Lois Place in Richmond- formerly Bassett Place. Named after Lois Gwendoline Curtis, née Bassett, (1904- 1985). The Bassetts were early settlers in the Richmond area. Bassett Place first appears in street directories in 1933. Re-named Lois Place on 1 September 1948 when 120 streets were re-named.

A small amount of information from the library website. Not a lot of information from Papers Past and the entries were most death notices. I suspect that this street was originally named after Lois’s father Samuel East Kennedy Bassett who lived at 255 River Rd and this street ran off River Rd. Samuel died in 1914. Lois married Geoffrey Curtis in February 1928 but the marriage didn’t last long as Geoffrey remarried in 1938. Lois was a nurse and ended up living in the North Island. There were several Bassett families in the area and they all seemed to be related. This street is now in the red zone and I couldn’t get google maps to show me how the street looked before the earthquakes.

Racecourse Road in Sockburn – Named because of its proximity to Riccarton Racecourse. First appears in street directories in 1903.

A tiny amount of information from the library website and the name is obvious. Riccarton Racecourse is still there. There was a huge number of entries for Racecourse Road on Papers Past as so many towns in New Zealand seemed to have a Racecourse Rd. I reduced my search to only four newspapers but there was still thousands of entries because there was a Racecourse Rd in New Brighton. I did find the street mentioned as early as 1869 and usually in connection with racehorses. There were complaints about racehorses being ridden on footpaths. In 1899 there were sections for sale from Boon’s estate. The road was also known as Riccarton Racecourse Rd and under this name the earliest mention was in 1862. There was a railway station here as early as 1866 and there were special trains on race days. I have a friend who has an interest in early railways in New Zealand and he hides geocaches with a railway theme.

Two of the older buildings on this street are Chokebore Lodge built 1856 and Racecourse Hotel built 1883. There were obviously lots of stables on this road but Chokebore Lodge was the more well known one. The Christchurch City Abattoir was opened in 1903 and huge number of ads connected to this business plus a couple of news items. One news item was about a fire in 1968 and in 1952 there was a burglary and the safe was blown open with explosives. The photos that I found online showed a huge complex but I am not sure exactly where it was but there is a big section of land with rundown buildngs on it near Yaldhurst Rd which has an abandoned look about it.

In 1933 a property called Strowan Villa was for sale but most other mentions were death notices. There are still a few older houses on the road with houses built in every decade. Huge number of the houses date from 1970s and 1990s. I imagine that as older estates were sold that they were subdivided. The racecourse obviously takes up a large part of this road. The hotel is still there and now has a motor lodge attached to it. There is a bowling club and a pre school. Near the Main South Rd end it is mostly businesses and somewhere there was a business that gave off a horrible smell. I did find one Art Deco house but it wasn’t a great example of Art Deco. This is such a strange street as it doesn’t follow a straight line and had at least two sharp corners. A few nice houses especially the older houses but personally I wouldn’t like to live here. There are nice green places for walking nearby which I do like.

Edited to say that the rundown section near Yaldhurst Rd were stables and the abattoir was at the Main South Rd end of the road. That was the end of the street which had a horrible smell but I don’t know if there is still a abattoir in the area as I couldn’t find one when googling and checking maps. Thanks very much to a friend who knew this area from their school days and was able to give me the information.

Showgate Avenue in Sockburn – formerly Showgate Drive. Named after a galloper, Showgate.Formed on a subdivision of the Riccarton Racecourse. Showgate Drive first appears in street directories in 1993. Becomes Showgate Avenue in 1995.

A small amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the name. All the houses were built in the 1990s and it is a lovely looking street. The architect who is obsessed with triangle shapes obviously designed houses here. A reasonable amount of green spaces and there is a walkway behind the houses under the power pylons. I am fairly sure that it was this street where someone had a pole person beside their letterbox. I love pole people and treated myself to a pole person reading a book for my birthday a couple of years ago. A man near Geraldine makes them.

I walked this street when returning to my car after an unsuccessful attempt to find a geocache

Kumai Place in Sockburn- Named after a galloper, Kumai. Formed on a subdivision of the Riccarton Racecourse. First appears in street directories in 1993.

A small amount of information from the library website and nothing that I can add about the name. There are 9 houses here all built in the 1990s but none of them stood out for me. Houses are only on one side of the street and there is a grassy green space on the other side. At the end of the street there is a walkway through to a small park and playground.

Thornhill Place in Sockburn – First appears in street directories in 1991.

