Historical Renall Street Auckland

From City Scene, published on 20 November, 2005
Heritage street - named after politician Alfred Renall and subdivided by Jeremiah Maloney around 1851.
Ponsonby's Renall Street is one of Auckland's best-kept heritage secrets.
Each of the 23 houses in this narrow, cottage-crammed street is a category A building, while Renall Street itself is an A-graded conservation area. This makes it the highest-ranked area in Auckland City's isthmus district plan, and the protection is strongly supported by its residents.
Built in the 1870s and 1880s, the houses are a remnant of Auckland's 19th century artisan housing that has all but disappeared.
Those on the north side of Renall Street are single storied, while those on the south are double-storied. Because many of the sections are only 10m to 12m wide, the properties sit cheek-by-jowl, with tiny front yards and picket fences facing directly on to the footpath. In the city's early days, interaction between residents was commonplace.
The street's Lodge Building is also a reminder of the close relationship that used to exist between trades and lodge organisations.
Renall Street's houses are of three types: the hip-roofed, sash-windowed symmetrical cottage with full-width verandah; the bay villa with one of the front rooms pushed under a gable; and the two storey villa with high-pitched gable roof and verandah.
Between 1951 and 1971, various plans were proposed that involved some degree of destruction. But Renall Street residents stood firm and their street eventually joined Selwyn Court and Ewelme Cottage on the historic places register for protection.