Collingwood St in New Brighton – Formerly Harriott Street. Named after Harriet or Harriott Hawker, née Raine, (1856?-1925). Re-named Collingwood Street. Named after Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (1748-1810).Harriet Hawker was a daughter of Thomas Raine (1820-1907) and Harriet Raine, née Vyse, (1822?-1907) of Rainestown. She married Charles Hawker in 1879. Land for sale in Harriott Street is advertised in the Star in 1885 and it was formed in 1890. It does not appear in street directories. Re-named Collingwood Street at a special meeting of the New Brighton Council on 12 August 1907. Collingwood was a British naval commander. Harry Hawker (1868-1947), a councillor 1905-1909, had suggested that New Brighton street names be changed to the names of British sea captains who had fought in the 18th and 19th century – a gesture linking Christchurch with the home country, was patriotic and emphasised the fact that New Brighton was a seaside suburb. Collingwood Street first appears in street directories in 1911.
A reasonable amount of information from the library website. Harriet’s husband Charles Hawker doesn’t seem to be related to Harry Hawker going by the various family trees on ancestry. Harriet’s husband Charles Hawker going by court records sounds like he was an abusive and violent husband.
In 1887, 1893 and 1897 under the Harriott name there were sections for sale on this street. Under the Collingwood name there were lots of death notices. In 1925 the butcher shop on the street burned down. In 1929 there was a ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for a new Masonic hall. In 1972 there was a Rotary project to restore an old house as a senior citizens centre. There is a church on this street and it is possibly the same church that is described as a chapel on the street as early as 1893.
The church here has obviously been rebuilt after the earthquakes and the original steeple is in the church grounds. Nearby is a book fridge. A mixture of house styles and the two houses from 1905 are lovely. There is also a large building that looks like a hall or a community centre but it doesn’t look as if it is being used. On the corner of Collingwood and Union Streets there is an abandoned looking house that looked like it was once a play centre. There is a plaque on the wall and play equipment in the garden. The letterbox seems to be on Union St.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 