Short Lane

Most of New Plymouth's many inner-city lanes have evolved over time, usually to allow rear access to commercial buildings as they have been built or re-designed. The history of Short Lane is a little different.

Frederic Carrington's first survey maps of New Plymouth, in the early 1840s, show Short Lane intersecting with Young Street. In those early days it was intended to connect the lane through to King Street by a bridge over the Mangaotuku Stream. It has always been called Short Lane too. And, it appears, there is little mystery about how it got that name. Short Lane is indeed short.

As New Plymouth expanded the character of the area changed from residential to commercial. The southern end of the lane was the first part to change and in 1964 that end was closed - making Short Lane even shorter - and the stream was enclosed to allow more commercial buildings in the area. Today there is no sign of the Mangaotuku Stream.

As New Plymouth's commercial zone expanded along Young Street in the 1980s, the northern end of Short Lane also saw commercial development. Today few residential dwellings remain in the area.

Perhaps it's ironic that while much of the history of Short Lane is straight-forward and obvious, because it more closely resembles a right-of-way most people in New Plymouth probably don't know it exists.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.