Gatherer Street in the suburb of Phillipstown, Christchurch

Gatherer Street in Phillipstown – Formerly Victoria Street. Named after HM Queen Victoria (1819- 1901). Re-named Gatherer Street. Named after James Gatherer (1830-1877) and his wife, Margaret Gatherer (1837?- 1900). Victoria Street first appears in street directories in 1892, running off Tuam Street. It ran parallel with Albert Street, later Saxon Street and was an unformed street. James Gatherer, a horse dealer, is mentioned in the Star in a report of a meeting of the Heathcote Road Board in 1877. Sections in Gatherer’s Paddock, Cashel Street East, are advertised in the Star for sale in 1879. Tenders were called for the formation of Gatherer Street in 1880. In 1884 Mrs Gatherer is listed living at Strickland

House in Strickland Street. First appears in street directories in 1906.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website but I don’t believe that this street was ever called Victoria Street. On Papers Past I found a council report from 1904 where it stated that Victoria Street, Linwood to be renamed Osborne Street.

I eventually found the 1880 ad for tenders for forming the street and it would have helped if the library website had the street name correct. In the 1880s the street was called Gatherer’s Street. Note if the street was called Gatherer’s Street in the 1880s it was hardly likely to be called Victoria Street.

There was the usual death notices. In 1907 there were several sections for sale from a deceased estate. A stable was destroyed by fire in 1908. There was an article in 1970 about a house being demolished and the interior walls were lined with newspapers from 1863. From the 1960s the street seems to have been zoned industrial and Papers Past only had ads for businesses. James Gatherer was often in the court news usually for wandering horses but he also was possibly an angry drunk. He was a horse dealer.

There are only businesses on this street and even though I walked this street on a Saturday afternoon it was impossible to walk on the footpaths as the businesses had cars parked on the footpaths.