Hastings Street East and West in the suburb of Sydenham and Waltham, Christchurch

Hastings Street in Waltham and Sydenham- Formerly Gordon Street and Andrew Street. May have been named after two Sydenham Borough councillors of the time. Re-named Hastings Street and later Hastings Street East and West. Darwin Street was named after Charles Robert Darwin (1809- 1882). The purchase of Gordon Street was discussed at a meeting of the Sydenham Borough Council in 1882, reported in the Star. Andrew Street is also mentioned in a report in the Star of another meeting of the Council in 1879. Gordon Street first appears in street directories in 1887, running off Waltham Road; Andrew Street appears the same year running off Colombo Street. Gordon Street was re-named Hastings Street in 1909. Andrew Street was re-named Hastings Street in 1916. Darwin Street is first mentioned in the Star in 1883 in a report of a meeting of the Sydenham Borough Council. First appears in street directories in 1887. Re-named Hastings Street in 1916. It became Hastings Street East and West in 1991.A reasonable amount of information from the library website and there are mistakes in this information. The mistakes really confused things. Papers Past had lots of birth and death notices. I spend a lot of time looking at the maps of 1912 and 1929. The map of 1929 had it has one long street but the map of 1912 had four different names for the street. The library website have muddled up Gordon St and Andrew St. The map from 1912 has Hastings St from Colombo St to Cadogan St, then Ree St from Cadogan St to Burlington St, then Andrew St from Burlington St to Waltham St and finally Darwin St from Waltham Rd to Ballance St. Note Ballance St is now York St and the map of 1929 doesn’t show Hastings St going to York St and it finishes at Little York St which is now Bond St. In 1887 Gordon St is mentioned as being just off Colombo St. It looks like there was another Gordon St in Linwood near Cashel St. The Star of Sydenham Lodge of Oddfellows had a newly erected hall in Gordon St in 1909 but in 1910 onwards all mentions of this hall was that it was in Hastings St. There must have been an orchard selling apples here in 1910 as there were a few ads in Papers Past. I couldn’t find any mention of a Ree St or Rees St in Sydenham and it was possibly an informal name. In 1880 there was a boarding house in St Andrew’s St near Reece’s store. A couple of entries as St Andrew’s St but by 1883 it was Andrew St. In 1887 Andrew’s St is described as being off Gasworks Rd which is the old name for Waltham Rd. Very little information about Darwin St on Papers Past except for sections being for sale in in 1887 and 1909. I walked this street on Friday and it is a long street. A huge mixture of styles and there are a couple of older houses from 1890 plus one from 1880. A few from 1905 to 1920 but most are from 1970s onwards. Many are multi dwelling style of housing plus there is a social housing complex on this street. There is supposed to be a small park called Hastings Park near Burlington St but I don’t remember seeing it. I suspect that the social housing complex has taken over the park. At the Colombo St end there are shops. On the corner of Cadogan St and Hastings St there is a B & B and it is in an older house and is gorgeous. I could possibly live the Waltham St end of the street but I didn’t really like this street.