Parnell, New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Suburb: | Parnell |
| City: | Auckland City |
| Island: | North Island |
| Surrounded by - to the north |
Mechanics Bay |
Parnell is a suburb of Auckland, and has existed since Auckland was founded in 1841. To the west of Parnell is the Auckland Domain, to the south Newmarket, and to the north is the commercial area of St Georges Bay with mainly office space.
Parnell Rise and Parnell Road together make up the main road through Parnell. Parnell Rise leads to the central business district to the west; Parnell Road runs from Parnell Rise uphill to the top of the suburb, and then bends almost 90 degrees and continues towards Newmarket in the south-east where at the intersection with Davis Crescent it becomes Broadway . Parnell Road was called Manukau Road until well after the formation of Khyber Pass (or Khyber Pass Road) in 1845.
An iconic feature of Parnell is the Anglican Cathedral, which is at the top of the hill. This replaced the old wooden St Mary's, which was demolished in 1888 having served the community of 28 years. The current building is in two parts: the brick choir and body of the church date from about 1960 and are a "modern" simplified version of Gothic. This is very similar to Guildford Cathedral, by Edward Maufe which was completed in 1961. (Guildford is an example of Municipal Gothic and has been described as "the dying gasp of the Gothic Revival in England".) The massing of the forms, the detailing of the masonry and the smooth expanses of plain brick are common to both buildings. Over the transept entrance is a bronze sculpture of the Archangel Michael defeating the Devil, very similar to the Epstein sculpture of the same subject on Coventry Cathedral (finished 1962).
The front part of the church was built in the 1990s to the design of Professor R.H. Toy and John Sinclair. It is reminiscent of the new Coventry Cathedral built after the war and features large stained-glass windows that are illuminated by the sunlight at certain times of the day. Māori motifs and symbols are incorporated into the newer part of the building, which awaits the large spire to finish the composition.
Just next to this building is the smaller wooden Gothic St Mary's. This dates from 1885 and served as the pro-cathedral after the earier St Mary's was demolished until the current cathedral was completed. This church, designed by B.W Mountfort, was on the other side of Parnell Road until the 1980s when it was moved to its current location, thus losing some of its historic significance.
Across the road, on St Stephens Avenue near the intersection with Parnell Road, stands Bishopscourt or Selwyn Court, the residence of the Anglican Bishop of Auckland. This wooden gothic house was designed by Frederick Thatcher and is distinguished by a chapel and an octagonal turret. Bishop Selwyn and his wife moved here in May 1865.
In this area are several houses of the same period as Bishopscourt; Kinder House, the residence of the Rev. John Kinder, and Ewelme Cottage, both open to the public. At the end of St Stephens Avenue are the Parnell Rose Gardens, Judges Bay and Parnell Swimming Pool.
During the early 1970s the suburb was rather dilapidated and decaying. It was revitalised by a local businessman as a week-end tourist shopping destination. This included reinventing itself as a set of "Ye Olde Worlde Shoppes". As many other Victorian buildings were being demolished in Auckland at the time, demolition items were cheap and the buildings of Parnell village were altered, extended and tarted up in a somewhat fanciful but fun Victorian style. Some of this restyling is still in evidence.
Along the upper part of Parnell Road are a number of these houses, most of which are now used by businesses such as law firms, accountancy firms, shops, and a few restaurants. The lower part of Parnell has a larger concentration of Edwardian retail buildings, including a number of fashionable boutiques, nightclubs and bars. The streets to each side of Parnell Road are mainly residential in character, and there some townhouses and apartments, especially towards St Georges Bay Road.
At the bottom of Parnell Rise is Beach Road, so called because it ran round the beach front of the now-reclaimed Mechanics Bay and Official Bay. St Georges Bay disappeared at the same time. Here is located the former Auckland Railway Station, an impressive brick 1930s structure, designed by Gummer and Ford. The Railway Station was relocated here from the bottom of Queen Street to be the centrepiece for the new downtown business area of Auckland. The plan was not a success, and the station has recently been decommissioned and the Britomart Transport Centre reinstated in the earlier location. This is proving a great success.
Parnell has become one of the preferred places to live in Auckland, with house prices rising rapidly over the last three years.
Parnell is a part of the Epsom Electorate for Parliamentary representation, and the Hobson Ward for council representation. Parnell represents approximately 20% of the population in each of the two districts. The current Member of Parliament for Epsom is Rodney Hide from ACT New Zealand, and the local councillors are on the Action Hobson and Citizens and Ratepayers Now tickets.
[edit] References
- The Heart of Colonial Auckland, 1865-1910. Terence Hodgson. Random Century NZ Ltd 1992.
- Colonial Architecture In New Zealand. John Stacpoole. A.H & A.W Reed 1976.
- Decently And In Order, The Centennial History of the Auckland City Council. G.W.A Bush. Collins 1971.
- Auckland Through A Victorian Lens. William Main. Millwood Press 1977.
- Auckland's Original Shoreline. Dr Neride Campbell. Heart of the City 2005.
- The Lively Capital, Auckland 1840-1865. Una Platts. Avon Fine Prints Limited New Zealand 1971.
[edit] External links
- Parnell Business Association
- [1] Parnell Online
