What a delight to spot this beautiful pavement art outside St Francis School's Baillie Street entrance. An example of what you miss in a car, and demonstrates that walking definitely has its positives! The painted mural is large and detailed, as you can tell from the small snip below.
Pavement mural, Baillie Street Thames
This area of Baillie Street and Mackay Street always reminds be of the early photographs taken in this block by the American Photographic Company. The Hape Creek meandered in a less ordered fashion than today, but a footbridge still goes from Baillie to Clarence Street.
Then & Now: c1868 & 2020, Looking towards the Mackay and Grey Street intersect.
Source for photo on left: View of the Hape Creek. From the album: Views of the Thames Gold Fields; American Photographic Company. Te Papa Tongarewa.
Turn around in Baillie Street and look north towards the Una / Karaka Hill and see past and present. The present day footbridge is in the right photo by the power pole.
Then & Now: c1868 & 2020, Looking towards the Una Hill from Baillie Street.
Source for photo on left: View of the Hape Creek & Ranges. From the album: Views of the Thames Gold Fields; American Photographic Company. Te Papa Tongarewa.
At last, Thames South School is reached! While school is out, this photo from photographer Daniel Manders allows us to view the scene in the 1880s. When no school yet existed on the site. The building on the right is the House of Hotunui at the corner of Bowen and Fenton Street.
Then & Now: 1880s & 2020, Looking towards the Thames South school site Grey Street.
Source: Left Photo: View from Shortland, looking towards Parawai. Beere, Daniel Manders, 1833-1909 :Negatives of New Zealand and Australia. Ref: 1/2-096137-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23047558 Right: Google maps 5 5 2020.
The full colourised version of Daniel Beere's photograph courtesy of MyHeritage Colour.
