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Story: Street life

Lambton Quay, 1856

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Lambton Quay, 1856

Beaches were convenient thoroughfares until the construction of streets. Wellington’s Lambton Quay followed the Lambton Harbour foreshore and was popularly known as ‘The Beach’ (until land reclamation pushed the shore further away). It connected Thorndon and Te Aro – the northern and southern parts of the settlement. In this 1856 painting groups linger and chat at the quay’s southern end.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: A-032-040

by William Howard Holmes

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Ben Schrader, Street life – Colonial street life, 1840–1914, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/20664/lambton-quay-1856 (accessed 16 June 2026).

Story by Ben Schrader, published 4 March 2010.