OLD WELLINGTON

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 60, 8 September 1934, Page 8

OLD WELLINGTON

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Mr. Boyd's letter "In Old Wellington" was very interesting, but he was a little astray in some of his reminiscences. The watchmaker referred to was Mr. T. V. Harvey, who had a shop next to George Cooper's ginger-beer factory. George Cooper's factory stood on the northern corner of what is now the Hotel Cecil, and Harvey's shop was on the rise going up to Mulgrave Street. Mrs. George Cooper, who was very deaf, had a shop where she sold ha'penny cakes, lollies, and ginger-beer next to her husband's factory. Next to Mrs. Cooper's was Osborne's (formerly Stagg's) general store. This store stood back about ten feet from the footpath and had a large verandah in front. The next building was occupied by E. Marriott, bootmaker, and G. E. Press, woodturner. Marriott was well known for his make of Wellington boots, which were largely worn in those days. There was a vacant section next to Marriott's which was used as an entrance to Howard's livery stables and George Dixon's cordial factory, and then came Hadficld's Eoyal Hotel, the building'which has just been pulled down. After the death of Mr. Hadfield the hotel was taken over by Mr. Jack Maginnity. The freehold of this hotel is still owned by the descendants of the Hadfield family. The next building, was the Government Printing Office, a long building built of corrugated iron. George Didsbury was, I think, the Government Printer.- The Public Works Office was next, and on the southern corner of the block was the stationery shop of Eobert Burrett. The printing office of E. Burnett was round the corner in Charlotte- Street, now the lower end of Molcswortrr Street; a portion of this office Is still standing and now used as shops. Mr. Boyd's reference to diggingoysters was, I think, intended for pipia. Wellington's best pipi bed was along Thorndoii Quay, better known to ."old residents as Pipitea Point, and extended from where the Lambton Station now stands to the hospital steps, now known as Moore Street. When the tide was out this bed was fully two hundred yards wide and was a great place for the Maori women from Petone to dig their supplies. I have seen as. many as thirty at one time filling their flax baskets. In the days which I am writing about the northern boundary of Lambton Quay was Charlotte Street,'-but years afterwards the City Council extended it to Mulgrave Street. —I am, etc., ■ E.E.G. '

(To the’ Editor.) Sir,— Having read Mr. Frank Grady’s letter in tonight’s “Evening Post” stating that his family arrived in New Zealand in 1880 and that his business was situdted in Willis Street, I beg to enlighten him re this matter. The Mr. Grady of whom I write had his shop in Thorndon Quay seven or eight years, previous to the arrival of Mr. Frank Grady’s family. At the time of which I write Quinton’s Corner was known as Cook’s Corner, named after a Mr. Cook (a tailor) whoso establishment was on this site, and where my father was then employed. I do not know the exact date of the arrival of my people in New Zealand, but. I possess my father’s marriage certificate, which states that he was married in Taranaki in 1850 by the Kev. M.: Manson Turton, Wesleyan minister.—l am, etc., ' A. E. BOYD.