SCIENCE AND RESEARCH INTERNAL REPORT NO. 91 SLUMS AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT. THE HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE MECHANICS INSTITUTE, AUCKLAND, AND ITS CHANCERY STREET NEIGHBOURHOOD Vol. 1: The Site (R11/1589) By Sarah Macready and James Robinson This is an internal Department of Conservation report and must he cited as Science and Research Internal Report No. 91. Permission for use of any of its contents must be obtained from the Director (Science & Research), Central Office, Department of Conservation. Historic Investigation Team, Auckland for Science and Research Division Department of Conservation PO Box 10420 Wellington October 1990 ISSN 0114-2798 ISBN 0-478-01232-2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are very grateful to the following for their contributions to the archaeological investigations: To the NZI Corporation, and in particular Mr C.J. Hardley, for financing the investigations and for their full cooperation throughout. To Hoadley Budge Olphert (the project architects), Fletcher Construction Co. Ltd (the main contractor), and Vuksich and Borich Ltd (the subcontractor), for providing access to and facilities on the site during the excavations. To Beca Carter Hollings and Ferner Ltd (consultant engineers) for providing copies of the results of tests undertaken for Hoadley Budge Olphert. To Wynne Spring-Rice, who the excavation of two of the areas, and to the rest of the excavation team: Cathy Barr, David Bulmer, Kaaren Cofman-Nicoresti, Myfanwy Eaves, Russell Foster, Jenny Goodwyn, Chris Smith, Ed Visser and Richard Walter. To Sally Maingay, Belinda Maingay and Caroline Phillips for the illustrations, and to John Hawley for advice on one of the drawings. To Andre Brett for some of the site photographs and Maureen Lander for photographs of the artefacts (Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland). To Dr Ian Smith and Ed Visser (Department of Anthropology, University of Otago) for identification of the animal bones, and to Dr Rod Wallace (Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland) for identification of the wood samples. To Greg Smith (of Chatham Antiques, Auckland) for stylistic dating of ceramic artefacts; to Keith Rusden for comments and help with identification of the glass and stoneware bottles; to Myfanwy Eaves (Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland) and Jack Diamond for comments on the bricks; to Captain M.A. Robinson (Royal Marines), for research on the military buttons; to Dr Rod Clough (Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland) for comments on the metal artefacts; and to Jeremy Salmond for his comments on the interpretation of structural remains. To Jan Coates, Wyme Spring-Rice, Martin McLean, Robert Brassey and Dr Rod Clough for comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript; to Russell Foster for editing the final version; and to Liana Maruariki for reformatting the text. And finally, to the Auckland Public Library for permission to reproduce Plates 1-7. CONTENTS ABSTRACT 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 The Urban Archaeology Programme 3 1.2 The Chancery St Site (R11/1589) 4 1.2.1 Phase 1. Block East of Bacons Lane 5 1.2.2 Phase 2. Block between Bacons Lane and Warspite St 6 1.2.3 Phase 3. Block West of Warspite St 6 2.0 THE HISTORICAL RECORD 7 2.1 Auckland in the Nineteenth Century 7 2.2 The Early Layout of the Town 9 2.3 The Chancery St Area 12 2.3.1 History of Site R11/1589 17 2.3.2 Site Use in the 1840s 18 2.3.3 The 1850s 23 2.3.4 The 1860s 23 2.3.5 The 1870s 30 2.3.6 The 1880s 33 2.3.7 Post 1890 36 2.4 The Mechanics Institute 39 2.5 William Bacon 41 3.0 THE EXCAVATIONS 44 3.1 Methods and Constraints 44 3.2 The Site 44 4.0 EXCAVATION OF AREA A 47 4.1 Results of the Excavation 47 4.2 Discussion 50 4.2.1 Phase 1. Timber Buildings 50 4.2.2 Phase 2. Brick 53 4.2.3 Phase 3. Concrete Building 55 4.3 Conclusion 55 5.0 EXCAVATION OF AREA B 57 5.1 Results of the Excavation 57 5.2 Discussion 59 5.3 Conclusion 61 6.0 EXCAVATION OF AREA C 62 6.1 Results of the Excavation 62 6.1.1 The Stone-Walled Structure 62 6.1.2 West of the Stone-Walled Structure 63 6.1.3 South of the Stone-Walled Structure 67 6.1.4 Within the Stone-Walled Structure 69 6.2 Discussion 71 6.2.1 Phase 1. Building 71 6.2.2 Phase 2. Brick Building 77 6.2.3 Phase 2a. Adjacent Timber Building 79 6.2.4 Phase 3. Filling and