This is an image from Mark Bishop. We’ll be running a number of these over the coming weeks.
These images were developed by merging together various historic black and white photographs (all from the “Sir George Grey Special Collection” – Auckland Library) with contemporary colour photographs taken at the same location.
The black and white photographs were taken between the years 1900 to 1940, and cover a number of areas of the city and the outlying suburbs. The colour photographs were all taken in early 2015.
The intention of these images is to use photography to help show how much has changed – or not changed – over almost one hundred years by focusing on locations that are familiar to Aucklanders.
It is interesting to think that the people, horses and trams seen in these images passed by around a century ago where we walk and drive today.
Corner of Queen Street and Wellesley Street looking east. Black and white photograph (Feb 1903) from “Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1051”
Processing...
Civilized; the 1903 bit that is. People using the road, walking and catching trams rather than avoiding being hit by cars and waiting at signalised intersections. Apart from the human thrum the only noises will have been trams turning and the sound of horse hooves. The smell of horse manure rather than exhaust fumes. No great improvement over 112 years.
People, especially children, got killed by horses and wagons all the time. I wouldn’t be surprised if the road toll was much higher from them, than it has ever been with cars!
Hurry up and bring back the trams AT/AC – undo the appalling damage done to Auckland’s arterial routes since 1956.
Standing ovation by me for Rob Mayo! Hear hear.
My grandfather told me that men with horses and carts for hire would park at this intersection as shown in the photo and wait for casual jobs. The boys who shoveled up the horse crap were known as ‘bird starvers’.