A tiny amount of information from the library website. I assume that because this street runs off Racecourse Rd that there is a horse racing reason for the name but couldn’t find any information to confirm this. There was a horse called Thornhill but it wasn’t born until 2002. There is Thornhill Stables in the UK and there was a Thomas Thornhill who was possibly connected to horse racing. Most the houses here were built in 1990s with a couple built in 1980s. Mostly brick houses that were nice and tidy but nothing stood out for me

Murfitt Place in Sockburn- Named after the Murfitt family. The Murfitts are a prominent horseracing family. John Murfitt (1918?-1939), a jockey, died from injuries when a horse rolled on him at Riccarton. Formed on a subdivision of part of the Riccarton Racecourse. First appears in street directories in 1993.

A small amount of information from the library website. Papers Past had several entries about the accident. The inquest said that three horses collided and the horse Kaipear which John Murfitt was riding fell and rolled on it’s rider. The funeral details said that there was a large turn out and the pall bearers were G Murfitt, F Murfitt, Jack Murfitt, G Barr, A Stock and K Brown. Ancestry website has him born in October 1917 in Rangiora and he died in May 1939. His grave has the words husband of Victoria but I couldn’t find a marriage for him. There were also the words A brilliant and fearless horseman.

This street runs off Showgate Avenue and all the houses were built in 1990s. A tidy and pleasant street of mostly brick houses and the architect seemed to have an obsession with the triangle shape. I was walking back to my car from an unsuccessful attempt to find a geocache.

Lowther Street in Sockburn and there wasn’t any information on the library website for this street. Searched Papers Past and there was only three entries and two involved name change of the street. In 1969 Racecourse Rd deviation was renamed Lowther St and in 1971 there was an accident on the street. I searched Ancestry website and no one with that surname lived in this area. The most likely reason for the name is horse racing related as there is a race in Great Britain called Lowther Stakes.

I actually walked this street by accident as I thought that I was still on Racecourse Rd. It is confusing as Racecourse Rd becomes Lowther St without any break in the road whereas you have to turn a corner to continue on Racecourse Rd. Only businesses here and most are car sales.

Woodchester Ave in Richmond – Named after Woodchester, the house belonging to Henry Dent Gardiner (1828- 1909). Gardiner retired to this house after leaving Purau in 1886. The land around the property was subdivided after his death in 1909. Two “beautifully-situated sections in the Woodchester subdivision, Gardiner’s estate, Richmond” are advertised for sale in the Star in 1909. The Presbyterian Social Service Association converted the house into a home for elderly women in 1952. Named on 16 September 1926. First appears in street directories in 1928.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website. Papers Past mostly had information about the various subdivisons starting in 1910 after Henry Dent Gardiner’s death. The main subdivision was in the 1920s when the street was formed. The other mentions on Papers Past were births, deaths and engagement notices.

Henry Dent Gardiner was an active person who was born in 1827 and then went to Adelaide in 1851. Eventually went to Bendigo where he married his wife Mary Ann. He purchased the brig Colchester and came to New Zealand. Purchased land in Styx now known as Gardiners Rd. Next he was farming in Irwell before purchasing Rhodes property in Purau. After a trip back to Great Britain in 1886 he purchased Woodchester on his return to New Zealand. I don’t know if the property was already called Woodchester when he purchased it as there doesn’t seem to be a family connection to Woodchester in England.

There are only 11 houses here mostly built in 1920s and 1930s and on one side of the street. The other side did have houses before the earthquakes but is now a big green space. The street runs from Medway Street to Richmond Park and it looks like a pleasant street to live on.

Tilia Lane in Richmond- nothing on library website.

This street doesn’t exist any longer and it was probably a private lane. It ran off Woodchester Ave and bordered by a building for the Shirley Tennis Club with houses on the other side. The Shirley Tennis Club building and the houses no longer exist. It was probably named after a tree called Tilia

Pamir Street in Mairehau – First appears in street directories in 1953.

A tiny amount of information from the library website. Papers Past didn’t have must information either. A few death notices and a couple of engagement notices. In 1948 under naming of new streets it was described as a blind street of Kelly’ Rd extension in Paramount Building Company subdivision. A couple of ads for selling properties on the street. There were more entries on Papers Past for the Paramount Building Company and they weren’t always favourable towards the company.

The street runs off Ranger St and there are only 6 houses here and they are wooden houses of the exact same design. They were all built in the 1940s. I was going to attempt to find a geocache at the end of this street when I walked it the other night but there were too many people around.

I suspect that the street was named after the ship Pamir and this ship was seized by the New Zealand Government during World War Two.