 | In mid-November 1964, workmen demolished another link with Levin's old days when they tore down the auction mart which had operated there since the 1930s. Designed and built in the early 1900s as the Cosmos Theatre, Mr E. J. Tomlinson had run the mart since 1941. The Oxford Street building (to the north of The Chronicle) was replaced by a block of five shops. This is a view of the building when it was a theatre, operated by Mr M. Fosella, who was a resident and businessman in Levin as early as 1897. |
 | Previously the Cosmos Theatre, it is shown here as an auction mart with a parade, probably in the early days of World War II, going past the mart and The Chronicle. |
| Levin Post Office looking east up Queen Street. |
On what is now North Lane, next to the railway line, a Mr Gibson had a farrier and blacksmith business. After Hitchens and Hankins were burnt out at Weraroa they shifted to this site about 1911. They continued their hardware and grain business from here as well as their wholesale liquor trade. They used the farrier's shed as a stable for their delivery horses.
Walter Bull, formerly an employee, bought the business in 1922. He continued the business as W. Bull Ltd until 1948.
The Loan and Mercantile Agency Ltd bought the business in 1948, trading as W. Bull Ltd., and shifting to Oxford Street in 1955. The agency later became Dalgety Wine and Spirits.
ALTERED
Leo Jenson then bought the property, altering the building to form the series of small shops which exist now.
Over the railway line was a plumber's workshop, owned by a Mr Jones, which existed at least in 1907.
Albert Wells started a livery stable about 1920 where the west part of Kenden Ford Motors is now. Mr Wells previously worked for Bradley's.
The east part of Kenden Motors stands where Ernie Sawtell had a motor garage which existed at least 1924-26. Later Levin Motors had the garage. In 1946 McMinn Motors started, followed by Hillview Motors in 1969 and later Kenden Ford.
By 1945 one of the garage owners had extended on to Wells premises, building on the old stables area. The Chocolate Box, the sweet shop for the People's Theatre across the road, existed at least about 1920 to 1924. Kenden Motors' retail shop now covers this site and an alleyway adjoining to the east.
James Middlemiss had a saddler's shop through the 1920s, on the corner where the Windmill Dairy is now. The saddler's shop existed at least until 1931.
Across Cambridge Street, Newman's bus line has had a depot and office since 1952. That year the last hitching post was removed, from outside the then new Newman's depot.
OXFORD STREET
North of Byko Corner, on Oxford Street, from about 1900 onward, were several small shops. The first was Immortal Phipps' earlier Silver Grid restaurant and the next was an earlier saddler's business of James Middlemiss's.
By about 1910 these had been replaced by two two-storeyed buildings. The first, now known as the Rosvald Building, contained the Commercial Chambers upstairs about 1910. The Beacon Christian Shop and Steed's Chemist now occupy the ground floor.
The Fresh Bread shop, a branch of the Paraparaumu Hot Bread bakery, was in the first shop for a time. Jacob Bros were in the second shop until 1954 with a butchery.
These shops are said to have been damaged by fire about I954.
The next building, where the Sunflower Floral Studio was until 1980, shows a sign in an upstairs window in an old photo (probably. about 1910) which read Commercial & Farmers' Club est. 1904. However, this does not prove that the building was constructed then as the club
CLUB
This club could have been an ancestor of the Gentleman's Club, later the Levin Club, which was in the same premises until 1953. The second storey was Later used as Department of Agriculture offices for some years, until the department moved into the new Public Trust building. The ground floor shop is now tenanted by the Rubber Centre.
Next is the Oxford Building where Lester Buckingham has his Paul Davies' Furniture shop and Wang Ron has his California coffee shop. It was built in 1963 with Norman Lowe as the first proprietor of the restaurant.
About 1908 the Express Carrying Co had a depot on this section which was bare in my memory until 1963.
NEWSPAPER
The northern neighbour is Kerslake, Billens and Humphrey.
In the days when even radio was a rare luxury, the Chronicle office was the only place where election results could be obtained soon after the close of the polls. The front of the building was progressively covered with election results as they came to hand.
