 | The first fire station was established in Levin in 1902, in Oxford Street premises opposite the Chronicle Office. Brigade members are those of 1907-08: Left to Right - Back Row: E. Hallaway, D. Rowe, Moore (driver holding reins). Centre Row: W. Ransom, C. Bridge, J. Fallas, T. Johnson. Front Row: H. Austice, D. Musgrove, D. Hooper, J. McTaggart, Eastope, R. Jones. |
Next down was a house converted to the present station after it was built in 1921 to replace the small station in Oxford Street north. In 1962 a house on the west side was removed for extensions. The original station was also remodelled then.
Next down was a house converted to professional rooms by Lloyd Twigden in 1950, until 1956 when Ray Boyd bought the building. He used part for his optometrist's rooms, leasing the remainder to physiotherapist Bill Unwin. When Unwin moved to Cambridge Street, Clinical Laboratory (Palmerston North) took over his rooms.
MOVED
When Ray Boyd retired in t977, the NZ Fire Service bought the property as well as the neighbouring corner section. Mr Boyd's house was moved to Waitarere in 1980 for use as a medical centre. The Fire Service now owns all the properties along Salisbury Street and around the corner along Stanley Street to the courthouse.
The Salvation Army had a small building, perhaps about 1900, either on the corner or a little further north along Salisbury Street. The army later moved to Mrs Ostler's Temperance Hall in Oxford Street, where Barrow's Bookshop is now.
The original saleyards were in Queen Street, built in 1892 by Abraham and Williams. The land extended from Salisbury Street to Weraroa Road on the north side of the street. The actual yard area extended about half along to Weraroa Road and then north to a point about in line with Stanley Street.
They were shifted to Cambridge Street in 1925, after much agitation by the borough council which wanted the smelly yards out of the borough.
The concrete yard at the back of Vene Doyle's house, No. 52 Queen Street, is part of the original yards. The yard drained into a large, concrete covered sump which was later fixed so that Vene could use it as an air raid shelter during the war if necessary.
BACK on Oxford Street once again the north part of the shop now occupied by Carpet Court, a furnishing business in what was formerly Furniture Services, was a shop in the 1890s. Next door, about on the site of Chainey Bros, a small house adjoined the north side of the shop.
It has been said that the house was built as a combined shop and store, by Rod McDonald in 1890 as one of the first three shops in Levin. However, other evidence shows that the store was separate and to the south of the house.
B. R. (Basil) Gardener bought both in 1892. Behind the house a large store house was built later. Basil Gardener was living in the house in 1906, as the inaugural party to celebrate his election as the first mayor of Levin was held here that year.
The house remained until 1924; being used for both residential and storage purposes. When it was demolished the material was used to build a house at Hokio Beach.
It seems that Mr Gardener’s Manawatu Cooperative Store, later operated by George Milne, existed in the shop at least in 1916.
North of the house was the Temperance Hotel (no licence). There is no evidence of when it was built, but it must have been in the mid 1980s [sic.] probably 1890s? George Phipps was the proprietor at some stage. From 1905 Rod McDonald was the proprietor for an unknown period. It has been said that the hotel was far from being a temperance hotel then! Later it was altered and became the Temperance Hall (not to be confused with the one owned by Mrs Ostler). It was known to have existed in this form at least until 1911. I know nothing of its fate, except that it vanished some time prior to 1920.
On further were three small shops, probably about the mid 1890s, and a small house. In 1898 W. F. Ellis advertised toys and china in the southernmost shop while D. Isaacs (in the centre shop) had a notice advising that he was a practical tailor probably about the same time. The third shop was apparently empty.
These four buildings were all gone before 1920 in my memory.
FIRE STATION
Next along was an area I do remember - the fire station built in about 1903 with a wooden bell tower to the south. The station, with a later addition, served until 1921. It housed the first motorised engine, a 1920 Ford.
Where Jack Young's gift shop has been since 1980 was the site of the Wirokino Roads Board office. The precise date of its occupation is not known but it must have been in the early 1890s as the pupils of the Queen Street school were taught in this office in 1892 while a second room was being built on the school.
It was said that it was only a small room, 1.6 feet by 20 feet and situated near where the drill hall (now the sports centre) stands in Essex Street. The Roads Board office as I knew it was much larger and sited in Oxford Street.
BOROUGH,
When the Horowhenua County moved its headquarters from Otaki in 1897 it apparently inherited the Roads Board office. After the borough was formed in 1906, the borough council shared the office with the county council.
