Windermere Road in Papanui – formerly Park Road Named after Lake Windermere, the largest natural lake in England. Park Road first appears in street directories in 1887 running off Blighs Road. Re-named Windermere Street on 24 May 1926 when 21 streets were renamed. A Papanui war memorial street.
A small amount of information from the library website. Papers Past didn’t say why the name change but it was probably because of other streets with similar names.
Presbyterian Social Services Association mentioned a few times on Papers Past in connection with a children’s home in 1920s and 1930s. In 1970s they converted the children’s home into a home for the elderly. There is now Windermere Rest Home also known as The Bellvue Care Centre and Villas. Lots of building work happening here.
In 1930s a Boys Boarding School called Loreto was built and run by Sisters of Mercy from Villa Maria Convent. It is possibly now a marae called Te Ora Hou Otautahi. They have kept the old chapel and some of the school buildings. They said to come back again in a year’s time as they should have all the work finished. I had a lovely chat with two of the staff.
In 1930 there was an article about the old house Dalraida being demolished and a brief history of the house.
In 1966 there was a very sad incident on this street where a mother killed her two children by cutting their throats with an axe. She then attacked herself with the axe but survived.
Most houses on this street were built in the 1970s but there were houses from every decade starting from 1910. One of the houses from 1910 was gorgeous. Another house had a strange building in the backyard and it looked like a water tower but was on private property. It was an interesting street with some lovely houses. It is also a memorial street with a plaque hanging from a lamp post.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 