“FARLEY’S ROYAL ARCADE.”

Otago Witness, Issue 3832, 23 August 1927, Page 50

“FARLEY’S ROYAL ARCADE.”

EARLY DAYS RECALLED. AN INTERESTING HISTORY. The rumour which gained currency last week to the effect that there is good reason to believe that negotiations have been entered into between the City Council and the Dunedin Arcade Company for the acquisition by the city of sufficient land for the purposes of a public street between High street and Alaclaggan street, is of considerable interest to present-day residents of the city, and is probably of greater interest to those who resided here in the early days, inasmuch as it will bring back to their minds recollections of the launching of a venture which was not only a novelty, but a decidedly ambitious proposition considering that the foundations of the capital of the province had been laid only a comparatively few years earlier, and that there was at that time little indication of tho developments that were destined to take place in later years.

The Arcade is 'probably one of the oldest relics of the early days standing in Dunedin at the present time. Before the discovery of gold, which, by the way, resulted in a remarkable quickening in the activities of the city, the site now occupied by the Arcade was an unoccupied paddock. The records show that the freehold of part of the land was originally acquired by Dr Henry Manning, the first medical man to practice in the Otago settlement, whose first home in Dunedin was a curious tworoomed wattle and daub cottage perched up on the hill between High street and Alaclaggan street, a little above the site of the present Arcade, about on the section now' cut out as stables at the back of Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co.’s premises. Dr Manning acquired the land as a Crown grant on November 11. 1854. The Arcade property was acquired by Mr J. Hyde Harris- in April. 1855. and in July of the same year it passed into the hands of Mr Daniel Campbell, who was then manager and printer of the Otago Witness. Mr Campbell resided in a house situated on an elevated position close to tho _ High street corner of the present thoroughfare. That site is now occupied by what is now known as the Sports’ Luncheon and Simper Rooms, and is next to the ground on which the commodious warehouse of Messrs Ross and Glendining was built. The paddock referred to is remembered bv very old residents of Dunedin as the spot on which one of tho very first amusements to which the neople were treated was located. The entetrainment was provided by a troupe of trained dogs and monkeys, and was noteworthy owing to the fact that this was the first occasion on which educated animals performed in the city. Needless to say. it was an occasion that impressed itself deeply on the memories of those who were present. The discovery of gold in tho interior of Otago led to great excitement not only throughout New Zealand, but also in Australia, and the ships which traded here at that time brought large numbers of diggers and other enterprising individuals, who were keen to try their fortunes in a land which gave such bright promise Tho influx alxnit 1861 included many commercial men from Melbourne, and amongst their number was Mr Henry Farley, who was a well-known man in the city. Subsequently, Mr Farley was a man of considerable enterprise and came here with valuable experience gained in the course of an active business career in Victoria, whore, presumably, he had seen evidence of the attractiveness of an arcade from a business point of view. Mr Farley had not been in Dunedin long before he conceived the idea of constructing an arcade in the city, and once he had made up his mind on the point he lost no time in concluding negotiations w<th Mr Campbell for the acquisition of the property. An agreement was concluded between Mr Campbell and Air Farley whereby the latter acquired a lease of the property for a period of 14 years from October, 1801. The lease provided that at the expiration of that period Mr Campbell had either to buy the buildings or grant a renewal of the lease for an additional period of 14 years. The rent agreed upon was £3OO per annum. In 1808 that lease was surrendered, and Mr Campbel] granted Mr Farley another lease for 21 years from July 1. 1860, at the same rental, with the inclusion of a covenant by Mr Farley that he would erect and completely finish substantial brick buildings along the north-eastern side of the land.

Possibly the speculative spirit was more •in evidence in those days than it is now. and possibly Air Farley was actuated to some extent by such a spirit, but if that was the case i.e must at the same time have had great faith in the future progress of Dunedin and Otago. The project must be regarded as a very ambitious one considering the time at which it was launched. In fact, if an undertaking of sue i magnitude were put in hand even to-cay it would be classed as a very bold venture, for the Arcade property embraces a row’ of shops, each of two storeys, on cither side of the thoroughfare. It is probable, however, that some of the buildings were of only one storey when they were first erected. In any case one would imagine that the initial outlay would be fairly substantial. It may be mentioned that the Campbell family retained an interest in the land until about 1890. Our files record that the leases for four years of the 54 shops constituting the Arcade were put up to competition by Messrs R. B. ATartin and Co. on March 5, _ 1862, on instructions from the proprietor. Air Farley. The crowd present was so large that the proceedings were seriously incommoded, and the inconvenience was so aggravated by the conduct of many who were not bona fide purchasers. but who appeared to be present in a spirit of “larking.” that Air ATartin felt it prudent for a time to postpone the auction. 'I he proceeds of the -sale were close on £BOOO.

The Arcade quickly became the out/ standing feature of the business area of Dunedin, and it is difficult in these quieter , days to form an adequate conception of the bustle and activity that were in evidence in this new thoroughfare, especially in the evenings and on Saturday nights. All the '■hops were quickly taken up by tenants for carrying on many kinds of

business, airi so popular was the Arcade as a shopping centre and as a promenade that very • ften attempts to get through the crowd/ that assembled there were almost useless. ‘‘Farley’s Arcade” became historical "Words in the town, and for many years it was a business centre of a most prosperous character. One of the attractions, at all events in later years, was an orchestra, which provided attractive music on Saturday nights from an elevated point of vantage near the middle of the thoroughfare. It is probably safe to say that for many years an outing in the city would have been regarded as incomplete if it did not include a walk through the Arcade. Apparently the gallery where the orchestra used to play was erected about 1875. when Air Farley’ sublet to Messrs Clifford and Alorris the upper part of No. 32 and also the upper flat of No. 25 and the new gallery across the Arcade. As time wore on, however, the position gradually changed. The shops/which had been run up quickly by Air Farley, became somewhat dilapidated, and it was a matter of difficulty to secure tenants. There were various changes in the ownership, but the old prosperity had departed, and finally it became manifest that if the prosperity of the Arcade was to be restored it would be necessary to reconstruct the buildings and make the thoroughfare as attractive as possible.

On Alay 26. 1920. the Arcade property was offered for sale by public auction in the presence of a large attendance of the public. The bidding started at £12.000, and quickly rose to £15.000, at which figure the property was sold to Air J. B. Nichol, who was acting on behalf of a private syndicate. Some years ago the Arcade was somewhat neglected as a business centre for a time, and lost practically all its old attraction. This was, no doubt, partly due to the erection of newer and more up-to-date business premises of substantial dimensions in other parts of the city. In recent years it has presented a much better appearance, and at present nearly all the shops are occupied by tenants whose activities cover a wide range of business ventures. To some extent at least it appears to have come back into its own, though it will probably' never regain the pre-eminence which it once enjoyed. The present owners have acquired extra land in Alaclaggan street, where two or three new shops have been built. A large scheme of improvements has been under consideration for some time, but owing to the Exhibition and other things the building programme has been postponed from time to time, and nothing definite has yet been decided upon. The matter has not been lost sight of, however. and when the time is opportune something, in keeping with the requirements of the times will probably be undertaken.