Plaque near Bower Bridge

Commemorates the naming of New Brighton.

In April 1860 five men set off for the unnamed area which they called New Brighton. They were Stephen Brooker, Thomas and William Free, David Hamilton and Enoch Barker. Their conveyance was drawn by a bullock. They reached the site where the Bower Hotel now stands and built a ‘whare’ of Manuka and plastered it with clay. In December 1860 Guise Brittan, a member of the council, sailed up the river from Lyttelton in a small paddle steamer. He was met by the five men and he asked “What is the name of this place? William Free replied “New Brighton”. This was a compliment to Stephen Brooker who was born in Brighton, England. Free chalked the words “New Brighton” on a board which he then nailed to a post. Thomas Free was a carpenter so he supervised the building of the ‘whare’ which was the first house in the area and it became his home. At this time there were no houses in New Brighton.