Locksley Ave in Burwood and Dallington Red Zone – Named after Locksleys, the home there of Joseph Palmer (1826-1910). In December 1918, the Burwood Burgesses’ Association decided to ask the Waimairi County Council to rename River Road, Locksley Avenue “as there are several River roads round Christchurch” Locksley Avenue first appears in street directories in 1921. Until about 1950 it was a narrow shingle road with willows growing into the river on both sides.
A small amount of information from the library website and it was actually Lockleys and not Locksley. It was also possibly the name of the area rather than a house as in Papers Past Lockleys was described as a township.
As River Road it was mostly ads and in 1911 a large property was sold and described as being suitable for subdividing.
Found the article about the renaming. In the 1920s the need for flood gates was frequently mentioned. In 1924 the land owners agreed to sell sufficient land for widening the street. They were still talking about widening the street in 1950. From 1920s through to 1950 there was a poultry farm. The property was for sale in 1950. In 1955 there was a state housing programme bordered by McBratneys Road, Queensbury Street (Fleete Street) and Locksley Avenue. This block of land was called Merrys Block Government Housing. The year of 1958 was a busy year as there were sewage works plus Kerrs Reach was developed. In 1960 the riverbank was damaged by a Drainage Board contactor.
In 1967 a footbridge was built to connect Locksley Ave to Avonside Drive opposite Snell Place. This bridge was demolished after the earthquakes and a new one has been built to replace it. I didn’t take a photo of this bridge today but I did take a photo of it a couple of years ago. In 1984 there was a pumping station built by Walls Drain. In 1987 a stillborn baby’s body was found beside the river.
Lots of death notices over the years plus a few drownings in the river. Quite a few accidents on this street especially by New Brighton Road. There is an information board on this street about a property called Groveley but this property was actually on the nearby street of Glenarm Tce.
All the houses have been demolished here and street view on Google maps no longer show the images from before the earthquakes. The houses were on one side of the street and the river was on the other side of the street. About half way along the street there is a path that leads to a playground. I did find a geocache on this street which means I got the virtual souvenir for this weekend.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project 