Greenlane

Story

Greenlane is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.The Greenlane shops are the main shopping centre for the suburb of Epsom and are situated at the intersection of Manukau Road and Green Lane West. On the northern side of Green Lane West are located the Alexandra Park Raceway and the ASB Showgrounds (formerly Epsom Showgrounds); on the southern side is Greenlane Hospital, Cornwall Park, and Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill and its park.The Greenlane shops developed during the 20th century, servicing the needs of the local community and visitors to the raceway, showgrounds, hospital, and parks. There was also a tramway terminal located here from 1902 until 1956. The make up of the local businesses has changed over the years; currently Greenlane is a centre for the antique and motor vehicle trades and the location of a selection of restaurants. The 1920s Lido Cinema still operates, one of the few stand alone suburban cinemas to do so. The area is served by state secondary schools including Auckland Grammar School, Epsom Girls Grammar School and St Peter's College.The suburb itself is one word (Greenlane), whereas the thoroughfare is two (Green Lane).HistoryFrom the 1840s until the 1890s Greenlane was noted for its rich pasture land which supported both dairy herds and grain crops. Initially large country houses and farms dotted the landscape but from the 1890s onwards suburban development spread southwards from Newmarket across the fields of Epsom. This was the reason Dr John Logan Campbell gifted part of his One Tree Hill farm to the city as a public park in 1901. Since the early 1990s there has been a considerable amount of "infill" housing with clutches of townhouses altering the streetscapes in some parts of Greenlane.