Northcote Point in the 1880s

In 1883 Stokes Point was finally renamed Northcote Point, a name which probably commemorates Sir Stafford Northcote, the leader of Britain’s Conservative party at the time. Until the bush was cleared, many locals made a living from timber cutting and kauri gum, but from the 1870s Northcote was better known for strawberry growing and farming. The rural character of the area is quite clear from this photograph of the Hilditch family outside their home on the corner of Clarence and Queen Street (near where the Bridgeway Theatre now is).