did not take up the offer, Mr Bryant sold his livestock and plant and subdivided the property himself; building three farmhouses along Cemetery Road.
After two years of ill health Mrs Mary Ann Bryant died in Tunbridge Wells in December 1929. She was 65 years of age.
After Mrs Bryant’s death, Mr Bryant continued to visit Aotearoa New Zealand. In 1936 he decided to settle, once again, in Palmerston North.
Mr Frederick Bryant died June 1939, aged 78 years, after a long illness. He is interred at Terrace End Cemetery.
By July of 1912 Mr Frederick Bryant was offering Bryant Street allotments for sale, at a price of £2 per foot.
Residents started correspondence to the council in August of 1913, by applying for a lamp in Bryant Street. It was placed at the corner of Featherston and Bryant Streets. By December the borough engineer reported that footways on both sides of the street had been tarred. Footpath maintenance continued over time, with residents occasionally asked to contribute to costs when works were especially requested outside their properties.
The first hiccup came in February of 1914 when ratepayers requested an extension of sewer services to Bryant Street. It was referred to the next round of loan proposals. In September of 1915, street resident, Mr David Ernest Dustin, said that more frequent visits of sanitary carts would be preferred over sewerage via a loan scheme. He asked why the residents of Bryant Street had to pay for sewers, when residents in other parts of town had not.
Yet, by May of 1916, Mr DE Dustin convened a meeting for the purpose of furthering the loan proposal.
In May 1916 loan proposals for civic works were approved and sewer works commenced in Bryant Street in September. Councillor Crabb, asked about reducing costs by making house connections as the sewer was laid, as opposed to piecemeal, later. In the Manawatū Times, 20 September 1916, it was reported that the Public Works Committee had met and made the recommendation:
“… that the residents of Bryant Street be informed that the Council is of opinion that the sewer connections in the public streets should be put in by the Council’s responsible employees and that the price fixed is the average cost of the work and cannot be reduced.”
That was the final word and by November 1916, the sewer, with house connections, was complete. In July 1918 Mr D Dustin advised the council that the water supply in Bryant Street was unsatisfactory. Four-inch water mains followed in 1919, when both pipes and funds were available.
In 1916 Mr Dustin requested that the borough council number houses in Bryant Street. The borough engineer was concerned about this undertaking in a street with so many vacant sections. Purchasers often bought two sections to build one house, or, alternatively, one section to build two houses. Councillor Seifert suggested this posed no problem, a number could be dropped in the case of a single dwelling over two sections and an “a” added in the case of two dwellings on one section. The motion was carried, with several councillors dissenting.
A second issue was that there were no enamel number plates left. As a result, the numbering of houses and vacant sections were stencilled on to gate posts. In October of 1934, it was pointed out that there was, in fact, an anomaly in Bryant Street. Numbering started at 102 instead of 1 (likely due to both a street extension and incorporation of another street).
In January of 1918, an unusual sighting was reported in Palmerston North – a hedgehog. The local newspaper noted that another was seen in Bryant Street some time ago.
In 1925 Mr Frederick Needham laid the Bryant Street extension, alongside the Lyndhurst Street extension and Burns Avenue. Bryant Street now met Palermes Street which had been formed by the Pascal Bros. in 1913.
In February of 1926, the Borough Council proposed renaming streets where a continuation had been made to a street that effectively joined two existing streets into one. The resolution was passed in March. Town clerk, Mr James Robert Hardie, gave public notice throughout March and April that Palermes would become Bryant. From July 1926 the street was known as Bryant Street.
With the extension came increased traffic volume. Bryant Street was metalled in 1928, however by 1932 ratepayers wrote to the council regarding dust nuisance. They asked that the surface be coated in bitumen. After being deferred in the works estimates for some years, the road was tar-sealed between Cuba and Main Streets in April of 1938. The Takaro Progressive Association immediately requested that the rest of the street also be tar-sealed, given that it was one of the oldest settled streets, having been opened in 1912. The street was tar-sealed in sections and completed by April 1940.
The extension also came with new electrical poles, electrical mains, and improved gas service. In July 1930 gas mains with a greater width were extended into Bryant Street to the railway crossing. This increased capacity improved the operation of cookers and heating units. In October 1936, to improve gas pressure, 2&1/2 chains of four-inch mains were laid in Bryant Street.
Mr and Mrs David Ernest Dustin lived in Bryant Street from c.1913 to 1920.
Mr DE Dustin was born in Whanganui, in 1883, to Mr William Samuel and Mrs Celia Prideaux Dustin. His father a baker and caterer, was the founder of Dustin’s Ltd. As a youth Mr D Dustin was a keen rugby player and rower. He also played quoits, which may have led to a later interest in bowling.
In 1906 Mr WS Dustin purchased the business of Mr J Simpson, Baker and Confectioner of Gladstone Road, Gisborne. Mr D Dustin moved to Gisborne to manage the new acquisition. In the two years he was in Gisborne he continued to pursue his rugby and rowing interests.
