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Hokitika 1880s
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DescriptionRevell Street looking north from Camp St intersection in the 1880s, (James Ring photographer.)
Glenn Johnston writes: This picture looks northward up Revell Street from between Camp and Hamilton Streets. Front right as already mentioned is the old town hall the site of which is now a car park. On the SE corner with Hamilton Street is the National Bank site. The next two story building on the right sat on the NE corner of Hamilton Street. Henry Pierson records, "a two storey Lodge building. Richards Printing business, the Westland Chronicle, originally occupied the ground floor with the lodge in the room upstairs". Opposite the town hall on the west (seaward) side of Revell Street is the lamp from a hotel the name of which escapes me at the moment but it may be the Empire? The next two storey building further north along Revell on the left is another hotel the Exchange Hotel.
New Zealand - Hokitika
- A Street Scene of Hokitika
- Circa 1880's
- Burton Bros. Photographer
- Real Photo
#328926
- Alfred Henry Burton (1834–1914) and Walter John Burton (1836–1880) were born in Leicester, England. Their father, John Burton, was a prominent photographer in the region. His firm, John Burton and Sons, was patronised by Queen Victoria and other members of the Royal Family.
Courtesy https://madoncollections.com/collectables/communities/new-zealand-the-way-we-were/west-coast/1346256-photography-historical?fbclid=IwAR3YnsR7aw9ACPARn0QwbsAhSBb7304hdd3vhYXjV9n6oghSIRK04B3emwsDate of Photo1880sMap[1]
Glenn Johnston writes: This picture looks northward up Revell Street from between Camp and Hamilton Streets. Front right as already mentioned is the old town hall the site of which is now a car park. On the SE corner with Hamilton Street is the National Bank site. The next two story building on the right sat on the NE corner of Hamilton Street. Henry Pierson records, "a two storey Lodge building. Richards Printing business, the Westland Chronicle, originally occupied the ground floor with the lodge in the room upstairs". Opposite the town hall on the west (seaward) side of Revell Street is the lamp from a hotel the name of which escapes me at the moment but it may be the Empire? The next two storey building further north along Revell on the left is another hotel the Exchange Hotel.
New Zealand - Hokitika
- A Street Scene of Hokitika
- Circa 1880's
- Burton Bros. Photographer
- Real Photo
#328926
- Alfred Henry Burton (1834–1914) and Walter John Burton (1836–1880) were born in Leicester, England. Their father, John Burton, was a prominent photographer in the region. His firm, John Burton and Sons, was patronised by Queen Victoria and other members of the Royal Family.
Courtesy https://madoncollections.com/collectables/communities/new-zealand-the-way-we-were/west-coast/1346256-photography-historical?fbclid=IwAR3YnsR7aw9ACPARn0QwbsAhSBb7304hdd3vhYXjV9n6oghSIRK04B3emwsDate of Photo1880sMap[1]
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)HokitikaLandmark (Place)Hokitika Town HallRevell StreetJ. Nicholsons, DrapersBank of New Zealand, HokitikaExchange Hotel Hokitika
From Facebook
Date Created1st March 2019CommentsDavid Verrall Hokitika Town Hall on the right hand side of the road.
1
Manage
Like · Reply · 1h
Jeremy Sutherland
Jeremy Sutherland One thing for sure, there will be a heap of pubs in there!
2
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Like · Reply · 1h
Jenny Leach
Jenny Leach I remember my dad telling me about all the pubs that were in revell st
Manage
Like · Reply · 46m
Nana Pop Detlaff
Nana Pop Detlaff This photo is almost identical to one featured on the cover of the book "Hokitika: Place of Return - Hokitika Borough Council 1866-1989" by Ron Fields. The caption says "Revell Street looking north from Camp St inte
Nana Pop Detlaff Empire Hotel with the big lantern; J. Nicholsons, Drapers - with the white sign just north a little; Bank of N.Z. next to (south) of the Empire but not in the above photo; Bank of N.Z. across the road from the Empire- single storey (yes two buildings with B.N.Z.signage) - all depicted in R.Fields' book. The Town Hall was directly north of the B.N.Z. - r. side of photo. The Town hall was set back off the road quite a bit.rsection in the 1880s, (James Ring photographer.)
Darian Zam
Hokitika Street scene, photographed in the 1880s by Burton Bros., of Dunedin.
You can faintly see a sign for a draper on the L side, this was J. Nicholson & Co. They seem to be advertising from around the mid-1870s to 1892 selling material and accessories; straw and felt hats for adults and children, ladies’ gloves, yardage for dresses and clothing.They also offered blankets, carpets, linoleums ,tapestries and various household furnishings.
John Nicholson Sr. and Jr..were based in Revell Street, ‘opposite the Union Bank’ in 1876 andthat looks like a bank building opposite; and hence a pretty good idea of where this was snapped from.
