In 1873, a lamp standard comprising of three lamps was erected to mark the junction of Ponsonby, Jervois, College Hill and St Mary Roads. As a result the retail area that grew up around this intersection became widely known as "Three Lamps".

This was also the starting point for the horse drawn buses which ran from Ponsonby to the city. The stone base of the lamp standard was used as a place to meet and rest for young and old, and a rallying place for budding politicians.

The Three Lamps became a land mark and were subject to much history and many changes until they were removed from the centre of the intersection in 1935; their presence is still marked today with a set of lamps mounted on the veranda of the former Ponsonby Club Hotel (The Glue Pot).

The Ponsonby Business Association along with Philip Jones (Jones Architects), Brian Cossar (Harvey World Travel) and Auckland City Council Heritage are working together to bring back this iconic land mark to Ponsonby in its rightful glory….……...watch this space!