In July of 1908 Mr W Dustin exchanged the Gisborne business for that of Mr Samuel Charles Clare of Messrs Clare and Co., of Palmerston North. This entailed Mr D Dustin moving to Palmerston North and taking over the Clare’s Dining Rooms (formerly Youngson’s) in Te Marae o Hine the Square, and the bakehouse in Andrew Young Street.
In 1909 Mr Dustin married Miss Louisa Reid Crombie. Miss LR Crombie was born in Auckland, in 1885, to Mr William Anderson and Mrs Margaret Mary Crombie. In Palmerston North the newlyweds first took up residence in Ferguson Street.
Mr and Mrs Dustin had four children, all born in Palmerston North; David Lewis b.1909, William Henry b.1909, Albert Claude b.1915, and Margaret Madeleine b.1919.
During their time in Palmerston North Mr Dustin was keenly interested in civic affairs, as evidenced by his activity as a ratepayer in Bryant Street. As president of the Palmerston North Progressive League, Mr Dustin took a view of advancing the town. He was chairman of the Tram Committee and, in April of 1917, convened a meeting of voters seeking a candidate favourable to trams in the upcoming municipal elections. Mr Arthur Woodley Sutton was nominated for councillor as a result.
Mrs Dustin was president of the Hinemoa Social Club. The couple owned several residential properties around town which they sold or let. Mr Dustin offered their Bryant Street home for sale in 1917, however it did not proceed.
He joined the Masonic fraternity in 1918, at Lodge Manawatu Kilwinning No.47, and was secretary of the Manawatū Master Bakers’ Association and Restaurant Proprietors. No longer playing rugby, Mr Dustin became of member of the Palmerston North Bowling Club.
As a member of the Chamber of Commerce, he took an extended business tour of Australia, America and Great Britain.
In 1920, the Dustin’s had a clearing sale of their Bryant Street house, sold property in Ada Street, retained property in Fitzherbert Avenue, and moved to Wellington. There he ran Dustins’ next to the Royal Theatre on Cuba Street, as well as cake businesses and outdoor catering.
He was a founding member of the Te Aro Betterment Association, later becoming president of the renamed Te Aro Advancement Association. Mr Dustin was also a member of the Wellington Bowling Club, and continued his interest in municipal life.
In 1930 Mr Dustin returned to his hometown, Whanganui, to become the senior director at the head office of Dustin’s Ltd. Besides continued involvement in associations such as the Whanganui and Manawatū Master Bakers’ and Pastrycooks’ Association, Chamber of Commerce, Employers’ Association Whanganui, and Whanganui and District Development League – Mr Dustin gave a lot of energy (including partaking in wheelbarrow derbies) to launch and maintain the Youths’ Afforestation Camp at Kaitoke. His aim was a planting scheme along the local sand dunes.
Mr David Ernest Dustin became ill and died in December of 1937. He was 54 years of age. He is interred at Head’s Road Cemetery, Whanganui. One of his twin sons, Flying Officer David Lewis Dustin, formerly of the RAF, was to follow in 1938, victim of an airplane crash at Land’s End in England.
Mrs Louisa Reid Dustin died in April 1941, at the age of 55 or 56 years. She is interred at Karori Cemetery, Wellington.
Mr and Mrs Charles Horace Usmar purchased allotments 40 and 42 on the corner of Bryant and Chelwood Streets. While Mrs Usmar appears the owner on rate books from the time the street was opened, it is unclear if they were living there before 1919. That is when a brick residence, designed by architect, Mr Reginald Thorrold-Jaggard was built for the Usmar’s.
Mr CH Usmar was born in London, in 1870, to Mr Alfred and Mrs Mary Usmar. The family emigrated to Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand on the ship Douglas when Mr C Usmar was 5 years of age.
As a young adult, Mr Usmar entered the tailoring business and was a member of Operative Tailor’s Union in Wellington in the early 1890s. Mr Usmar met Miss Christina Stoddart and they married in 1894 and took up a residence in Goring Street, Thorndon.
Miss Christina Stoddart was born in Wellington, in 1869, to Mr John Charles and Mrs Eliza Stoddart. Mr and Mrs Usmar did not have children.
Mr Usmar worked for Messrs Kirkcaldie and Stains for some years, before leaving in 1896 to manage the new tailoring department at Messrs Warnock & Adkins. From there the couple spent a short time in Nelson before moving to Dunedin in August 1900, where Mr Usmar worked for TF Feltham & Co. They left Dunedin in January of 1903 for London, England. There Mr Usmar spent just over a year cutting for Messrs Bendick, one of the leading houses in Regent Street and The Strand.
In March of 1904 the Usmar’s travelled to Palmerston North where Bradford Woollen Co., Merchant Tailors, had secured the Mr Usmar’s services. Two months later he purchased the business and advertised high class tailoring for gentlemen on Main Street west. You can see his store Tailor, C.H. Usmar, here on the left next to Child’s Commercial Hotel.