In 1924, a small building was erected on the south side for the fledgling Horowhenua Electric Power board in place of the old fire station.
These buildings were demolished and two houses built from the timber after 1926, when the Municipal Buildings were erected.
The land from north of Jacob's butchery to Rod Weirs building is still owned by the borough. Some time after 1926 the council built a new building, set back from the road on the old council office sites. This was used by the Plunket Society (on the south side) and as a Ladies' restroom (on the north side) at least in the 1950s. These moved out about 1965, when respective facilities were provided elsewhere.
Since then the building was divided into two shops until 1980 when Jack Young bought the property and extended it to the footpath.
As it is impossible to match the early shops with the present day sites I am comparing the area from Carpet to Young's in two eras.
Chainey Bros. Cycle Shop which is in the original building built by Mr Mortenson prior to 1930 was started in 1934. Fred Chainey was the manager until 1974. The business was bought by the Cornish Group in the 1970s and is still being run by the liquidator of the group.
Where Michael's Hair Salon is now was a butchery for many years. The first occupants were Collis Bros. The building was erected in 1938. Other occupants were J. W. Bishop (existing in 1931), Geo. Mann, and Bill Urquhart (both later). Jacob Bras ran the business from 1966 to 1976, as The Avenue Butchery.
Renton Sutherland's Menswear business started when Melvin Wright had the shop built in 1954 or 1955. Renton took over the business in 1975.
The Jacobs' other butchery, run by Les, Des and Ron, shifted from over the road in 1954. It is now run by Les alone as Jacobs' Butchery.
THEATRE
The United Building was built in 1957. The B.N.Z.'s branch has been in the first shop for six years, moving in after Eccle's Drycleaners Rachel Gowns' premises were built as a foyer for a theatre. Mr Waddington (United Theatres) built the block with the intention of building a theatre at the back.
The heavy foundations for the projectors reach from the floor to the first storey. When United Theatres' lease on the Regent was due to expire, they asked the council not to lease the Regent to anyone else for motion pictures. They actually started building their own theatre, as evidenced by the foyer and projection foundation.
However the council refused to give an undertaking on the future lease, and United Theatres changed their mind and took a further lease on the Regent.
Wallace Cadwallader has been the proprietor of Rachel Gowns since 1963. Before, a Mrs Manning had the business. John Young had an optometrist business in the next shop from 1957 until 1977 when Nelson Retter took over. In 1979 Retter shifted further north into Antcliff's Building, and now occupies the south shop.
GARAGE
The main part of Rod Weir's building was built in 1921 for John Milnes' Levin Motor Garage. He was a well-known person in Levin for all his life.
Wright Stephenson bought the business in 1938 and leased the building until1968. When they shifted further north, Rod Weir apparently started business here.
The corner now occupied by Rod Weir's estate agency was a shop known to have been in existence at least by 1910. Marco Fossello had a tailoring business here, probably about 1910. A Mr Bates continued the business, probably in the 1920s. Jim Eccle's drycleaning business occupied the premises from 1938 to 1963 or 1964, when Rod Weir expanded into it.
Across Stanley Street and on the southern half of Herald Motors Ltd site was an early building. Charles Saxon shifted his tyre retreading business to it about 1925. After John Milnes sold his garage business about 1938, he ran a rental car and taxi business from here until about 1945. Earlier, Stan Stillwell had a motor garage here for a few years from 1918.
Then the building was demolished and Peter Ward opened his garage business on the site in 1945. After his death in a car accident, his brothers Henry and Gordon managed from it 1956 until 1961 when Amuri Motors (operating as Herald Motors Ltd) bought the business. Since 1977 it has been owned by Crown Consolidated.
BLACKSMITH
The north half of the present site was a blacksmith and farrier's business in early years. Dave Malcolm and later Joe Trembath were in it until 1940. By then, it had evolved more into an engineering business. Then Bob Young bought it and added a workshop on the front of the old smithy.
In 1951 P.J. Ward Ltd bought the property and expanded the garage. Keith Johns was a well-known manager in the 1960s.
The Antcliff Building had an earlier building on it. This was a house, probably built in the early 1900s. Later, probably in the 1 920s, a shop was built across the front.
Alan Leatham, a tailor, was one occupant. Another, later, occupant was David Anderson, an engineer. In 1958 Mr Halliwell Snr, shifted his Paint Pot business from Weraroa, into the building. In 1965 the buildings were demolished and the Antcliff Building erected in their place by Mr Antcliff.
