OLD PONSONBY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 276, 20 November 1926, Page 16

OLD PONSONBY.

j MEMORIES OF A PIONEER. ' HOW THE DISTRICT WAS SETTLED. | FROM TEA-TKEE TO TRIM VILLAS. A resident of Ponsonby since 1865, Mr. I James Stichbury probably knows more j about the district than any other man I alive to-day. When he first went to ! live there it was a batter of difficulty even getting there, and places that are toi day worth hundreds of pounds could then ' be bought for very little indeed. In the course of some interesting reminiscences, mainly topographical, this worthy pioneer gives a very good idea of the very primitive state of affairs sixty years back: — When I built a house in William Street (now Costley Street) at the back of the Suffolk Hotel, College Road, in 1565, he writes, Ponsonby was very sparsely inhabited, and most c>f the land was owned by speculators in blocks. Ponsonby proper was originally bounded as follows: Starting from the corner o-f Franklin Road, in Freeman's Bay, up to Ponsonby Road, then along to Richmond Road, do-wn to Cox's Creek, round tbe beach, then via Heme Bay, Ponsonby wharf, St. Mary's Bay, Freeman's Bay, to join the bottom of Franklin Road again. To get to Ponsonby from Auckland, was a picnic, but we had to take it as a matter of course. The road (unmade) was up Victoria Street West, through Drake Street (now Victoria Street West), then across the sawdustmade roads, at either side of which were hand saw pits, now occupied by the gasometer on one side and the reclamation on the other. Under this part of the road was a wood culvert to take the drainage from the gully running down the south side of College Hill. The drainage in Freeman's Bay before the brick sewer, which ran from the foot of College Hill to the foot of Patteson Street was put down, was a great trouble to those living in Ponsonby, on account of the enormous body of water at storm times that ran down from Union Street, Franklin Road, Alma Place and the Convent gullies. The bay being shallow for a great distance out would not allow the rain water to get away and, consequently, men who had to be at their work on time, would have to off with their boots and socks en College Hill side, then resume them on Drake Street side. Tinkers' Gully, 'i will commence with the district on the north side of College Hill- Near the line of College Hill was a block of land with a gully in the centre. This block went up to the Convent property at the termination of New Street. For many years it was supposed to have no owner, as it .vas useless to build onAll sorts of shanties, made of tin, canvas and any rubbish that would take a nail, were run up, and it was named "Tinkers Gully." After many years Mr. Greenwood, an auctioneer in Auckland at that time, by some means got control of the block, and advertised it for sale. TJiis notice caused a great commotion among the squatters. Eventually it was cut up and sold. j The block of land on the seaside of the ! above is now occupied by the Auckland j Gas Company. Above this block is the I Convent and Mt. St- Mary's, nearly as far as St. Mary's Road. The next block on the north side of Jervois Road was named by the owners "Dedwood," and cut up in small allotments, which went as far as Shelly Beach Road, and down to the sea—originally the owners along St. Mary's beach had the sea frontage in their- conveyance, but the Auckland Harbour Board found it had made a mistake giving up the control of the shore, and acquired the right of the frontage by purchase, exchange or otherwise. Mount St. Mary's was the first block of land past Freeman's Bay going from i the city that was settled on. The Convent and R.C. high school being built there, naturally the pioneer R.C. settlers and merchants wished to be in the neighbourhood of their school and bishop. In the early 'sixties good Bishop J. B. Pompallier, the Very Rev. J. McDonald (vicar general), the Rev.'Father Walter, j McDonald (private secretary), and other | priests resided here from time to time. j Those good old pioneers Patrick Darby, Thos- and E- Boylan, D. Lynch, Mahoney and others all settled on Mount. St. Mary's, and brought up large families. The St. Mary's Convent College was looked upon as the principal school in Auckland, Protestants, Jewesses, Catholic, in fact all children of any ! denomination, were taught all classes of j subjects by the good nuns. When Bishop i Pompallier left Auckland, the Very Revj J. McDonald, as V.G., took charge, and | held the office till that great man and | preacher came to Auckland—Bishop ! Croke- Later he was called to the Archbishopric of Cashell, in Ireland, and a great loss he was to his congregation of Auckland. College Hill. One of the first things the infant Ponsonby Highway Board tackled was some very necessary drains down Convent Gully and Tinkers' Gully, later a brick sewer being put down College Hill. This highway of College Hill has seen a lot of changes, and has itself been cut down from one level to another no less than four times. Money was not too plentiful in those days, and so we had to do the work as we could. All these years the residents had to trudge through the mud, and there being no street lamps they had to carry lanterns or candles in bottles at night to get to their homes. The only conveyances in the early days were drays, and very few of them. If a resident wanted to get a bag of potatoes sent home, he would ask the carter to call at the store for them, and that is all one would hear of them for several days. Many a time I have carried 501b flour up College Hill, and as the bushman would say, "humperl my bluey" home in all weathers. I will now take you to the south side of College Hill, starting from Freeman's Bay end going to Ponsonby Road. The corner of Franklin Road, where the gasometers now stand, was in the old times a swamp, and the tide flowed in : and out of an old temporary culvert at the foot of College Road. Then came a block of land named Alma Place, which | was cut up by a man named Campbell,! and sold in small allotments. Above j Alma Place was Femleigh, a block of l land where Mr. S. Jones, auction-! eer, of Queen Street, Auckland, had a I very fine residence and garden. This! block was also cut up and sold in allot-! w£ T M r ; s \ Jones and «*! brother Morton Jones, also an auc offTheßvt U^ iD C *™™ Stre t, pfonSrs* BeaCh EOad) ' Were B P«j j From England Street to Wood Street and fronting College Road, stretched a | block of land which was cut up by