In August 1905 Mr Usmar purchased Mr Nelson’s tailoring business in Broad Street (later Broadway Avenue) and opened a short-lived ladies tailoring department managed by Mr Edwards of Ellis and Co., Ladies Tailoring, Wellington.
Outside of work Mr Usmar was a member of the Manawatū Camera Club, and won several local photography awards. He was an elected member of the A&P Association until his resignation in May 1909. A member of the Palmerston North Club Inc., and in June of 1928, he was elected a member of the Palmerston North Bowling Club. Inside of work he was vice president of the Manawatū Master Tailors’ Union, formed May 1908.
In April of 1910 Mr Usmar changed his business to the London Cash Tailoring Company in order to manufacture on a larger scale and meet demands for lower priced suits.
In November of 1910 he closed his store in Main Street and joined the tailoring business of Mr Thomas Tozer Kerslake on Cuba Street. It became the partnership of Kerslake & Usmar six months later, allowing Mr TT Kerslake to retire. The store ran until 1918, when Mr Usmar left to pursue other interests, eventually becoming an accountant.
Mrs Usmar was a congregant of the Cuba Street Methodist Church. As a croquet enthusiast she was a founding member of the Takaro Bowling, Croquet and Tennis Club, and was elected a life member in September of 1933. She served as secretary of the Takaro Croquet Club for some time. In September of 1933, Mrs Usmar retired from her beloved sport due to ill health. She was admitted to hospital early in 1934.
Mrs Christina Usmar died in November of 1934 at the age of 67 years. She is interred at Terrace End Cemetery. Mr Usmar continued to live in their home at 130 Bryant Street.
Mr Usmar remarried in 1943 to Miss Eva Cornelia Davison. Miss EC Davison was born in Palmerston North in 1883 to Mr George and Mrs Charlotte Davison.
The couple lived at 40 Bryant Street (renumbered from 130) until Mr Charles Horace Usmar’s death in November of 1960. He was 90 years of age. Mrs Eva Cornelia Usmar died April 1965, aged 82 years. She is interred at Piako Cemetery, Morrinsville.
Mr and Mrs Albert Cooksley purchased allotment 20 shortly after the street opened and lived at 23 Bryant Street until 1920.
Mr A Cooksley was born 1888, in Lyttleton, to Mr George Elijah and Mrs Susan Blanch Cooksley. The following year the family moved to Longburn. Miss Ethel May Wiles was born in Auckland, in 1892, to Mr William and Mrs Minnie Wiles.
The couple married in 1911 and Mr and Mrs Cooksley had eight children; Mavis Dick b.1913, Ivan Lancelot b.1914, Lawrence Beulon b.1915, Betty “Bette” May b.1917, Nancie b.1919, Albert Gordon b.1923, Beryl Minnie b.1927, and Edwin Leigh b.1930.
Mr Cooksley was the manager of Mr John Harold Watt’s cycling business at 3 Rangitikei Street from 1913. He purchased Watt’s Cycle Depot in 1919, waiting until 1921 to change the name to A Cooksley. “Swift Cycle Depot” was added in 1922. The store became became A Cooksley and Son in March of 1938, when Mr LB Cooksley joined the business. In November of 1944, the pair reopened at 123 Rangitikei Street (opposite Grey Street).
Mr A Cooksley was a member of the Oroua Lodge of Druids, no. 5, and the first secretary of the Royal Arch Chapter, no. 10. He subscribed to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and, on one occasion, renovated the society bicycle and donated the cost to the cause. He was also part of the Takaro Progressive Association.
Mr Cooksley was involved with a number of sporting clubs such as; Palmerston North Rifle Volunteers, Palmerston North Cycling and Athletic Club, Palmerston North Professional Cycling Club, and Central Old Boys Hockey Club. He often officiated at cycle races and donated prizes.
Bowling was his favoured sport, and he was part of the 1922 executive committee that formed the Takaro Bowling, Croquet and Tennis Club. Mr Cooksley then served as president from 1925 to 1930, becoming treasurer on relinquishing his office. He enjoyed several bowling tours to Suva, Fiji, speaking highly of the experience. Despite having moved from Palmerston North by the time of his death, Mr Cooksley left the Takaro club some money in his will.
Mrs Cooksley was also active in the community. A singer with an ATCL diploma from Trinity College, London, she performed at patriotic concerts; and was later part of the World War Two Polish Army League. Mrs Cooksley was a member of the Manawatū Women’s Club and vice-president of the Business Girls’ Club. She was also involved with the Townswomen’s Guild. In these roles Mrs Cooksley often arranged and hosted events.
On retiring the couple moved to Cambridge. Mr Albert Cooksley died October 1963, at the age of 75 years. Mrs Ethel May Cooksley moved to Auckland. She died December 1976, aged 84 years. Both are interred at Hautapu Cemetery, Waipā District.
From June 1916 Messrs Cruickshank and Vott, concrete moulders – building blocks , posts and piles, were situated on Bryant Street. In November the partnership dissolved and the business was continued in Mr Charles Murray Cruickshank’s name, CM Cruickshank, Builder, Bryant Street. Business advertisements continued in local newspapers until February of 1917.
