Allen Street – Named after George Allen (1805-1871). Allen, a market gardener and carrier, owned the New Zealander Hotel. His widow, Lizzie, née Westwood, (1826- 1910) married John Etherden Coker (1832- 1894) in 1872 and he built Coker’s Hotel (demolished 2011 following earthquake damage) on the land she had inherited from her first husband. Allen Street appears on an 1879 map. The city council formally took over this street on 18 July 1881. First appears in street directories in 1883.
A reasonable amount of information on the library website. Lots of articles on Papers Past especially about brothels and disorderly houses. Also frequent complaints about the state of the road. There was also a nearby George St also named after George Allen. Couldn’t find anything on the ancestry website on either George Allen or John Coker. Lizzie got married for a third time but couldn’t find the details.
This street is now a business area but is mostly car parking. The library was in temporary premises here after the earthquakes. Most the buildings seem to be empty. It runs from Manchester St to Madras St. Some great street art on the street.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 