our place
Looking for Laingholm stories Having received funding from the Waitakere Ranges Local Board, West Auckland Historical Society committee members Gai Bishop and Fiona Drummond are working in conjunction with Megan Fitter from the Laingholm community, to collate heritage about the Laingholm area, including Parau, Laingholm, Woodlands Park and Waima.
The brick bridge at the bottom of what was then a gravelled Huia Road. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections JTD-10J-03727
The work involves seeking out stories and photographs already in existence in the community and beyond, and coordinating oral histories with long time residents of the area. Some locals will remember Wayne McKenzie, now resident in Wellington. He is a descendant of the Laings of Laingholm who has done an immense amount of research into the area and hopes one day to compile a book of his research. He is sharing some of his research with Gai and Fiona. From 2022, more New Zealand-specific history (with a focus on local history) is planned to become part of the curriculum for both primary and secondary junior levels, so the information being collated will be of benefit to students and staff at all our local schools. There are many fascinating stories about the area, including that of the arched brick bridge located at the bottom of the Huia Road Hill before Landing Road. Jack Diamond wrote in 1979 that this brick bridge, believed to have been built around 1890-1900, is a rare example in Auckland and the northern North Island. Due to the
abundance of timber in the area, most bridges used wood and it is unknown why bricks were chosen for this early one lane bridge – built for the horse and cart traffic of the 1890s. The bricks used were made by J J Craig at their brickworks in St Georges Road, Avondale, while those in the piers were from Gardner Bros and Parker’s brickworks previously by the New Lynn railway station. The pier bricks are pierced with three holes which enabled them to be bonded together more firmly with cement mortar. The bridge arch was formed on the same principle as the arched roofs of the tunnels in the big Hoffman kilns then coming into use at the large brickworks at New Lynn, while the construction of the sides follows the method known as English Bond, in which one layer of bricks has a side showing and the next layer of bricks, an end showing. It was registered as an historic structure with the previous Waitākere City Council, probably in the 1960s, which undoubtedly saved it from demolition in its damaged state. In the mid 1990s, at the instigation of David Harre, then chairman of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and a Waitākere City Community Board member, council funding was secured for the bridge’s restoration with the labour donated by E. Astley & Sons, the New Lynn tannery. Anyone with information, stories or photographs to share on Laingholm and the wider area can email landingroadproject@gmail.com.
This 1969 photo shows the old brick bridge and the new Huia Road bridge built alongside. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections JTD-10J-03736-169
Your local MP Dr Deborah Russell MP for New Lynn New Lynn Electorate Office 09 820 6245 newlynn.mp@parliament.govt.nz 1885 Great North Rd, Avondale, Auckland
Authorised by Deborah Russell MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
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The Fringe NOVEMBER APRIL 2021 2020
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