In 1919, having been invalided in World War One, Mr Howard Morley Phillips purchased the piano tuning practice of Mr TP Henderson who was retiring to Nelson. Mr HM Phillips had managed the West Coast branch of Webley Sons and Gofton, expert piano tuners and repairers of Christchurch, prior to the war, and had sixteen years of experience in the industry.
From 1920 to 1927 Mr H Phillips ran his business from his family residence at 15 Bryant Street, and then 120 Bryant Street (later renumbered to 28) from 1927 to 1937. He tuned and repaired pianos and pianoforte’s often selling repaired instruments; gave advice on the best purchase to meet needs, and, from 1925, made monthly service visits to Foxton. After Mr Phillips’ retirement, Mr and Mrs Phillips continued to live in Bryant Street.
In August of 1921 F. A. Orr Builder and Contractor became established at 27 Bryant Street, and then operated from 19 Bryant Street from January of 1922. Unfortunately, Mr Francis Alexander Orr became bankrupt in 1925 despite a clearing sale of house and plant. He had been unable to secure further contracts.
From October of 1921 Hosking Engineering Co., operated from 33 Bryant Street. In 1922 Mr Arthur Hosking purpose built an engineering and foundry works in Lombard Street. The move to the new premises was made by the end of that year.
Mr Herbert Avery, the Palmerston North agent for Kissel Cars, operated his business from 32 Bryant Street in 1924 and 1925. In 1926 he leased Mr Herbert John Woodfield’s premises in Cuba Street and was proprietor of Woodfield’s Motor Garage until 1928.
In 1938 Mr R Alexander Hay moved his joinery and shop fittings factory to 181 Bryant Street (later renumbered to 81). He provided manufacturing services there until mid-1945.
The addresses on Bryant Street were renumbered in 1939. See p.42 and p.43 of the Rates Register of Street Numbers - Old and New.
The image is a derivative of this City of Palmerston North District Planning Map from 1971 by Palmerston North City Corporation.
In the early 1880s, the mayor and other interested parties pursued the formation of an agricultural and pastoral society. In February 1881, their application to the government for approximately five-acres near the old Cuba Street Cemetery was granted for the purpose of a showground. The next step, to form and incorporate the society, was quickly underway.
In 1886 the Borough Council determined that the old cemetery plot in Cuba Street would become part of the showground. The now established Manawatū and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association, hosted the first A&P Show that same year. By 1893 the popular and anticipated annual event had come to be known as ‘show week’ and local businesses enjoyed extra patronage over that time. Here is a panorama of the A&P Show in 1915.
The showgrounds also hosted: sports clubs and events, military troops, celebrations, relief and transit camps, parades and more. For a brief history, read Palmerston North Showgrounds History, by Leanne Croon Hickman.
The military history of Palmerston North intersects significantly with the Awapuni Racecourse and Palmerston North Showgrounds. Listen to this presentation (PowerPoint slides link available) by Leanne Croon Hickman to find out more.
In 1960 the Palmerston North Industries Fair at the Showgrounds attracted 93,000 visitors, you can read more in this Back Issues article by Ralph Body.
From 1881 WT Wood Blacksmith, Wheelwright, and Veterinary Shoeing Smith, ran his business on the corner of Rangitikei and Cuba Streets (between the Royal and Clarendon Hotels). When the building was destroyed by fire in September of 1894, it was rebuilt next door in Cuba Street, behind the Clarendon Hotel. William Thomas Wood was mayor of Palmerston North from 1895-1899 and 1901-1903. After over 30 years of business and community service, the Wood’s left Palmerston North in 1913. Mr E Walders, Veterinary Shoer & General Blacksmith took over Mr Wood’s business.
In 1885, the English and American Coach Factory, Robert Parr proprietor, adjoined WT Woods. This was taken over by Browning and Tory Coachbuilders. Like its neighbour it was destroyed by fire. It reopened in 1896 as WA Browning Coachbuilder. By 1914, adjusting to changing times and technology, the business became WA Browning Carriage and Motor Works, with Mr CH Mundy as the motor engineer. In 1919 the business was sold to Messrs GP Adler and Co.
In 1889 the Miller's opened the Post Office Store on the corner of Cuba and Taonui Streets, a business and residence, it was to become a family endeavour. Mrs George Miller was the first proprietor – general storekeeper and produce dealer, house and land agent, and trader of grains. In 1901 Mr George Miller sold the business lease to Mr Joshua Cull, a Bunnythorpe settler. He continued the grocery business with Mr George H Miller Jr., who had worked in the store since childhood. In 1903, Hawera businessman, Mr J Butler took over the lease. Mr G Miller Sr. died in 1906.
In 1907 the Post Office Store became Messrs Miller and Vinall, grocers and provision merchants, until Mr Holbrook purchased Mr Vinall’s interest. With Mr George H Miller the senior partner, they changed the name to Miller & Holbrook Family Grocers & Provision Merchants. The partnership was dissolved in 1911 and the business was carried on by Mr GH Miller as GH Miller Grocer and Provision Merchant, before returning to the original moniker, the Post Office Store. Mr Miller continued in the business, also called Miller’s, until 1937. It finally passed out of the Miller family when sold to Mr EJ Westwood.
