Humboldt Street in Sydenham- Formerly Jacobs Lane. Named after Jonathan Jacobs (1803?- 1877). Re-named Humboldt Street. Named after Alexander von Humboldt (1769- 1859). Jacobs arrived at Lyttelton in 1855 on the Grassmere. He and his wife moved to Waltham in 1863, living in what later became known as Jacobs’s Lane, an informal name for the street. Mrs Jacobs died at her home at 23 Humboldt Street in 1898. Named Humboldt Street in 1887. One of the “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880. Humboldt was a German scientist. [For a time, due to anti-German feeling during World War I, the name was Anglicised to Humbolt.] A reasonable amount of information from the library website and the statement that Humboldt was a German scientist is rather an understatement. His full name was Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrick Alexander von Humboldt and technically he was born in Prussia. He sounds like he was an interesting man and was described as a German polymath, geographer, naturalist and explorer. He travelled widely especially in the Americas. His personal life was interesting and there is a Wikipedia page about him. The Humboldt Falls in Fiordland is named after him.Papers Past didn’t have anything under Jacob’s Lane apart from the renaming. Building sections were offered in 1893, 1899 and 1905. Quite a few entries for 1882 as there were complaints about the state of the street plus a request for it to become a public street. The council requested that the residents move their fences to the true boundary so that the construction of the street can be proceeded with. In 1883 the street was resurveyed for construction. I don’t know when the work was done as the residents were complaining about the state of the street in 1890. In 1908 there was a petition from the 13 residents in the street asking for improvements. In 1906 someone was fined for allowing three cows to wander. In 1907 the street was to get sewage pipes. The saddest entry I found was dated 1915 and a male illegitimate child aged 6 weeks died of pneumonia associated with malnutrition. This happened at Mrs Wiffen’s licensed home. This was actually a common occurrence for illegitimate children and many orphanages refused to take these children. Reason given was that they would taint the children who were born within wedlock. In March 1898 there was an obituary for Mrs Ann Jacobs but I didn’t find one for her husband who died in 1877. It didn’t say much more than what is in the library information. I walked this street on Monday and it has at least one house from every decade. Several multi dwelling style of housing built in 1970s and 1990s. The oldest house is from 1908 and it has been roughcasted which spoils it. There is a couple of houses from 1940 and about 5 houses from 1950s and I suspect that they were built by servicemen after the war with the special govt loan that servicemen were entitled to. I know that one of the houses from the 1940s was built under this scheme as it belonged to my uncle. We frequently visited this house especially if we were driving home to Lyttelton from Rakaia Huts. I have a vivid memory of a house near the corner of Humboldt and Cameron St having one of those large butterflies decorating the house. They were fashionable in the 1960s. When I walked the street I couldn’t figure out which house had the butterfly but the house possibly no longer exists and there is now one of the multi dwelling complexes on this corner. I am trying to found a photo of my uncle’s house from the 1950s and1960s but my old laptop is being very slow at loading.

Hargest Crescent in Sydenham- Formerly Taylor Street, later Crescent. Probably named after Jeremy Taylor (1613- 1677). Re-named Hargest Crescent. Named after Brigadier James Hargest (1891- 1944). Taylor was the author of Holy Living and Holy Dying. One of the “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880. Taylor Street is first mentioned in the Star in 1882 and first appears in street directories in 1887. Becomes Taylor Crescent in 1935. Re-named Hargest Crescent on 1 September 1948 when 120 streets were re-named. Hargest was a farmer, military leader and politician. A reasonable amount of information from library website. Not sure if street is named after Jeremy Taylor as he is an extremely obscure author. There were three Taylor Street in Christchurch as there was one in Riccarton and one in Addington as well. I did find an entry in 1897 using Taylor’s Street and this normally means it is named after a local landowner. Apart from death notices there wasn’t a lot of information on Papers Past. In 1895 there was a house fire in a house owned by Henry Wakefield. In 1909 there was a coal and firewood business on the street. A polio case in the street in 1925. In 1920 the Education Board were looking to acquire a parcel of land so that they can build an infant school. They would be writing to the land owners. There is still a kindergarten on the street near the Waltham Rd end. In 1935 because of the confusion with Taylor Street in Addington the name was changed to Taylor Crescent and in 1948 changed to Hargest Crescent. In 1950s the Education Board had a storage area here. I walked this street on Monday and I used to know this area fairly well in the 1960s. There are 55 properties here and the oldest house is from 1890 and it is a cute wee cottage. At least one or two houses from most decades but lots built in 1970s and 2020s. Many different styles of houses and most are in a reasonable condition but some are looking a bit rundown.

