Greenlane

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greenlane is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.

The Greenlane shops are the main shopping centre for the suburb of Epsom and are situated at the intersection of Manukau and Greenlane Roads. On the Northern side of Greenlane Road are located the Alexandra Raceway and the Epsom Showgrounds, on the southern side is Greenlane Hospital, Cornwall Park, and One Tree Hill Domain.

The Greenlane shops developed during the 20th century servicing the needs of the local community as well as the visitors to the Raceway, Showgrounds, Hospital, and parks. There was also a Tramway terminal located here from 1902 until 1956. The make up of the local businesses have changed over the years; currently Greenlane is a centre for the antiques trade as well as being the location of a good selection of restaurants and bars. The 1920s Lido Cinema still operates, one of the few stand alone suburban cinemas to do so.

[edit] History of Greenlane

From the 1840s until the 1890s Greenlane was noted for its rich pasture land which supported both dairy herds and grain crops. Initially large country houses and farms dotted the landscape but from the 1890s onwards suburban development spread southwards from Newmarket across the fields of Epsom. Since the early 1990s there has been a considerable amount of "infill" housing with clutches of townhouses altering the streetscapes in some parts of Greenlane.

The broad, flat pastureland here at the intersection of Greenlane and Manukau Roads was used for sporting events from the 1850s onwards but the Alexandra Raceway and Epsom Showgrounds were only formally established around 1900. The Alexandra Raceway was named after the then Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra), and specialises in Trotting. The Epsom Showgrounds have been the site of many trade exhibitions and agricultural shows, especially the Annual Royal Easter Show.

The Greenlane Hospital is a complex of several buildings dating from as early as the 1870s to the present day. One of the buildings was donated by Edward Costley, an Auckland businessman who bequeathed money for many charitable works. The National Womens Hospital dates from the late 1950s and was an icon of modernity in its day.

Greenlane falls across two Parliamentary electorates for Parliamentary representation, Epsom and Maungakiekie. It also falls across two council wards for Auckland City Council representation, Hobson and Maungakiekie Ward for council representation. The MP for Greenlane (Epsom) is Rodney Hide from ACT New Zealand, and Mark Gosche from Labour for Greenlane (Maungakiekie). Its local council representatives are from Citizens and Ratepayers Now for Hobson Ward, and Labour , Citizens and Ratepayers Now, and Independent for Maungakiekie Ward.