Methodist services began in Palmerston North in 1871, with the first church built in Broad Street (later Broadway Avenue) in 1872. Due to congregational growth, a second church was established in Cuba Street (corner of Domain Street) in 1890, with services commencing in 1891.
Once complete, it was discovered that the church building was actually encroaching on adjoining Cuba Street sections. With removal unpractical, congregants had the unexpected expense of purchasing more property. The church was identified by several names, Wesleyan Church, Methodist Church, and Cuba Street Church. It underwent renovations in 1903, and in 1910, bursting at the seams, a kindergarten was built at the rear of the church, on the adjoining Domain Street section, to accommodate a roll of 120 infants.
With their building fund containing enough money in 1922, planning began for a new church on the site of the present structure. The architect, Mr Oscar Albert Jorgensen, designed a building that would seat 430 people. In 1924 the old church was completely remodelled, and the new brick church built. The foundation stone of, the Trinity Methodist Church was laid in March and the opening was celebrated in July.
From 1895 the Oddfellows’ Hall operated at 188 Cuba Street, between David and Andrew Young Streets. The Manchester Unity Order of Oddfellows was a mutual aid organisation. Their lodge rooms were used by various Manawatū groups such as: Oroua Lodge, UAOD; Palmerston Dramatic Society; Loyal Manawatū Lodge IOOF, MU; and Lodge of Druids. Alterations and additions were made in 1905 and dances began occurring regularly in the hall. Further alterations were made five years later. This was the interior in the 1920s.
It was in September of 1884 that working men of Palmerston North first met with the intention of forming a Working Men’s Club. The clubs had spread from the industrial areas of England since the mid-1800s. They were aimed at the self-improvement of working men, through education and recreation. One of the attractions was that this was an alternative to the heavy drinking pub environment.
It was almost four years later that the Colonial Secretary officially granted a charter to Palmerston Working Men’s Club. Mr HT Akers formerly of Club Hotel Church Street east, was made manager. The club officially opened in August, with subscribers of the Public Library donating seven hundred books to the endeavour. By the end of August, the club had a roll of 160 members.
This first premises on Rangitikei Street was sold in February of 1889. In March it reopened as the Christchurch Boarding House, Miss McCarthy proprietess. The Working Men’s Club moved to a two-storey building on Cuba Street. In 1900 additions and alterations were made to the building. Mr Robert Edwards, former mayor of Palmerston North (1892-1893), was the architect.
By December 1902, club members agreed on purchasing a new site in Cuba Street, almost directly opposite their current clubrooms for a new purpose-built structure. In October of 1904 the new Working Men’s Club was completed, based on plans by architect, Mr Ernest Larcomb.
In March of 1905 Mr TP Holland, of Bunnythorpe, purchased the lease of the old Working Men’s Club in Cuba Street from Mr E Stevenson. Just five months later, in August of 1905, the building was almost destroyed by fire.
By 1912 the club had a roll close to 1,000 members and was seeking sites for addition accommodation. The solution came in purchasing the land immediately adjoining the club buildings, sections belonging to Mrs Jones. That then allowed frontages on Cuba and Taonui Streets, the address being 233-239 Cuba Street. Mr OA Jorgensen, architect, designed a brick building three times as large as the present accommodations. However, the war period intervened, and the new building was delayed.
In 1927 building commenced based on the design of Mr Ernst Vilhelm West. His father, Mr Ludolph Georg West, had been a member of the club. In August of 1928, the new club, now renamed the Cosmopolitan Club, was officially opened by Mr James Alfred Nash MP. Built by Mr DP Tortonson, the two-storied brick building included a frontage of four shops on Cuba Street.
The club moved from the building in 1989 and it was sold the following year.
Cuba street was home to several long-term boarding houses.
The Canterbury Boarding house was operating at 80 Cuba Street from 1891. It was situated opposite George Street between Lombard and Taonui Streets. Mrs Rickleben was the proprietress until c. 1901 when Canterbury House passed into the hands of Mrs Bresneham. It was advertised to let in 1902, and later that year reopened as Mrs John Rea’s Avondale House. Mr and Mrs J Rea fully renovated the boarding house in 1903 and again in 1905. It then appears to have been sold to Mr or Mrs Hollis. By 1911 advertisements for Mrs Barnett’s Avondale House appeared in local newspapers. It continued running until at least 1926 and was also called Avondale Private Hotel and Avondale Boardinghouse.
When Mrs Elizabeth Rea and Mr John Rea sold Avondale House, they opened the Temperance Hotel in Cuba Street. It was newly renovated in 1907. By 1917 it had become Barnett’s Temperance Hotel.