Gibbon Street in Sydenham – Named after Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). Gibbon was author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. One of the “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880. First appears in street directories in 1887. Made a public street from 1 January 1888.A small amount of information from the library website. I searched 19th January 1880 on Papers Past but didn’t find anything about the street naming. Looks like I will have to walk into town to the library and see if they have the information. There used to be a nearby Wakefield St so it is possible that it was actually named after Edward Gibbon Wakefield. A John Wakefield lived on Gibbon St and in 1887 a fire destroyed his brand new house. There were many death notices and a few marriage notices. In 1888 the street was to be widened and the residents had to give land for this. In 1905 Amy Amelia Allen was fined for allowing her house to become a nuisance. She was running a poultry farm inside her house. In 1930 a dilapidated house to be pulled down as not only was it dangerous but it was being used by bad characters. In 1900 there were complaints about rubbish being dumped in an old pit. Further reading and I found out that the rubbish was actually nightsoil. Yuk is the only the word I have for this. In 1891 and 1892 there was a lot of articles about something called Gibbon Street Applications. It was very confusing but seems to be some sort of voter fraud. The Council wanted the names removed from the roll and the reason from the council was that they weren’t real owners of the properties. Another article said that 22 people on Gibbon St hadn’t paid their rates. A letter to the editor in 1899 called it the Gibbon Street Transactions of 1891. The letter writer asked if the liquor loving councillors had sunk to corrupt means to further their political ends. The letter mentioned that in 1891 there were 32 sections sold in two days. It was also called Gibbon Street Bogus Elections. I googled to see if I could find out any more information but nothing. I walked this street on Monday and it runs from Ingoldsby St to Rogers St. There are 70 properties on this street and there are two from 1890. There are several from 1910 and some were in good condition but others were looking very sad. Houses date from every decade with many from 1970s. One very modern set of buildings were ugly but there were also some lovely older houses on the street.

Croydon Street in Sydenham- Probably named after Croydon in Surrey, England Land for sale in “Croydon Street, Sandridge” is advertised in the Star in 1891. First appears in street directories in 1894.A small amount of information on the library website. Not a lot of information on Papers Past. Found the same land for sale ad from 1891. Several death notices over the years and in 1888 someone was fined for cows roaming on the street. In 1902 there was discussion and drains and in 1905 there were flooding issues. There was an old water course that seemed to be causing the problems. In 1931 there was talk about a new street to run from Croydon St to Tennyson but land from a property on Tennyson St would be required. The new road would shorten the travel time from St Martins to Sydenham. I checked the map from 1929 and Southampton St ended at Croydon St. Southampton St now curves around and goes all the way to Tennyson St so it looks like Southampton St was extended rather than a new street being created. I walked this street on Monday and the street runs from Huxley St to Southampton St. The houses date from 1905 to 2017 with most being from 1970s and 1990s. A variety of styles and a couple of the older houses from 1910 are lovely. The most interesting house is on the corner of Huxley St and Croydon St and technically it is on Huxley St. It dates from 1915 but has been altered and has a weird 1940s art deco plus 1915 look. I am not sure if I like it or not.

Chaucer Street in Sydenham – Formerly Wakefield Street. Probably named after The Vicar of Wakefield, by Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774). Re-named Chaucer Street. Named after Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343-1400). Wakefield Street first appears in street directories in 1892. Re-named Chaucer Street on 1 September 1948 when 120 streets were re-named. Both names continue the theme of “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880.A small amount of information from the library website and I am not sure that the reason for the Wakefield name is correct. My reason for this is that there is a nearby Gibbon St and it is possible that these two streets are named after Edward Gibbon Wakefield. There was also four families living here with the surname Wakefield but they didn’t seem to be connected to the family of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Very little information on Papers Past about this street. There was a house fire in 1904 which totally destroyed the house. There was another house fire in 1920. A few death notices. In 1930 they were considering exempting the street from widening under the Public Works Act. I walked this street on Monday and it runs off Hargest Crescent. There are 12 properties here and one dates from 1915 and three from 1920. Sadly they have been totally ruined by being covered with roughcast. The most interesting house was from the 1990s and almost had an Art Deco look.

