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 connects to the central business district to the west, and 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 it becomes Broadway at the intersection with Davis Crescent. 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 located at the top of the hill. This replaces 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 dates from about 1960 and is 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 transcept entrance of the Parnell is a bronze sculpture of the archangel Michael defeating the Devil, this work is 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. In design it is rather reminiscent of the new Coventry Cathedral built after the war and features large stained glass windows which 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 still 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 other St Mary's was demolished until the current Holy Trinity Cathedral was completed. This church, designed by B.W Mountfort, was originally located 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 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 into Bishopscourt, or Selwyn Court in May 1865.
In this area are several houses of the same period as BishopCourt; Kinder House, being the residence of the Rev. John Kinder and Ewelme Cottage, both are open to the public. At the end of St Stephens avenue is located the Parnell Rose Gardens, Judges Bay and the 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 to operate 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, there is a certain amount of townhouse and apartment development especially towards St Georges Bay Road.
At the bottom of Parnell Rise is Beach Road, so-called because it once ran around the beach front of the now reclaimed Mechanics Bay and Official Bay, St Georges Bay also disappeared at the same time. Here is located the former main Auckland Railway Station, an impressive brick 1930s structure, designed by Gummer and Ford. Formerly located at the bottom of Queen Street the Railway Station was relocated here 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 Railway Terminal reinstated back in its original 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 3 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 from 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
