Story: Inner-city living

Annie Walls stands on the upstairs verandah of her boarding house in Willis St, Wellington, about 1914. Standing below are her male tenants. The sign on the balustrade indicates that tenants could choose between full board and residence (with meals) or board only, with the option to buy meals separately. At this time boarding houses were respectable places. Some of those catering for the wealthy were more expensive than posh city hotels.