Hobson Street in the suburb of Woolston, Christchurch

Hobson Street in Woolston – Named after Captain William Hobson (1792- 1842). Hobson was a naval officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of New Zealand. First appears in street directories in 1941. New Zealand had celebrated its centenary in 1940.

A small amount of information from the library website and there are at least three websites that have information about William Hobson including Wikipedia. He was born in Waterford in Ireland and died in New Zealand aged 49. He died after having a second stroke. So many streets in New Zealand named after this man.

I didn’t much information on Papers Past but I did have to narrow my search to Hobson Street, Woolston. A few engagement notices and several death notices and I found a death notice for an indirect ancestor. Without checking my family tree notes I think that this woman was Nana Cave’s aunt. I also narrowed my search to between the years of 1935 and 1945 expecting to find information about it being state houses but nothing. In 1956 the street was voted the best State House block in the best street competition.

When I walked this street this morning my gut feeling told me that it was a State House street as the style of the houses were typical of 1940s state houses. At the end of the street there are modern looking units but they also had a State House / Kainga Ora look about them.

I check the valuation website that I use and some of the 1940s state houses are now privately owned. A few houses that were built a bit later. I had a look on street view and where the new units had been built there were neat and tidy state houses. They were still there in 2022 but street view for 2024 shows the new units being built and there is a sign next to them saying Kainga Ora project. Interesting as when state housing was first proposed it was stated that the tenants needed plenty of outdoor space for children to be able to safely play. The new units that they are now building has everyone crammed in like sardines.

The street actually looked fairly pleasant but no one seems to be mowing the grass verges. I shouldn’t criticise as my lawns and gardens look dreadful at the moment. I will blame the pulled chest muscle as it meant that I couldn’t do much for about three weeks and this weekend my neighbours have borrowed my green bin. Good excuse to not do any gardening.