The results were covered comprehensively, in characters and numerals large enough to read from across the street. The entire top part of the frontage was covered. Scaffolding must have been used for access as the first floor balcony was not large.
Up to perhaps 500 people would assemble to find out the results.
Before Levin was connected to electricity in 1924, and probably for some time afterwards, all the printing machines and linotypes were run by water power. The wastewater was piped out to the street gutter.
The next site was covered by an old shop, John Milnes was in it with his Levin Motor Garage prior to 1921. He offered Ford Model T cars for $400. He also sold the fire brigade its first motorised engine, a 1920 Model T Ford fire engine.
After 1921 a Chinese laundry was in the shop, followed by Romeo Kingi who used it as a residence. In 1967 the building was demolished and two new shops built. Their current occupants are The Settlement furniture, china and pottery shop and Levin TV and Radio.
The Oxford Pharmacy started in the northern shop in 1964, moving into the centre of the town in 1970. Don's Pet Shop occupied it from then until 1974, when the business moved south.
COSMOS
The next two shops are on the site of the Cosmos Theatre, built probably in 1917 or 1918. Motion pictures were shown from a projector on the balcony. It was hand-turned at first and then connected to an electric motor when the original generator, which had supplied only light, was replaced. The generator was driven by the water supply.
The theatre was used as a public hall both then and for some years after the showing of pictures ceased, in early 1920s. It also served as a skating rink.
About the 1930s an auction mart opened. A Mr Simmonds was the second proprietor. Edgar Tomlinson bought both the business and the property in 1941, running it as Tomlinson's Auction Mart. The building was demolished in 1964 and three shops constructed now occupied by Wellington Newspapers, Parker Paints and the Kingsway Restaurant. The restaurant occupies the site of the theatre alleyway.
The Levin Club is in the original house and surgery built by D. S. (Stuart) Mackenzie, the dentist, in 1908. In 1910 he built a surgery along the frontage.
FREYBERG
Mr Mackenzie was one of the two early dentists in Levin. About 1943 Bernard Freyberg (later a General and then Governor General) worked for Mackenzie as a dental mechanic. Peter Mackenzie, a son, took over the surgery in 1947. He continued there until 1973, when he shifted.
The surgery was used from then on by the Labour Party as a shop until it was demolished in 1980.
In the early, days Mackenzie's drill was driven by water power because electricity was not available. This was sophisticated in itself as most drills were pedal powered.
The Levin Club bought the back section, including the Mackenzie house, for clubrooms in 1953. Recently the club also acquired the Oxford street frontage. The Post Office plans to erect temporary premises on this frontage while the present Post Office is demolished and rebuilt.
WEEKLY
The Office Display Centre was started by Alec Fletcher as the Levin Printing Works in 1946, in a building where Fisher's Monumental display their goods. A new building was erected in 1950 with Roy Stewart as a partner. Messrs Fletcher and Stewart started the weekly publication, the Weekly News.
The business merged with Kerslake, Billens and Humphrey in 1969, and the Levin Printing Works premises subsequently became a retail shop.
Manchester Unity Lodge built the next, building in 1963. Roger Halliwell's Paint Pot has occupied the ground floor since then. The Oddfellows' Lodge rooms are upstairs, together with the offices of accountant Alan Arcus.
This section was the site of the Oddfellows' Hall built at an unknown date - probably about 1910. The building was also used as a public hall. The Levin Playcentre used it in the 1950s.
Harvey's Furnishers and Funeral Services, now run by Milton Bowler, was established in 1923 by Howard Harvey.
He started in the corrugated iron building in Cambridge Street which has been used in recent years by the Every Girls' Rally organisation.
His sons Howard, Arthur, Martin and Joffre succeeded their father in 1950 as they were old enough to work the business. Mr Harvey Snr. had retired by 1951, when the sons started the present building in Oxford Street. It was added to over the years, changing hands in the 1970s.
This completes the account of the area of Levin with the strongest historical Associations.
