Perretts Corner, Wellington, 2009

Perretts Corner Cafe on the site of Perrett's Chemist shop,
corner of Manners & Willis Street. All photos this page: copyright, Kuaka, 2009.

And so to Perrett's Corner, 2009.

Perrett's Corner - straight ahead.

The intersection has been transformed over the nearly 170 years since European paintings and photography began recording its image but it would still be recognizable to earlier Wellingtonians. They might well feel somewhat claustrophobic (of the outdoor variety) because of the vertical height to later buildings and the increase in both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The glass mirror facades might also be off-putting. At least some of the earlier images may have a wide-angle effect to them giving a false impression of spaciousness.

Perrett's Corner, 2009

Pollen House is to the immediate left of the photographer, off camera. Across Willis Street likes Dukes Arcade on the site of the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel. Perrett's corner lies diagonally across the intersection from the camera position while the Hotel St George, now a residence hall of Victoria University, is at the right edge of the photo.

Perrett's Corner, looking up Manners St

with Willis Street running across the picture left to right, 2009

And so ends - or does it - this extended photo essay of one of Wellington's most well-known corners.