Cameron Street in Sydenham – formerly Campbell Street – Campbell Street is first mentioned in the Star in 1882 when the Sydenham Borough Council was asked to take it over as a public street and “put it into a proper state of repair”. First appears in street directories in 1907. Re-named Cameron Street 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. A few funeral notices. Soames Bros of Jackson’s Creek, Campbell St had an ad for employing labourers. In 1906 the road was closed temporarily while the new culvert was built over Jackson’s Creek. Name was changed in 1948 in an effort to avoid confusion. No reason was given for the name choice. This street runs from Austin St to Humboldt St and there is an entrance to Cameron Park here. For a short street there are 56 properties here but many are multi dwellings on sections. There were only 4 houses dated between 1920 to 1940 and a couple from 1990. There were several from 1970s, 2000 and 2015 onwards. The older houses looked shabby as did the ones from 1970s. There was a sign for Jackson’s Creek near the corner with Humboldt St. At the same spot was a walkway through to Huxley St. I walked this street on Monday and it didn’t really do a lot for me. I would have known this street in the 1960s but it didn’t feel familiar.

Austin Street in Sydenham – Named after Alfred Austin (1835-1913). Austin was a lawyer, editor and poet and English poet laureate 1896-1913. Probably named to continue the theme of “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880. The Sydenham Borough Council decided to make Austin Street a public street on 13 March 1882. First appears in street directories in 1887.A small amount of information from the library website. Papers Past didn’t have a huge amount of information. Several sections were for sale between 1905 and 1907 and many mentioned sections being high and dry which makes me think that there was a flooding or drainage issue in the area. In March 1906 a resident requested that the Jackson Creek drain be completed at the same time as the drain in the orphanage grounds. Jackson Creek is the likely reason for water issues. In March 1904 the Lyttelton orphanage was destroyed by fire and the children were housed in a temporary location in Lyttelton. In April 1905 a private home was purchased in Austin St and altered to house the orphans. It became known as the Waltham Orphanage and the purchase price was £1200 and alterations and furniture upped the costs to £1600. This came out of the insurance payout of £2080 and the orphanage had a surplus. The orphanage had a fire in July 1918 but there was minor damage. The building was described as a 2 storey wooden building with 27 rooms and owned by Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. It housed 32 children and two staff in 1918. I found a lovely photo of the building online but it is subject to copyright. In 1940 the orphanage was a temporary convalescent home for soldiers. In 1928 there was discussion of widening the street and filling in Jacksons Creek. I walked this street on Monday and it is still a narrow street. At the Waltham St end there is a factory but the rest of the street has houses. Still a few from 1905 and 1910 and some are still looking lovely. A couple from 1960 and 1970 but the rest are mostly 1990s with a few post earthquake. I confess that I did like the fence with giant spiders on it and as I am writing this up I am looking at my fence and thinking about doing something similar. Yes I do like spiders. I looked at the map of 1929 but couldn’t work out which section was the orphanage. I knew this area fairly well in the 1960s and I am fairly sure that the factory on the corner of Austin St and Waltham Rd was there in the 1960s but going by the 1929 map it wasn’t there then.

Burnbrae St in St Martins- formerly Burnbrae Road. Named after Burnbrae, a house in St Martins in the early 20th century In 1903 an advertisement appears wanting a “strong girl to assist with housework” at “Burnbrae, St Martin’s, near new bridge”. Burnbrae Road is first mentioned in The Press in 1910 in the Lost and Found column when a gold bangle is reported lost there. Burnbrae Street is first mentioned in The Press in 1917. First appears in street directories in 1934.A small amount of information from the library website. I didn’t find much information on Papers Past. In March 1917 the street was included in the city for fire protection. In 1930 there was a petition from the residents requesting that the street be included in the Drainage Board area. In 1931 Mr Beasley wanted his house to be connected to the sewer that ran down the middle of the street. Council said not possible unless all the residents in the area were willing to agree to this. The street was tar sealed in 1935. I walked this street on the first day of level 2. I was surprised that this short street had a separate name as I always thought it was part of Tennyson St. It runs from Tennyson St to St Martins Rd. There are only 10 properties and the oldest is from 1930 and the others from 1950 and 1960. The houses looked lovely what I could see but it was hard to see them because of the well established gardens.

