29 London Street - Originally J.D. Bundy, Shipping and Family Butchers
The Lyttelton Coffee Co. shop next to the supermarket was originally J.D. Bundy, Shipping and Family Butchers. The architects were Greenstreet and Anderson; it was built by Holliss and Brown in 1924 a substantial brick building with the façade in the Spanish mission style (like the Harbour Light Theatre across the road). Hollis and Brown gave Mr J.D. Bundy a large round wall clock for the shop on its completion.
Hollis and Brown had two yards; the London Street yard was the joinery and machine shop and the other in Norwich Quay the dunnage yard. (The Norwich Quay yard had previously been located in Gladstone Quay). His grandson, also J.D Bundy, but known by his second name: David, remembers these two yards. The yard at 11a London Street behind the Empire Hotel where... ‘there were large timber racks along the western boundary and a very pretty Victorian office building that was a similar architectural style to the signal box but single story; reception in front; office behind.’ The other yard was on Norwich Quay and occupied what is now the Lyttelton Port Company car park area, with the timber racksalong the rear boundary.
James Daniel Bundy was born in Lyttelton on 12th September 1870. His father, Daniel Bundy, was a skilled cabinetmaker, who came to Lyttelton in 1858 on the Zealandia and established a woodturning and cabinet making business in London Street. Two years later he married his wife, Emily, at the Lyttelton Wesleyan Chapel. He carved the fine eagle lectern from kauri, that still stands in Lyttelton’s Holy Trinity Church and an ‘ancient style’ oak chair that he intricately carved is in Lyttelton Museum.
Tragedy struck shortly after baby James Daniel was born, when Emily, his mother, died and all of Lyttelton suffered the Great fire of Lyttelton. After his mother’s death, he was cared for by Mr and Mrs Salt, whom ‘Salt’s Gully’ was named after (this was also known as ‘The Gully’ or Hawkhurst Rd).
Young James Daniel was obviously not fond of the harsh discipline that the Lyttelton Borough School was renowned for in the 1880’s. One day he threw an inkwell at a teacher and then he could not return to school, so he made his living by taking his ferrets down to the sailing ships and after negotiating with the captains, would send his ferrets through the ships to clear them of rats. He did this until he got an apprenticeship with Pitcaithly Butchers (who were in what is now the Lyttelton bakery building.) Mr Pitcaithly was a hard taskmaster, when J.D Bundy wanted a day off to marry Rosa, Mr Pitcaithly would only give him half a day!
By 1898, at the age of 28, James Daniel bought the business of Lyttelton Butcher’s ‘Owen and Dyer’. By 1924 when the butchery was flourishing he built the new premises. Supplying to shipping was the larger portion of the business with cool store premises being leased from the Harbour Board. David Bundy still has the original sale and purchase agreement for the land, the 1924 plans for the shop and the builders’ receipt in the family archive.
The Business traded as J.D. Bundy, Shipping and Family Butchers. It supplied the Union Steam Ship Company passenger ships on the ‘Horseshoe’ run. This was a 19-day service around NZ and Australian ports, along with a weekly Australian service also including Lyttelton. It was a very competitive business, sometimes down to a fraction of a penny per pound of meat. The stock for killing came from harbour basin farmers. Other stock came from the Addington saleyards with payments to Matsons, Dalgetys and Pyne Gould Guinness. The payment books of that era in the Bundy family archive record many still local family names.
This solidly built brick shop with fine ‘Spanish Mission Style’ frontage has for many years been disguised as a storeroom for the Supermarket.
During 2006-2007 Stephen Mateer and James Gurnsey, restored it to a shop in its own right by establishing the Lyttelton Coffee Roasting Company. By peculiar coincidence J.D. Bundy (junior) became the supplier of the present doors. One day he was walking past the premises when the coffee shop front was being fitted. The lads and David spoke about the doors and David told them that he happened to have a pair of doors that were suitably similar to the originals and as it had been his Grandfather’s building it would be a pleasure to make them available.
31 London Street - Originally Mahar’s Drapery
The neighbouring London Street shop that has also recently been very carefully restored was in very early days known as the New Zealand Clothing Company. It was here in 1874 that Mahar’s Drapery was established and traded for nearly 100 years. Lyttelton had two other Drapery shops in the 20th Century: Dodd’s Drapery and Maurie Scott’s Drapery on Norwich Quay (the building where Lyttelton Video Ezy is located.).
Mahar’s Drapery, had two departments; a men’s department on one side, (now the Barber’s shop) and a ladies department on the other, (now occupied by Small Business Accountancy). Originally a sliding glass door separated these. The original shop fronts and decorative ceilings still survive in good condition.
Daniel Mahar came from Ireland in 1870 to work on Gladstone Pier. He was a tailor by trade, so he set up his own business selling clothes around the peninsula using a horse and cart. Mahar’s Drapery is a large premises; above the shop, up a very narrow staircase is the flat where Daniel Mahar and his family lived. Below and behind the shop was a large workroom where seamstresses worked for the tailor making lots of clothes for the shop. His son Thomas Aloysius Mahar (Tom) and his son John Aloysius (Jack) worked here. Mrs O’Donnell, Jack’s aunt, ran the alterations side of the business. Old Mr Mahar had a house built for him on Brittan Terrace, but when he moved out of the flat above the shop he could not settle down and was unhappy because the new home was too quiet!
