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Levin A Hundred Years Gone By - Part Three

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Description: Te Aro House of Wellington rented part of it for a store for Walter Mace Clark to sell wholesale drapery in 1892. He bought the building in 1894 going into business as a draper, being the beginning of what was to become Levin’s largest store in the 1920s embracing what is now Clarks Menswear, Zillah Modes and Rushton’s Kitset Centre.

Some very small shops were built north of Queen St on the east side of Oxford St up to where the California Restaurant is now as early photos show probably early in the 1890s. Walter and John Ryder started Levin Butchery in 1894 on the north east corner where Petticoat Lane is now. Further on Immortal Smith and his Silver Grid Restaurant and James Middlemiss had his saddlers’ business.

The building on the corner, now Petticoat Lane could be partly of the original Butchery building. This corner building has had its ups and downs. As photos show it was originally of one storey, then of two stories and now is of one storey. The other small shops had vanished before my memory of about 1918. The corner building which part of could be the oldest commercial building in Levin. It had a cycle business of Jack Phillips by about 1897 with a succession of proprietors including Clarkson Stan Brewster and Joplen Stallard and Carmichael into the 1920s. It was known as the Byko Corner and named as such on the building. Motorcycles had been part of the trade. Going on photos many cycle and motorbike races started and finished on this corner.

Photo at left shows The Avenue in 1906.

Over the road from Queen St north there was a Temperance Hotel (private) in the line of buildings. These were probably built by 1893. The Temperance Hotel would have been where Snippers Hairdressers are now. All these buildings in my memory of before 1920 had vanished except the cottage store which was removed in 1924. The original Road Board Office survived until 1926 and the first Fire station was of 1902 to 1921. The first and 2nd Post Office stores on the north side of Queen St from Oxford St were also not in my memory.

Mrs Emma Burt (nee Smithson), her mother had been one of the earliest midwives) related that in the early 1890s Mrs Ostler gave parties for children at the Roslyn Rd sawmill she used to ride on the sawmill trucks on the tramway to the mill as she was afraid of the wild horses.

The wild horses were owned or at least let loose by the Maoris to graze on the Weraroa Clearing. Some good stallions (probably old) had been released. The progeny were selected for training for the Maori race meetings west of the lake. When Levin started they became a nuisance so were captured or destroyed.

Emma Burt also related that a Maori was determined to get a dray to Poroutawhao so he pulled it himself over planks on the mud of the road moving them to front of the wheel alternately.

Mrs Ostler obtained the lease of the Gravel Reserve, Oxford, Bath St and original Chamberlain St for grazing. A gravel Reserve was available.

For any local authority to take gravel from irrespective in whose area it was in. A lawyer found out that a lessee could quarry a gravel reserve which Mrs Ostler did selling the gravel to the owners the County Council and probably the Road Board. No date is known but it was probably in the mid 1890s into the 1900s. It has been said that it was originally one pit.

A road (now Regent Lane) was formed making it twin pits as they were in my memory. The pit fronting Oxford St was about 15 yards (12m) from the footpath with the south end being about 6 ½ feet (2m) from where Brenmuhl’s Jewellers are now. In my memory the pit vanished under what is now the Curtain Boutique and Suit Yourself Boutique. A plumber told it ran on to as far as Big Tex. The rear of these buildings are over the pit on high foundations.

Bob and Jim Bradley came to Levin in 1894 to establish a horse education stable. Mrs Ostler leased them a section where Levin Music and Toyland are now on which they had their stable built. A County Council official came from Otaki and wanted to know why a building had been erected on their land without permission. However the county was powerless as Mrs Ostler could sublet her lease. The county then agreed to countenance the sub leases. From then on shops were built north of the present Paul’s Cake and Coffee House Ltd and Lily and Brizzle Ltd until by about 1900 according to photos most of the sections had shops on them. To the south the sections were empty until 1924 except for the corner section. This uncovered section of the pit remained an eyesore in the middle of the town for many years.

Bradley Bros. increased their business, establishing a livery stable (horse and vehicle parking) and by 1897 a coach service. When the fire brigade in 1902 wanted a section for a fire station, Mrs Ostler offered to lease a section for one-third of its value if two other businessmen paid the other two-thirds. The offer was declined. The county had allocated a section in Oxford St. Up to 1910 the borough council was still talking about Mrs Ostler’s leases. After walking off a South Island station penniless, she became a wealthy woman with other land dealing.

In 1897 Marco Fosella, Levin and Weraroa, advertised where the Power Board Bright Spot shop is now, Levin Boot and Shoe Co. and Pinks (Fred) boot shop (now north end of Deka) were also advertising then.

North of the gravel reserve was the Levin Hotel land. It has been recorded by Mr Herbert Gapper that on the site of Howard’s Hardware was a store run by Mr Smith. South of it were two shops built by Mr Garland, then owner of the hotel, known as Garland’s Building. Ernest Levy advertised his pharmacy in the building in 1897. The Manawatu Herald (Foxton) reported in 1898 that a disastrous fire occurred south of the Levin Hotel.

THE NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1989