The Octagon
The ‘Square of Moray Place’. Plans by Charles Kettle in the 1840s, as the first chief surveyor of Otago, included a large octagonal area for the heart of the city. It had a smaller octagonal space within in, which was to become a reserve by law in 1854. Apparently, it was rather unsightly for many years, with a letter to the ODT editor in 1864 stating 'in the name of common sense let a pathway be made across this detestable place, or a handrail, until some final decision is arrived at; but as soon as possible Dunedin should be freed from the disgrace of a quagmire in its very centre'. Quite harsh words (!) for what we know as The Octagon, and quite lovely as I strolled through this evening.
