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Kōrero: Streets and lighting

Christchurch lanes

Most cities were laid out on a grid plan with regularly spaced streets. As populations grew land became more valuable and was subdivided into smaller allotments. Lanes and alleys were built to provide access to these areas. This 1883 map highlights the number of lanes in central Christchurch. The area between Lichfield and Tuam streets is still popularly known as ‘The Lanes’.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: MapColl 834.4492a/1883/Acc.3166

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.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Adrian Humphris, Streets and lighting – Building and funding streets, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/zoomify/24457/christchurch-lanes (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Adrian Humphris, i tāngia i te 6 April 2010.