JACKSON STREET

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 139, 16 June 1930, Page 11

JACKSON STREET

SOME PETONE HISTORY

WIDER AND STRAIGHTER

Jackson'" street, Potone,. lately tho scene of much digging, -widening, and surfacing, is, comparatively speaking, ncaring the end of its troubles, for the. Petone Borough : Council lias now in hand a scheme--for its final and complete- widening. The street was. not at first intended to be the main: thoroughfare. The Esplanade was the main street, but with the extension of building inland the honour fell to Jackson street, while the Esplanade, from a business point of view, became a. secondary street. Jackson street took its name from a man who owned much property adjacent to it. Unguided by Town Planners and borough engineers, he sold sections-where he pleased, and the lanes giving access to these scattered holdings ultimately became Jackson street, with all its crookedness. The street has not yet got over this handicap. There are in the Petone Borough' Engineer's office hundreds of maps and plans dealing with Petone from the earliest times, some of great interest. From these plans an attempt was made to trace something of the history of Jackson street. The earliest map showing Jackson street was one of the Potone Town District about 1880. The street in those days did not commence at the railway station, but at the foot of Petono avenue, and from there it extended as far as Beach street. It was about forty feet wide, and in three places, presumably owing to Mr. Jackson's haphazard saio of sections, narrowed abruptly to twelve feet. ' The next useful map was one published, shortly after 1890, showing "the Borough of Petone and surrounding districts" and copiously adorned with advertisements. The three constrictions in Jackson street still remained, but some attempt-had. evidently been made to improve them, for they were not so narrow as in the ISSO map. By this time, also, the street had been extended, at its western end. to the Hutt_ road and at' its eastern «nd to Oriental street. . In. place of the present pipe bridge was/a smaller bridge crossing the'liver nearer the harbour. The railway line ran along the Esplanade right up to this old pipe bridge, which was used by lacegbers to get to HuttPark. Incidentally, Eailway parade, recently renamed Wai one street, got its name from tho then adjacent line, whereas" now there is hardly a street in the borough further from the railway. "■'■' 'Another, interesting feature shown in the .1890 map was the Wairarapa railway running on the hill side of the old Bailway Workshops. A large block of land in'the centre ■of the borough, including the present Becrea(ion Ground, was owned/by the Wellington .Gas Company. .' The kinks in Jackson street '.were shown to have been removed in a 1904 map, and.:plans drawn in. 1907 showed the: proposed extension .of .Jackson' street from Jessie street .to . connect with the new pipe' bridge, which was soon to bo built. .This bridge (the present one)' was erected ill, 1912, and the 'street, .was eitpnded, tb-.me.et'it at the same time. .'■'■. "~'".'.."..' ''."■ ■■~.• : The next, happening of interest in the history.of: Jackson street was in 192G, when the Petono'Borough C6uncil.de-, eided to widen the narrow "parts of; the thoroughfare which are between Petone avenue and tho Post Office, from their approximate width of . 50. feet to 66 feet.' Tor TtlVis; "purpose.; ii loan of £io,ooo?was raised, and with.;it the council was able to widen a block between Peto-ne a.venuo and Fitzherbert street and a portion between Sydney and Nelson streets. Prom tho same funds the sotting back of other properties nearer tlio Post Office,was also completed. .."All-the widening was done on the'northern"sideof thestreet. ' It: is anticipated {hat: the cost .fj completing the work, including the regrading and resurfacing of the street, will be £40,000, and an application has been lodged' with' the Loans' Board for permission -to -borrow •■this'-sum;- Ii permission is: granted: and. the ; ratepayers also" sanction the loan .the council intends to raise the money by instalments;""" ■ ''"'"" '•■' So far all the; property'acquired for widening purposes has. been got .by negotiation between 'the ' council, and the owners." Iff this is continued there js no saying how'long the work will take to be completed, but if the- council exercises its right to take the property under the Public Works Act the street should be finished in about- eighteen months. . '■ ■■'