Longfellow Street in Sydenham- Named after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).Longfellow was an American poet. One of the “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880. Made a public street from 1 January 1888. First appears in street directories in 1907.A small amount of information from the library website. A lot of entries on Papers Past about the Camelot Settlement which was built on the land that was originally the Police Paddock. The street became a public street in 1887. In 1890 constructing and widening the street was deferred pending negotiations for the widening. Mrs Woolley declined to give land for this purpose. Also an old clay pit would have to be filled in before the widening could happen and this pit was on W B Perceval’s land. Eventually happened as in 1898 the street was gravelled. Several mentions about the stormwater drain as the council wanted a bridge over the drainage. The council also wanted it fenced for safety reasons. There were often clashes between the council and the drainage board. In 1890 there were complaints about the city council dumping rubbish on a vacant section in the street. The Sydenham Borough Council requested that the city council stop doing this but they continued dumping the city’s rubbish here. In 1903 the street was extended to Southampton St and there still is a funny dogleg at this end of the street. From 1907 onwards there was many articles about the workmen’s homes under the Workers Dwelling Act. The settlement was called Camelot Settlement but at the beginning was called Sydenham Settlement. The house at 52 Longfellow St was originally built for the International Exhibition in Hagley Park that was held in 1906. In September 1907 it was dismantled and reassembled in the Camelot Settlement. Google 61A Tennyson St and you will get a lot more information. In 1928 there was a petition from the residents to stop a shop from being built on the corner of Longfellow St and Wembley St. Still several houses here that were the original Workers Dwelling and most are in good condition. There are a huge number of houses / flats from the 1970s and they are the typical style from the 1970s of either summerhill stone or concrete block. The modern houses here are fairly ugly and when I saw who had built them I could see why. Personally I wouldn’t touch one of these modern places as they have been built by developers that I don’t trust. Not showing my bias much. I actually walked this street on the first day of level 2 and the research sometimes takes longer than actually walking the street. A pleasant street and the older houses mostly looked lovely. There is a house from 1890 here and it has been modernised so I didn’t recognise it as being that age. I am getting rather good at guessing the ages of houses from the style of the house.

Tennyson Street in Sydenham – Early informal names were Pipers Lane and Pipers Road. Named after George Piper (1843-1909), who was also known as Whistling Piper. Re-named Tennyson Street. Named after Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809- 1892).George Piper and his brother had a brick kiln east of Colombo Street. Their father Thomas also worked there. The business was made bankrupt in January 1883. Pipers Lane first appears in the Star in 1877 in a report of a meeting of the Heathcote Road Board. George Piper was living in Tennyson Street at the time of his death in 1909. Re-named Tennyson Street. Tennyson was a poet. One of the “poets and writers” streets of Sydenham, Addington and Waltham named by a committee of the Sydenham Borough Council on 19 January 1880. Tennyson Street first appears in street directories in 1894.A reasonable amount of information from the library website. Papers Past had lots of birth and death notices. In the 1870s there were lots of entries about drainage and the drainage board. In 1878 there was talk about the drain being fenced and there was still talk about this matter in 1879. The street is described as having two houses and an old brick kiln on the street. In 1881 the council objected to increasing the size of the drain. In 1894 under the Public Works Act the council intended construction of Tennyson St but the Road Board wanted the council to reconsider as in their opinion the road was just a minor byroad. In 1897 the Christchurch City Rifles held their annual camp on the Police Paddock at the end of Piper’s Lane. Both Piper’s Lane and Tennyson St names were being used. In 1899 there was an application for a reserve of 7 acres fronting Tennyson St was approved. This land was where the Police Paddock was and it was eventually used for housing. Between 1912 and 1916 there were several mentions of Congregational Church raising money. In 1914 many complaints about the drains. In 1918 the council called for tenders for laying stormwater sewers. In 1927 the water mains were laid. In 1916 the occupier of 61 Tennyson St had an ad in the paper about laying mantraps on their premises. This house still exists and was part of the Camelot Settlement Workers Dwellings. I covered the Piper family when I wrote up the Piper Lane that runs off Birdwood Ave. Thoroughly researched this family but they aren’t connected to my mysterious grandmother. This street runs from Colombo St to Eastern Terrace and I walked it on the first day of level 2. There are still some lovely houses along this street and many date from 1920s. There are also many from 1970s and 1980s. There is a small shopping centre at the Colombo St end and the street ends at the bridge over the Heathcote River. I drive this street fairly frequently and it made a change to walk it. This street has a cycleway so I was annoyed to see someone riding on the footpath. I think everyone knows how I feel about this.