Grey Lynn [suburb]

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900 acres of farmland subdivided in the 1880s. originally called Newton this area was renamed Grey Lynn and the name Newton transferred to the area south of Karangahape Road some time in the 1890s.

The name Grey Lynn comes from George Grey [former Governor of New Zealand who died in London in 1898}. In his later years Grey was MP for Auckland West [basically Grey Lynn] which meant he was unique in being a back bench MP who had previously been Governor [twice] and Premier of the country.

The original subdivision was of 900 acres (3.6 km²) of land, which is still the formal extent of Grey Lynn. Most of the houses were built around the same time (1880s to the time of the First World War) so they present a visual consistency. As very few of the houses have been completely replaced by new structures Grey Lynn is reputedly the largest concentration of wooden 19th century houses in the world.
Grey Lynn was a separate Borough before joining Auckland City in 1913. The brick building at the eastern end of Williamson Avenue was built as a combined Council Chambers and Fire Station.
The “village of Richmond”, located between Edgars and Cox’s Creek was divided into lots in 1859. The streets now known as Regina, Kingsley, Livingstone, Webber and Edgars were then laid out. Logs for the early houses were floated up Cox’s Creek and pit sawn on site.
Industrial development in the area started with a brick factory in 1860 with products being shipped via Cox’s Creek to Auckland. In 1899 Cashmore Brothers set up a steam powered sawmill beside the creek below West End Road. The bay and creek were used for the transport of logs and timber. Despite strong protest by the growing local population, this mill operated until 1920 when it accidentally burnt down leaving sawdust and timber smouldering for over a year.
Aftre the sawmill burnt down a causeway was created across the bay joining the new growing suburb of Westmere to Herne Bay and the city. Just after the causeway was built a Sea Scout Group established their headquarters on the edge of the bay, Hawke scout hall was first built in 1928 and is still an important part of the local community and a significant building in the area.