Wellington Harbour Board Grainger Street Photographs

Descriptive Data

Archives IdentifierAC026Date RangeCirca 1898DescriptionThis series consists of mounted photographs of properties on the Grainger Street Block, including dwellings and businesses. The images are useful in that they show the state of the property when the image was taken, and have the surname of the owner/occupier written on the edge of the photograph. The location of the property can also be identified by matching the name on the image with the name indicated on a City Engineers plan showing the occupancy of houses on Grainger Street [Series 00248].

In the late 19th Century, the Harbour Board decided to further reclaim the Te Aro foreshore; this involved clearing properties in Allen and Grainger Streets. The land was compulsorily taken by the Board under the Public Works Act. Not all the residents wanted to leave. It took three years of evictions and compensation claims before the area was finally cleared.

While no specific evidence has been found it is assumed this set of photographs was taken as part of work to determine the condition of buildings in the area. Inwards correspondence to the Board [item 14747] includes a Statement of Receipts and Expenditure on Account of Grainger Street Block from August 1898 to 31 December 1899. On this statement is a reference to photographic Work completed in 1898.Quantity (Linear Metres)0.25MediumPhotographSystem of ArrangementWhile it could be assumed that the WHB collection should have negatives for these photographs, on further investigation it appears the negatives are missing from the WHB negatives series.External Links"As amusing incident" for the photographerCollection TypeWellington Museums Trust

Access Information

Restriction StatusOpen

Related Agencies

Controlling or Creating AgencyWellington Harbour BoardRelationship Date Range1880-1989

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Wellington Harbour Board Grainger Street Photographs