In 1905 Mrs Williamsen was running the Premier Dining Rooms, with accommodation, on the corner of Cuba and Andrew Young Streets. It soon became known as the Premier Boarding House. In 1906 Mrs Williamsen sold the contents of the house and let the property to Mrs Wiltshire. In 1906 Mrs Wiltshire renamed the business London House. Late that year she sold the contents and Mrs Alexander appears to have briefly picked up the lease. By September 1907 the lease of London House had passed on to Mr H William. He operated London House until 1909 when Mrs Williamsen once again took over. She resumed trade as Victoria Private Hotel and continued until poor health prompted its sale in 1914.
In June of 1914 the Misses McCullough had purchased the property and renamed it Victoria Boarding House. They ran the boarding house for the next eight years, selling privately in 1922. By 1924 it was known as Victoria House. In December of 1930 Mrs L Parker was the proprietress. She advertised it for let in 1932.
By 1933 Victoria House was under the management of Mrs H Morris. Later that year it changed hands, and new proprietor Mr C Morgan, completed a repainting and refurbishment. A name change also occurred, Selwyn House. In 1934 Mrs H Morgan extended accommodation options to include furnished and unfurnished flats in Selwyn House and Grosvenor Private Hotel. By 1935 the name had reverted to Selwyn House. It appears to have remained in the ownership of the Morgan’s until May of 1942, when local newspapers reflect the property was for let or lease.
In May of 1908 Excelsior House opened on the corner of Cuba and Waldegrave Streets, adjoining the A&P grounds. Mr Charles Hogg was the proprietor. By 1910 Excelsior House had changed hands and Mrs McLean was the proprietress. It appears to have come under new management in 1924 and again in 1940. In 1940 Excelsior House, at 107 Cuba Street, was available for gentlemen boarders, and in 1941 there were vacancies for pensioners.
In February 1900, Mr Arthur Edward Clausen, a well-known Danish settler, commenced business as a grocer and ironmonger in a new premises on Cuba Street. Named the People’s Cash Store, AE Clausen Grocery, Crockery and Ironmongery, it was situated near Lombard Street. The business grew rapidly, and Mr Clausen made extensive alterations in 1901 – partly to accommodate the store’s large assortment of china, glassware and crockery. Extensive alterations were again made in 1903. In late 1904 the name was shortened to The Cash Store when it was taken over by Mr H Jackson. By March of 1905 it was also known as Mr H Jackson Cash Grocer, The Cash Store, and the Cuba Street Grocer. In April of 1907, Mr James Miller purchased the store and it became the Beehive Store. Approximately eighteen months later, Mr WJ Horn became proprietor of this general grocery business.
The Cuba Street Dairy, next door, ran from c. 1902 to c. 1911, with multiple owners and titles.
Meanwhile, Mr Clausen continued at a different site in Cuba Street as AE Clausen, Direct Importer, concentrating on the crockery and glassware side of the business. Eventually the store became known as AE Clausen Crockery and Glassware Merchant. In June 1905 he sold the lease and opened a crockery arcade in Te Marae o Hine the Square on the cusp of Coleman Place (later Coleman Mall). In November of 1908, the Manawatū Times noted that the growth of his business was prompting an extension through rear of the premises back on to Cuba Street. It is unclear whether this eventuated. Mr Arthur Edward Clausen ran the crockery arcade in the Te Marae o Hine the Square until his death in 1923.
In 1901, Messrs Brading & Ryan opened the Cuba Street Butchery and on sold to Messrs Havill Bros. later that year. By 1904 the business, on the corner of Cuba and Lombard Streets was owned by Mr George Cotton. He sold it to Mr P O’Connor in 1906. Within a year a partnership was announced – Mr P O’Connor and Mr H Couper, trading as O’Connor & Couper and providing specialty orders and delivery. In January of 1908 the partnership dissolved, and the business was carried on by Mr Henry Couper. He renamed the business, the Cuba Street Cash Butchery, and worked there for over a decade. Mr Couper sold the business in 1919 to Messers Gray and Snelling, and moved to Auckland with his wife in 1920.
In 1901 Buick & Young, Printers, commenced business from the Elizabeth Buildings, Cuba Street. In February of 1905 they started a stationers’ shop in connection with their business, also on Cuba Street. By August of 1905 Messrs Buick and Young further extended, in opening a law and commercial stationers’ shop in the Bett and Monrad buildings. In 1912 Mr Thomas Lindsay Buick left the business. Mr Henry Llewellyn Young disposed of the stationery business, concentrating on printing and bookbinding at the original plant, which had seen considerable additions. New premises were built in Broadway Avenue in 1920.
In June 1903, Mr Hugh McCarty, late of WT Wood’s, opened a general blacksmith opposite Clausen’s Grocery Store. This was taken over by his brother Mr John “Jack” William McCarty in partnership with Mr Yardley in 1906. By 1907, the partnership had dissolved. The business became known as J McCarty Horse Shoer and General Blacksmith. In 1913 Mr JW McCarty announced he would now take on horse dental work. He renamed the business JW McCarty Blacksmith and Farrier.
In 1917 Mr J McCarty was riding a motorcycle when he was hit by a train. It was a fatal accident. The following year, Mr H McCarty reopened the business of his late brother, taking on horse shoeing and general smith work.
