By Roselyn Fauth, adapted from W. Vance’s historical account
Section 1875 Map of Timaru - Strathallan Street Timaru used to be a creek and has been filled in using clay and spoil removed from the surrounding hillside.
Did you know there’s a street in central Timaru that appears on maps but has no name... and no sign? It runs from the top of LeCren Terrace, beside the South Canterbury Club, down to the waterfront behind the Miles Archer and Co / D. C. Turnbull store. Although parts of the hillside have been cut away, traces of the track remain.
This forgotten road borders one of Timaru’s most significant early commercial areas. Before it was developed, Strathallan Street itself was the bed of a creek that flowed from the old showgrounds near Elizabeth Street and Grey Road. The creek ran through the centre of Theodocia Street, crossed Canon Street near Ballantynes, continued along Stafford Street, met a smaller stream at Hay’s Buildings, and emptied into the sea near the railway crossing.
I consider the lower end of Strathallan Street as the birthplace of business in Timaru. Captain Henry Cain, an early settler and sea captain, operated a trading site here by laying out his wares on a tarpaulin and sleeping beneath it at night. Shortly after, he established a landing service with Henry Le Cren and arranged for experienced boatmen from Deal, England, to assist with offloading ships.
Early photographs show Royce and Stead’s grain store near this landing service. In the early days of the railway, there was no public road connecting Strathallan Street to the railway station. Instead, the route was occupied by Cunningham’s grain store, where large quantities of grain were stored in open yards.
Early Hotels and Flooding
Captain Cain also established the Royal Hotel on the corner of Cain Terrace and Beswick Street. It was the first licensed hotel in South Canterbury. Adjacent to the hotel, Cain kept livestock in a paddock, which was later a site of the Canterbury Farmers Co-operative Association, and now the IRD carpark and buildings.
On the opposite corner, the Ship Hotel, then named Crown Hotel, now a town square known as Strathallan Corner, was another early establishment. The name 'Ship Hotel' used to be visible on its eastern wall. The Hotel was owned by Strong Work Morrison, Timaru's first beachmaster. During floods, boatmen could reportedly row up the creek to the hotel, tie their boat to the verandah post, enter the bar, and return by boat to the landing.
When Strathallan Creek flooded, people travelling from the town centre to the beach had to use an alternate route. A track wound through native vegetation up the hillside near Hay’s Buildings and descended to the beach near the landing service.
Residential Area and Land Development
The hillside above the creek was an early residential area. Strong Work Morrison, foreman of the landing service, lived above the cliffs. Other residents included the Perry family, T. W. Hall (associated with Castle Hall station), and the Studholmes.
After the creek was filled in, Strathallan Street was named in honour of the immigrant Strathallan Ship, the first European immigrant ship to arrive direct from the UK to Timaru in 1859 with 110 people to boost the towns population of about 16. The area was quickly recognised as a key business location. Sections of the hillside were excavated for buildings, and the material was used to fill in the creek bed.
Before Hay’s Buildings were constructed, the corner of Strathallan and Stafford Streets served as a popular meeting point for farmers. Maclean and Stewart operated saleyards here, holding regular horse and cattle sales on Saturdays. Watson Hervey Motors used to be where Community House is today. Animals were paraded in an enclosed stand with post and rail fencing that provided seating for spectators. A portion of the original bluestone wall from this period still survives behind the garage. If you have a nosy around the back you can see a entrance to what looks like a tunnel or a cellar.
1884 Landslip Incident
On Sunday 5 October 1884, following heavy rain, a major landslip occurred near Maclean and Stewart’s repository at the base of LeCren Terrace. A large volume of clay, saturated from rain, fell from the face of an excavation behind the building. The clay struck the back bluestone wall of the repository, destroying it and causing the collapse of the roof and hayloft.
Three horses were killed in the incident. Two were owned by Maclean and Stewart, and the third had been purchased the day before by Mr Macpherson of Pareora. Saddlery and harness equipment stored in the stables were also damaged.
The property above the slip was owned by Strong Work Morrison, who lost several panels of fencing and part of his garden. His brick stables, located near the edge of the slip, were undamaged but later removed due to safety concerns.
According to contemporary reports, two workers narrowly avoided the collapse. One had just left the stables, and the other arrived shortly after the incident.
I couldn't believe it when I stumbled on the house plans for Strong Work Morrison in his will. It seems there was a contest for his estate and as evidence the house plans were included the 154 pages of information. The diagram gives us an idea of the layout of his home. - New Zealand Archives
Ongoing Instability and Tunnel Infrastructure
The LeCren Terrace hillside has remained prone to slips. In recent decades, heavy rains caused further landslides that impacted the back of the Pyne Gould Guinness building. Trucks were required to remove large amounts of clay from the site.
Beneath LeCren Terrace, a bricked-up tunnel still exists. When Miles Archer operated grain stores at the site (later became Pyne Gould Guinness), a railway siding passed under the road to reach the storage buildings. Though no longer in use, the tunnel remains structurally intact at its eastern end.
Mr F. Archer, who lived on Otipua Road, was known for keeping a pack of beagle hounds. The family home stood for many years, and I wonder if it is standing today.
Strathallan Street’s transformation from a creek bed to a major commercial thoroughfare is a significant chapter in Timaru’s development. The unnamed right of way that descends from LeCren Terrace is one of several overlooked physical reminders of the town’s early geography and enterprise. Though largely forgotten today, the track, the creek, and the surrounding stories remain important to understanding how Timaru evolved from coastal settlement to established port town.
Sources:
W. Vance, “Lost—One Street: A Problem for Old Identities,” original text;
Timaru Herald, 9 October 1884, p. 8, “Landslip and Serious Destruction of Property in Timaru”
About William Vance
William Vance (1901–1981) was a noted local historian and longtime contributor to The Timaru Herald. He is best known for documenting the early history of Timaru and South Canterbury through a series of newspaper articles first published in 1945 and later compiled under the title Articles on the Early History of Timaru.
His work combined archival research, personal recollections, and interviews with early settlers and their descendants—often referred to as “old identities”. Vance’s articles explored the transformation of Timaru’s business district, pioneer figures, natural events, and community development.
He also authored several historical works including When Timaru Was Tussock (1938), Land of Promise: The Story of Waikakahi (1958), and High Endeavour (1965), which extended his focus to broader South Canterbury and Mackenzie Country history.
Vance’s writing remains a key reference for understanding the early development of Timaru and the wider region.