John Rennie's Rennie Electrical Ltd moved from across the street into the north shop in 1965. In 1976 he sold out to Ray Dubbin, operating as Rennie Electrical (1976) Ltd. Nelson Retter moved his optometry business into the south shop in 1979.
Next is what was the Gospel Hall in 1906. The Open Brethren Church sold the hall in 1963. The Reliance Rubber Co. occupied it from then until 1970 when Wright Stephenson moved in with their home appliance division until 1979.
The Motor Cycled Division of Robin Gather's Automotive Ltd has occupied it since then.
Where Wrightcars are now was the site of a two storeyed house, the Wisteria Lodge, built for Dr Dundas MacKenzie, one of the early doctors, about 1900. It was one of Levin's showplaces, with the garden extending aver the entire site of the present Wrightcars. It was used as a residence over the years, and at times as a boarding house. At some stage a large annex was added to the Exeter Street frontage.
Horace Herring (Mayor from 1953 to1956) and Dorothy Herring were the proprietors in the early 1950s. About the late 1950s the Wright Stephenson Pension Fund acquired the property and built three shops on the Oxford Street Exeter Street intersection.
John Mclvor had a butchery in the north shop from about 1960 for a few years. Lloyd Tyres had a builder's office in the centre shop about this time. First Mr Stockwell, and then George Dixon, had the Silver Grill Restaurant in the south shop up to about 1970. Paul Davies also ran a furniture shop in one of them.
Wright Stephenson's home appliance business was in the north shop up to about 1970, when the shops were demolished.
PULLED DOWN
Wright Stephenson started developing the site for their garage complex in the mid - 1960s, demolishing the old lodge. The shops were not demolished until later because of leases.
In 1966 Wright Stephenson opened their used caryard. In December 1967 the full garage was opened. The name was changed to Wrightcars about 1975.
The Oxford Hotel is on the site of a house occupied by Nina and Harry Gill until 1958, when the hotel was built. Mrs Gill apparently inherited the house from her mother Granny Retter, who reached her 101st year.
The house was given to the RSA and removed to Waiterere Beach as an RSA holiday house. When Harry demolished part of the house many years earlier, he found that some of the piles were tree stumps.
The first proposed name for the Oxford was the Horowhenua Hotel. The wholesale liquor store was added in 1973, around the corner facing Exeter Street.
Betty and, Cliff Wilson are the current licencees.
Past John Williams' garage is where Constable Bagrie lived on the northeast corner of the Exeter and Bristol Streets intersection. Mr Williams has owned the garage, originally built and operated by Noel Pitcher, since 1974.
Constable Bagrie was one of Levin's notable policemen. His stay as constable was the longest ever here, from 1908 to 1933. On retirement he was presented with a grand father clock. His house had the usual lock-up at the back. However it was probably not used during this period as the courthouse had been built nearby, with its own cells. The lockup behind the police house probably made good sheds or dog kennels,
Later two brick police houses replaced the old house. Now Hodder and Tolley's store, built in 1970, stands on their site.
On the southwest corner of Devon Street, where Hudson and Burnham's used caryard is now, it is said that a combined shop and store existed in 1890. It was owned by a Mr Watkins.
BAKERY
In 1909 Joe Scott, who previously used F.O. Smith's bakery on the southeast comer of the Bath and Winchester Street intersections, built a new bakery here. It is thought that an old oven existed on the site before this, owned by Mr Retter.
In 1915 Harry Hughes bought the business: It was sold to Mr Mclean in 1920 and four years later Mr Hughes bought it back again.
Eleven years later Herbert Wenham and Edgar Phelps purchased the business, bringing the name Arcadia Bakery from their old bakery in the Arcadia Hotel.
Finally Bridewell Bakery of Palmerston North bought the business in 1968; soon closing both this business and the Weraroa Bakery. The building was used as a distribution centre for Bridewell bread from Palmerston North for some years.
Hudson and Burnham bought the property in 1975, demolishing the house and bakery.
The RSA Hall, next west in Devon Street was built in 1953 and extended 1969.
Still in Devon Street, the telephone exchange was built in 1963 at a cost of $152,000. Where Collier Automotive has been since 1967 was originally a house. The first of the previous owners was Steve Musso, who was followed by Jack Knight, Bob Hugill and Rod Weir Ltd.
DRILL HALL
The Levin Physical Sports Centre is where the Army Drill Hall existed from about 1911. The corner section where Ivan Hoare's business is, went with the hall, which was used for training school cadets and territorials.