In August of 1903 Miss Watson opened the Kia Ora Tea Rooms, also selling confectioner’s small goods. It was situated in the Beattie & Lang Building, opposite Buick & Young’s. The rooms were enlarged in 1907 to allow hot dinners to be served in a dining room downstairs and fish luncheons to be served in a grill room upstairs. Miss Watson’s tea rooms were advertised in local newspapers until 1911. Her main competition over the period appears to have been Mr Walter Cotton, who opened the Royal Café in 1905. As a pastry cook and confectioner, he also offered catering and delivery services. The Royal Café closed in 1909.
From April 1904, next door to Avondale House on Cuba Street, was a laundry run by James Quan Lee (also known as Jim Quong Lee). In November of 1904, Sam Lee & Co took over the laundry business. Fifteen years later Sam Lee’s Laundry moved to new premises, 104 Cuba Street, next to Hopwood’s and opposite the Working Men’s Club. In February of 1924, a massive fire destroyed four shops, and gutted Mr Lee’s Laundry (also his residence). The Universal Supply grocery store, next to Mr Lee’s, was extensively damaged.
In 1904, Mr Herbert John Woodfield, purchased and built on a site in Cuba Street to extend his George Street livery business. This new venue wasn’t without problems. In January 1908, he was fined for driving 26 horses loosely along Cuba Street. Just two months later he was further charged with allowing nine horses to stray without guidance. These were the types of incidences you would expect to come to the attention of the Inspector of Public Nuisances. To find out more, read this Back Issues article by Margaret Tennant. By 1922 the livery had evolved into Woodfield’s Motor Garage. The garage moved to Beresford Street in 1928.
Mr John Harold Watt intermittently owned bicycle, motorcycle and motorcar businesses between Cuba and Rangitikei Streets for over twenty years.
He opened JH Watt, Cycle Depot in Cuba Street in 1905. Mr JH Watt sold the business in February of 1907, then reopened at 24-26 Cuba Street in September that year. In April 1911 the business moved to Rangitikei Street besides the Clarendon Hotel.
In August of 1912 Mr J Watt opened Watt’s Motor Depot in Cuba Street next to Workingmen’s Club. An importer of motorcycles, bicycles and skates, he appears to have operated from both the Cuba and Rangitikei Street locations.
In May of 1913 Mr Watt advertised that the businesses were being split to avoid confusion. Cycle Depot for bicycles was in Rangitikei Street under the management of Mr A Cooksley, sold to him in 1919; the Motor Cycle Depot was in Cuba Street under the management of Mr Will Passmore.
Mr Watt sold the Cuba Street motorcycle business to Mr Alex Anderson in December 1914. Then, in November 1915, Mr Watt built a garage in Cuba Street and imported motorcars. It was made into a new company in May 1916, Watt Motor Co. Ltd, opening at 42 Rangitikei Street. Mr Watt relinquished managing directorship in 1921.
Here is an image from 1927 showing Watt Motor Co. Ltd promoting an Oldsmobile. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1928.
From August of 1905 to April of 1927 the Manawatu Auctioneering Company operated from 1 Cuba Street (corner of Rangitikei Street). It changed hands in those early years from Mr Henry S Munro to Messrs AE Mansford and AG Wallace. However, by 1907, when the company sold to Messrs JR Graham and JS Munro, the business remained with them. The company was recognised under a number of names: M.A.C., Manawatu Auction Mart, City Auction Mart, The Exchange Rooms, Exchange Salerooms, Auction Rooms and People’s Popular Auction Mart. In April of 1927 the Manawatu Auctioneering Company moved to George Street, next to the De Luxe Theatre, and occupied premises previously owned by Central Auctioneering Co.
In 1880, Mr Thomas Tozer Kerslake opened the Temple of Fashion. It was situated where Broad Street (later Broadway Avenue) met Coleman Place. Mr TT Kerslake acquired the freehold of the property through to Cuba Street.
In 1893 he sold his store and went to work for the Manawatū Farmers’ Co-operative Association (later the United Farmers’ Co-operative Association). There he worked in their tailoring department, as cutter and manager, for some years. Around 1898 he became manager of the tailoring department at Victoria House. He resigned in 1904 to make a nine-month tour of England and the United States.
On his return Mr Kerslake set up in temporary premises, as a gentlemen’s tailor. Meanwhile a building was commissioned by Mrs Harriet Kerslake on the couple’s Cuba Street property for her husband’s business. Built in 1905 by Mr A France, it later became known as the Kerslake Building.
In January of 1906 Mr T Kerslake, Gentlemen’s Tailor, moved to the Kerslake Building, opposite the Working Men’s Club. In November of 1910, Mr Charles Horace Usmar, a tailor formerly operating from Main Street, joined the business. It became Kerslake & Usmar six months later, allowing Mr Kerslake to retire. The store ran until 1918, when Mr Kerslake advertised it for let.