Redevelopment 79 6.3 Conclusion 80 7.0 EXCAVATION OF AREA D 83 7.1 Results of the Excavation 83 7.2 Discussion 83 7.3 Conclusion 84 8.0 EXCAVATION OF AREA E 85 8.1 Results of the Excavation 85 8.2 Discussion 85 8.3 Conclusion 87 9.0 EXCAVATION OF AREA F 88 9.1 Results of the Excavation 88 9.1.1 Stratigraphy 88 9.1.1.1 Section1 90 9.1.1.2 Trench 2 90 9.1.1.3 Section 2 90 9.1.1.4 Trench 4 90 9.1.1.5 Section 3 90 9.1.2 Features 93 9.1.2.1 Oven/Fireplace 93 9.1.2.2 Rubbish Pit 1 93 9.1.2.3 Wooden Stake 93 9.1.2.4 The Well 93 9.1.2.5 Posthole 94 9.1.2.6 Rubbish Pit 2 94 9.1.2.7 Rubbish Pit 3 94 9.2 Discussion 94 9.2.1 Modifications to Area F 94 9.2.2 Source of the Area F Fill 95 9.2.3 Interpretation of Features 96 9.3 Conclusion 101 10.0 OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE SITE 102 10.1 Rubbish Dump on Allotment 19 102 10.2 Well on Allotment 21 102 11.0 CONCLUSION 103 APPENDIX 1: History of Ownership of Allotments 19-26 109 Part 1. Information from Title Deeds 109 Part 2. Ownership and Occupation 1845,1855,1866 and 1882 115 Part 3. Name Index of Recorded Owners 116 APPENDIX 2: Chronology of the Mechanics Institute Buildings 120 APPENDIX 3: List of Relevant Site Archive Data not Included in the Report 121 REFERENCES 122 FIGURES 1. Location map. Site R11/1589 2 2. Site Location of excavation areas on site R11/1589 3 3. Approximate position of Auckland's original shoreline, showing the Chancery St and other excavated sites. 10 4. Plan of Auckland in January 1842. 11 5. Site R11/1589. Allotments and subdivisions. 13 6. Site R11/1589, showing modern and original boundaries, sections taken for road widening, and the excavation areas. 14 7. Detail from the 1842 plan showing the buildings recorded on site R11/1589, with the original allotment boundaries superimposed. 19 8. Tracing of a plan of Allotment 24 appearing in the margins of two title deeds dated 13 and 18 September 1843. 21 9. Tracing from the 1866 plan showing the buildings recorded on Site R11/1589 26 10. Tracing of photographs of site R11/1589 taken c.1875. 32 11. Tracing from the 1882 showing the buildings recorded on Site R11/1589 34 12. Tracing from the 1908 plan showing the buildings recorded on Site R11/1589 37 13. Plan of Site R11/1589 showing excavation areas and other features observed during monitoring, the original allotment boundaries, and sections across the site showing the groundslope. 45 14. Excavation of Area A: plan and section. 48 15. Pictorial evidence of buildings which occupied Allotments 20-24 between 1842 and 1908. 52 16. Excavation of Area B: plan. 58 17. Excavation of Area C: east-west section. 64 18. Excavation of Area C: plan showing the upper cobbled surfaces and stone walls, the postholes of an adjacent timber structure, and later pits. 65 19. Excavation of Area C: plan showing the remains of earlier features which lay beneath the upper cobbled surface and stone walls. 68 20. Excavation of Area C: plan showing the Phase 1 features with the 1843 deed plan superimposed. 73 21. Imaginative reconstruction of the Phase 1 building based on the 1843 deed plan and excavated features. 75 22. Excavation of Area E: plan and section. 86 23. Excavation of Area F: plan showing excavated areas, trenches and features. 89 24. Excavation of Area F: Sections 1 and 2. 91 25. Excavation of Area F: Section 3. 92 26. Area F: plan of the rear of the Mechanics Institute and outbuildings with the excavated features superimposed. 97 27. Chronology of the Mechanics Institute and later additions. 99 PLATES 1. Commercial Bay looking southwest. Watercolour by P.J. Hogan, 1852. 24 2. Photograph taken c.1857 looking northwest, showing the western part of the site. 25 3. Photograph of the site taken c.1864, looking north. 28 4. Photograph of the site taken c.1869, looking northwest. 29 5. Photographs of the site taken c.1975, looking east. 31 6. The Mechanics Institute: (a) Photograph taken c.1880, looking north. 35 (b) Painting by Walter Wright excecuted between c.1880 and 1901, looking southeast. 35 7. (a) Photograph of the Grey (later Chamber of Commerce) Buildings at the corner of Courthouse Lane and Chancery St, looking east, taken in November 1912. 38 (b) Similar view taken in May 1919. 38 8. (a) Area A fireplace looking east. 49 (b) Area A fireplace looking south, with some of the bottles still in place. 49 9. (a) Area C looking northwest, showing the upper cobbled surface and west and south walls.