Riccarton Rd –formerly Harewood Road – Named to continue the theme of naming Riccarton streets after places in Ayrshire, Scotland, from whence the Deans family originated. First mentioned in the Lyttelton Times in 1852.
A small amount of information from the library website. There is nothing on Papers Past about the naming of this road. Harewood Rd is mentioned from 1851 and Riccarton Rd from 1852. In 1852 there were sections for sales from the estate of William Deans. William Deans drowned in 1851 and I suspect that this is why the road got it’s name plus the estate was called Riccarton. His brother John died in 1854 and John’s widow did a lot to keep their memory alive.
Those days there were residential houses whereas these days the street is mostly businesses.At Upper Riccarton there is Bush Inn shopping centre. As you walk towards the city there are lots of motels. There also seems to be lots of medical businesses.There used to be a lovely historic building called Antonio Hall but sadly it has been sadly neglected and never repaired after the earthquakes. Also someone set it on fire. About halfway down there is Westfield Mall which used to be called Riccarton Mall. There are roadworks here and the road is a mess. Eventually you come to a church that has no name on it so I had to google it. It was called St James the Great and has been deconsecrated since the earthquakes. Almost opposite there is Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple. Then you come to the railway lines. A couple of cafes and a motel then an empty section where my favourite bookshop from before the earthquakes used to be. Then you reach Riccarton Ave. It is a long street to walk.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 