While the Palmerston North Technical School was in Cuba Street for a short duration, 1907 to 1909, it is noteworthy as the first time classes operated from a single location.
A technical school had been requested as early as 1898, when Mr WH Collingwood, secretary to the combined Palmerston North School committees, asked for the support of surrounding school committees in raising money towards a technical school based in Palmerston North.
Technical classes were officially conducted in Palmerston North from 1902, under the control of the Wanganui Education Board. Teachers and students met in various places as availability allowed. Technical classes experienced a period of stasis in 1905 with a roll of only 33 students. The High School Board took oversight from 1906 and, with the help of their Technical Committee, were able to revitalise the movement.
Palmerston North Technical School, in a central location, was officially established in 1907 under the direction of Mr Frank Foote. In April, he started the school in four small upstairs rooms in the Bett & Monrad Buildings. The buildings were situated between the Colonial Buildings (owned by Messrs Rutherford & Bett) and the Working Men’s Club. Designed by architect, Mr E Larcomb they had opened two years prior. Mr Francis “Frank” Dudley Opie was appointed director of the Technical School in December 1907. The school experienced increasing enrolments and solid attendance.
With the addition of new courses such as: elocution, wool-classing, singing, motor mechanics, and commercial correspondence, it was clear the now crowded school needed a new site from which to provide classes. In September 1908 plans for a building of its own were displayed to public at a school art exhibition. Fund raising and searching for a suitable site ensued.
The corner of Princess and King Streets was where building commenced in 1909. To ease space constraints on Cuba Street classes, the newly completed plumbing room and engineering shop opened in June 1909. The Palmerston North Technical School was finished and officially opened in September 1909 with a roll of over 600 students. The remaining students moved in October.
The Employers’ Association offices operated for a period in Cuba Street. Secretary, Mr W McKenzie, ran the office from c. 1909. He was still the secretary when they moved to the Commerce Building in Broadway Avenue in 1925.
A bucket brigade started as Palmerston North’s first fire-fighters in 1883. In 1887, a volunteer fire brigade was formed and housed in a wooden building in Coleman Place. In 1888, a Fire Brigade Station, opened in Terrace End at 224 Main Street east. The Terrace End brigade ran until 1936.
Meanwhile the Coleman Place station remained in use until 1910 when the Central Fire Station opened in Cuba Street, next to the Woodfield Stables. The foundation stone had been laid in March of that year by Mr Edward John Armstrong, chairman of the Fire Board. By August the Fire Brigade was in possession of the building designed by Mr LG West and erected by Mr CW Blackbourn. Comprised of two storeys, the ground floor housed the enquiry office, engine room, horse stalls (until horses were superseded by motor engines in 1913), a kitchen and two bedrooms for single men. Upstairs was the superintendent and foreman’s quarters, as well as the married men’s quarters and a social hall. In 1914 tenders were invited for additions and alterations to the station.
By 1925, running out of space, a tender was accepted for a new fire station to be built in Cuba Street on a vacant section more-or-less opposite the end of Campbell Street. Messrs Trevor Bros. were the builders and Messrs LG West & Sons, the architects. The new Central Fire Station opened 19th July 1926. Additions to the living quarters were made in 1938. It remained in Cuba Street until 1977 when a new station opened in Cook Street.
In 1940, the 28th Māori Battalion trained at the Palmerston North Showgrounds. To learn more about their time in Palmerston North, read this Memory Lane article by Tina White.
In 1964, Te Rau O Te Aroha Māori Battalion Hall was opened at 138 Cuba Street. The soldiers were regarded highly by Palmerstonians and remembered for their stay in the city. The hall was a national memorial and emblem of gratitude to the men of the 28th Māori Battalion, six hundred and thirty-nine of whom lost their lives in World War Two. The design included carvings on the exterior honouring different iwi, tukutuku panels inside, and kowhaiwhai on the ceiling beams.
Held in the ownership of the Raukawa District Māori Council, the hall was a memorial, a guesthouse for visiting families of veterans, and a community centre. To learn more about the hall and its significance, listen to this brief history from Major George Kereama.
For almost fifteen years it was used for functions and community initiatives. Then from 1978, facing financial pressures, the hall was leased to an individual tenant, Fishbowl Youth Trust. This ended in 1982 when the Fishbowl Trust was dissolved. From 1983 the hall was leased to a succession of restaurants and nightclubs, who refurbished to purpose.
From June 2001 Te Wānanga O Aotearoa became a long-term tenant and used Te Rau O Te Aroha Māori Battalion Hall for delivering Te Wānaga Rauangi, their fine arts programme. The hall is currently an earthquake risk and cannot be tenanted.
Te Rau O Te Aroha Māori Battalion Hall became a Poppy Place in 2018 and remains an important gathering place for ANZAC Day ceremonies.
In 1981, Cuba Street was the scene of barbed wire, police lines and protesters; when anti-Apartheid activists opposed the Springbok Tour. Look at this Back Issues article by Stephen Berg to find out more.
To learn more about the history of Cuba Street read this lecture by historian, Mr Brian Mather.