The Nicholsons including John Sr. (1813-1877), his wife Catherine nee Fawcett (1814-1888)and John Jr, (1842-1905) migrated from Kings County (now County Offaly) in Ireland. John Nicholson Sr. died in 1877 leaving his son to operate the business.Later John Jr. became involved in the Westland Institute and was also a Hokitika Councillor for a time.
By end April 1892 they had made the decision to shutter and started discounting stock. In early Jan1893 they had a big sale with massive reduction on everything remaining, and by the end of the month the business was offered as a freehold property including the drapery premises, a substantial cottage (personally I’d describe 12 rooms as a house), and various outbuildings.
That seems to have been the end of them.Following, John Jr. moved with his wife Jane to Christchurch where his son William John Nicholson had a drapery in Richmond.
The last mention is the now-empty premises being utilised by the assigner of a bankrupt business estate of Augustus Appel to display the goods for sale; which seem to be those of a general merchants wares from cigarettes and pipes to ornaments, glassware, accessories and crockery. However every mention of him seems to be as a veterinarian,who had arrived in Hokitika 1865 and founded his practice in Revell Street.
John Sr. and Catherine Nicholson are interred in Hokitika Municipal Cemetery with daughters Alicia and Fanny.
Advert on R from West Coast Times, 25 April 1892, Page 3.
Glenn Johnston
Darian Zam the building immediately behind the four people on the footpath is the Town Hall. Beyond that on the same side is the what I recall as having been the National Bank section but with a different bank building on it. The Union Bank is the building you think it is. In the past the National Bank took over the Union Bank and in more recent times the National Bank of NZ was taken over/merged in to the ANZ Bank.
1
Manage
Like · Reply · 1h
Jeremy Sutherland
Jeremy Sutherland One thing for sure, there will be a heap of pubs in there!
2
Manage
Like · Reply · 1h
Jenny Leach
Jenny Leach I remember my dad telling me about all the pubs that were in revell st
Manage
Like · Reply · 46m
Nana Pop Detlaff
Nana Pop Detlaff This photo is almost identical to one featured on the cover of the book "Hokitika: Place of Return - Hokitika Borough Council 1866-1989" by Ron Fields. The caption says "Revell Street looking north from Camp St inte
Nana Pop Detlaff Empire Hotel with the big lantern; J. Nicholsons, Drapers - with the white sign just north a little; Bank of N.Z. next to (south) of the Empire but not in the above photo; Bank of N.Z. across the road from the Empire- single storey (yes two buildings with B.N.Z.signage) - all depicted in R.Fields' book. The Town Hall was directly north of the B.N.Z. - r. side of photo. The Town hall was set back off the road quite a bit.rsection in the 1880s, (James Ring photographer.)
Darian Zam
Hokitika Street scene, photographed in the 1880s by Burton Bros., of Dunedin.
You can faintly see a sign for a draper on the L side, this was J. Nicholson & Co. They seem to be advertising from around the mid-1870s to 1892 selling material and accessories; straw and felt hats for adults and children, ladies’ gloves, yardage for dresses and clothing.They also offered blankets, carpets, linoleums ,tapestries and various household furnishings.
John Nicholson Sr. and Jr..were based in Revell Street, ‘opposite the Union Bank’ in 1876 andthat looks like a bank building opposite; and hence a pretty good idea of where this was snapped from.
The Nicholsons including John Sr. (1813-1877), his wife Catherine nee Fawcett (1814-1888)and John Jr, (1842-1905) migrated from Kings County (now County Offaly) in Ireland. John Nicholson Sr. died in 1877 leaving his son to operate the business.Later John Jr. became involved in the Westland Institute and was also a Hokitika Councillor for a time.
By end April 1892 they had made the decision to shutter and started discounting stock. In early Jan1893 they had a big sale with massive reduction on everything remaining, and by the end of the month the business was offered as a freehold property including the drapery premises, a substantial cottage (personally I’d describe 12 rooms as a house), and various outbuildings.
That seems to have been the end of them.Following, John Jr. moved with his wife Jane to Christchurch where his son William John Nicholson had a drapery in Richmond.
The last mention is the now-empty premises being utilised by the assigner of a bankrupt business estate of Augustus Appel to display the goods for sale; which seem to be those of a general merchants wares from cigarettes and pipes to ornaments, glassware, accessories and crockery. However every mention of him seems to be as a veterinarian,who had arrived in Hokitika 1865 and founded his practice in Revell Street.
John Sr. and Catherine Nicholson are interred in Hokitika Municipal Cemetery with daughters Alicia and Fanny.
Advert on R from West Coast Times, 25 April 1892, Page 3.
Glenn Johnston
Darian Zam the building immediately behind the four people on the footpath is the Town Hall. Beyond that on the same side is the what I recall as having been the National Bank section but with a different bank building on it. The Union Bank is the building you think it is. In the past the National Bank took over the Union Bank and in more recent times the National Bank of NZ was taken over/merged in to the ANZ Bank.
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West Coast New Zealand History (19th May 2025). Hokitika 1880s. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 4th Apr 2026 05:55, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/24904