I Messrs. Michael and Edward Wood, t ! erected a small house there in 1865, fronting William Street, now Costly Street. There was no road or path by which we -could get to our houses, and to get a lpad of scoria, although costing only 4/ a dray load, one had to go down on one's knees. At that time the Suffolk Hotel was being built by Mr. Chapman. It was a great undertaking as the roads and weather were very bad and timber could not be got to the job. .Wood Street becoming impassable, Mr. Baker aud myself went round the residents and succeeded in collecting £9 to erect a hand rail bridge, which was built on an allotment at the back or the Suffolk Hotel, across a gully, in order to allow those who lived at the back to reach College Road. When the Suffolk Hotel was finished, the ratepayers' meetings were generally held there—and very rowdy meetings they were. J How All Saint's Was Built. Then came Tole's Paddock fronting Ponsonby Road, College Road and Wood Street. All the southern part below Ponsonby Road, was fairly occupied by small houses owned by those living in them. A few shops were put up from the Three Lamps to Church Street, and about 1566 All Saints' Church was built. The ground was secured principally through the energy and perseverance of a few prominent residents, among them Stanns and Morton Jones and others. When All Saints Church was built in Ponsonby Road, there were very few Church of England residents in what was called Dedwood district, and it came very hard on the few who resided there. Notwithstanding this, however, funds were collected in different ways. For instance, a large marquee was erected on the site of the present vicarage, and gala days and evenings were held by ail the families living in the district, among them being those of Major General Strickland, Statins and Morton Jones, Oldham, Simpson Heather, Rec-s, Russell, Patterson, Edmiston, Hazelden, Owen, Mason, Cooper, Swales, Howard, Cunnighain, Norton, the Toles, myself and other friends. With the funds lent! to the Dedwood district by the Diocesan Olive, the people wete able to erect a very large church, and after some few years tha vicarage and school were nuilt. Ihe Rev. bree officiated in All Saints for many year*. Mr. W. J. Rets conducted the musical service on a harmonium, i.nd then as time went on the jc'i.irch succeeded in getting an organ. The debt v.as paid off a'l mi six years ago Ponsonby Hall, which stood on a site next to the police station in Jervois Road for many years served all the needs of the district. It was originally a store, erected by the Government near the main gate of Government House on Barrack Hill, for storing war material. When the war wa6 over there was no use for the building and Messrs. T. T. Masefield and Field succeeded in getting the Government to allow it to be removed to Ponsonby, those two gentlemen acting as trustees for many years. Many old residents will no douut remember Lloyd's rope works, on the edge of Ponsonby Terace, down to the brick yards, run by Messrs. Bacon, Parker and others. In the early 'sixties this district was all in tea-tree. Kemp's Gay Gardens. Going down Jervois Road (originally Ponsonby Road), one came to Masons' Gardens—run by two very hardworking brothers, W. and J. Mason. The firstnamed kept the Ponsonby gardens for many years, and his brother went to Remuera, where he commenced a garden. Then we had Mr. Field's large homestead on the point overlooking Cox's Creek. On the other side, coming back to Auckland, was the large homestead of the Morrow family, afterwards owned by Mr. W. J. Courtney, who iini proved it very much. Then, on the seaboard, we had Cox's Creek, Heme Bay, Ponsonby Wharf, Home Bay (the residence of Mr. T. T. Masefield), and Kemp's Gardens. The last-named place was bought by a man of small stature, who came to Auckland with some -money and a shipment of useless silks, satins, and other finery from London. These goods, he found to his cost, were unsuitable for Auckland. He opened a shop just where Tonson Garlick's store is in Queen Street, but it was a failure, and with what he had left he started Kemp's Gardens. The grounds were luminated, a pavilion was built, gardens were formed, and the place made into a miniature Vauxhall Gardens (London). A free hand was given, drinks were sold, music was provided, and the least said further the better. Then we come to Curran Bay, at the foot of Curran Street. Point Erin, Shelly Beach, and St. Mary's Point, and so back to Freeman's Bay. A very large block of land owned by Mr. John Campbell extended from Shelly Beach Road, Ponsonby Road (now Jervois Road), Wallace Street, and the sea (including Point Erin Park). This was advertised and sold by auction by Samuel Cochrane and Son on April 13, 1874, as "Campbellville." There was no reserve on the lots, and some went as low as 2/6 per foot. The land was so. poor that it would, not pay to till, and for years was all clay and tea-tree. Now i. is a wonderful district of fine buildings and wellmade streets. And that is typical of the way this popular suburb has progressed.