Edmonds Street in the suburb of Woolston, Christchurch

Edmond Street in Woolston – information from old library website – formerly Edmonds Street. Named because it is near the site of the former Edmonds Sure to Rise Baking Powder Factory. Edmonds Street is first mentioned in the Star in an advertisement in 1886. By 1893 it is Edmond Street.

Information from new library website – formerly Edmonds Street. Named because it is near the site of the former Edmonds Sure to Rise Baking Powder Factory. Edmond Street is first mentioned in the Star in 1893 when a three roomed house is advertised for sale or to be let. Edmond Street and Edmonds Street names appear to be used concurrently. Returned to its original name after the Edmonds family January 2018 at the request of an Edmonds’ descendant.

I haven’t done much research on the Edmonds family or Thomas Edmonds as there are several entries online for them. Thomas Edmonds was described as a grocery and later on as a manufacturer with his address in Ashbourne and then in Randolph St and Ferry Road.

Note the signposts in the sign have Edmonds Street on them. I am going to disagree with the library website about the reason for the name of the street. Yes there is the obvious connection to the Edmonds Factory but the library haven’t mentioned that Thomas Edmonds had a grocery shop on Edmonds Street. It is highly likely that this shop was on the corner of Randolph Street and Edmonds Street. His original shop that was on Edmonds Street was mentioned in Papers Past as being moved to Ferrymead in 1979.

I searched Papers Past under both Edmond Street and Edmonds Street as I quickly realised that both names were used. Most entries over the years were ads and death notices. Sewers were connected in 1927 and in 1929 there was a fire at a Wheelwright shop. The street was tar sealed in 1946. In 1981 a man was beaten up in his home on this seat. Sounded like an ex-girlfriend got her friends to beat him up.

Drainage issues were mentioned and it looked like a drain at the dead end part of the street. After checking old maps I eventually found Bell’s Creek on a map from 1912.

I walked this street last week and there are still some lovely cottages on the street dating from 1905. I managed to get a photo of the 1905 cottage and one from 1910. At the end of the street some lovely houses have been demolished and replaced with ugly apartments. The demolished houses would have been near Bell’s Creek so possibly had earthquake damage but going by what a local told me there wasn’t anything wrong with the houses and it is just a greedy developer. I was surprised that this street was in Woolston as I was expecting it to be in Linwood but I think that Aldwins Road is the boundary between the suburbs.