An early picture of Crompton Street in Pinetown, with Breighmet street coming off it on the left.
Image: Facebook
This week’s old picture also takes in Pinetown’s Compton Street but shows the other side of the road. It was taken from the Facebook Group Durban History and Stories.
The small street on the left is Breightmet Avenue, which is basically the extension of Hill Street featured last week.
As mentioned last week, Crompton Street was named after Canon John Crompton (1815–1889), a prominent Anglican clergyman and early settler in the area. He purchased the Wayside Inn in 1857 and is associated with the early development of Pinetown.
It is not known who Breightmet Ave was named after, although it comes from the old English for bright meadow. It may have been that one of the early residents was originally from Breightmet in Bolton, which is today part of greater Manchester.
The scene today is noticeably different from what looks like a 1980s development called the Umdoni Centre on the site that looks like it is being redeveloped or repurposed with most of its shopfronts bricked up.
The scene today with the bricked up Umdoni Centre.
Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers