Wrights Lane

Previoulsly known as Hardware Street, then Wrights Lane and now known as Hardware Lane.

Sometimes known as Wrigth Lane. 

Named pre-1856.

Located at or near: 395-397 Lonsdale St.

Probable or possible origin of name: Early settler.

Location is approximate.

For more information, see: Bate, W., Broome, R., Davis, N., May, A. J., & Stitt, H. (2024). The story of Melbourne’s lanes: Essential but unplanned (pp. 55, 57, 72-73). ISBN 978-1-875173-12-9.

"The original roughness was not intentional. Subdivisions near the port carried high-sounding names-Coromandel, Powells, Russell, Tavistock and Victoria places, Cheethams and Wright lanes and the terrace of houses, Roach Terrace.Yet only 31 people lived in them in 1847, compared with hundreds along unnamed tracks. Off Little Bourke, there were 307, off Little Collins, 100, and off Flinders Lane 35 inhabitants living in anonymous lanes. Lanes obviously bred lanes, for the major streets had few. Only 46 people lived in offshoots from Collins Street, 34 off Bourke, 16 off Lonsdale, 4 off Flinders, and 2 each off Elizabeth and La Trobe streets. Owners of important allotments probably shared the view of James Graham, a merchant, that cutting up those frontages would devalue them by bringing unpleasant neighbours. He was dismayed that a subdivision near his property had become a perfect nest of wretched hovels and a complete den of infamy." p. 55.

"At the west end of Little Bourke Street, where only Wright Lane had been designated in 1847, all but 7 of the 22 rights of way were named in the 1858 directory. Going east from Spencer Street they were: (north side) White Hart Lane, Wright Lane, Goldie Alley, St Johns Alley, Turnbull Alley, Crombie Lane, Murcott Alley, Pender Alley, and Rose Alley; (south side) Merlin Alley, Vinge Alley, St Patricks Alley, Fulton Lane, Grimes Alley and Cosgrave Lane." p. 57.