MID-CITY CHANGES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 192, 11 May 1937, Page 9

MID-CITY CHANGES

Old-time Wellington Disappearing A PIONEER LOOKS BACK Further memories of Lambton Quay of 50 years ago were recalled by Mr. Mark Maxton, Greytown, in commenting during an interview with ‘‘The Dominion” on the reminiscences of Mr. J. D. M. Georgeeon, clerk of works on the extensions to the Union Bank of Australia building in Lambton Quay, published in "The Dominion” a few" days ago. The comments of Mr. G. H. Loney, retired Government Printer, on the changes that have taken place in the Government Printing Office also caused Mr. Maxton to recollect the conditions of that office in a far distant period. "I recollect the Union Bank when it was just in the corner at the junction of Lambton Quay and Featherston Street with Martin’s fountain at the apex,” Mr. Maxton said. "Sloan’s tailor shop was on the north side and then, I think, came Cobb and Company’s stables. Then again was the Loan Company and the New Zealand Insurance Company. Mr. Georgescu certainly gave a good description of that section of the Quay. Opposite the ‘stables, which were afterward used as a gymnasium, was the old Crown and Anchor Hotel, owned by the Prossers, and Mr. Johnson, the tinsmith, was next door on the south side. Whitcombe and Tombs was next, then Lyon and Blair’s, but later Mr. Blair’s only, and then came the Supreme Court and the Resident Magistrate’s Court, which was on the site now occupied by the Bank of New South Wales. I think the greater portion of the sections on the western side of the street were in the Rhodes Estate. On ihe Grey Street frontage of the block that contained the Union Bank was the Standard Fire Insurance Company’s office, and Chattcll and Diamond’s Hotel was on the Featherston Street corner.”

“The old Government Printing Office was on the side of the street opposite to the present office,” said Mr. Maxton in commenting on the remarks by Mr. Loney about the progress of printing since ISS7. “Next to the printing office was the old Royal Hotel, kept by Mr. ‘German’ Brown, and later by Mr. Charlie Hatfield. Burrett's Printery was on the corner of what was then known as Charlotte Street.” In the old "tin box” of a printing office Mr. George Didebury reigned for a considerable time, and I was one of his apprentices. The officers were then Messrs. J. Costall, J. Burns, J. Gamble and F. Rogers. When Sir Julius Vogel went in for big loans, the certificates with coupons attached were printed by Mr. Rogers and myself. It was a slow, tedious process because we had to alter the numbers with each pull. Mr. Marcus Marks, who became Government Printer before he retired, was a junior apprentice in my time.”