Walpole Street in the suburb of Waltham, Christchurch

Walpole St – Named after Horace Walpole (1717-1797). Walpole was author of the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto. One of the “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880. First appears in street directories in 1887.A small amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the naming of this street. The first entry that I found on Papers Past was from the Lyttelton Times in 1882 and mentions a Mrs Simmons. Huge number of births, deaths and marriage notices. I liked the entry from 1932 when a man living on this street won £5000 in the ‘tatts’. A reporter walked the street until he found the winner. The winner didn’t was his name used but did use Mr H.E.R on the winning ticket. In 1918 this street had several entries regarding a missing woman and there was a sad outcome. This street runs from Thackeray Place to Wilsons Rd. There are still a few older houses here dating from 1905 to 1920 and they are lovely. One house from 1930 and many from 1990s and huge number from 2000 onwards. I didn’t particularly like the newer buildings as they are crammed onto the sections like sardines.