Mollett Street in the Central City – Mollett’s Road and Mollett’s right-of-way, Named after Thomas Mollett (1823-1906). Mollett was a builder and surveyor. He had a builder’s yard, probably where this street was later formed. A “first class” building site on Mollett’s Road is advertised for sale in the Star in 1878. The work of forming Mollett’s right-of-way is mentioned in a report of a meeting of the Works Committee in the Star in 1881. Mollett’s Street appears in the Star in 1890 when a Mrs Cook of Mollett’s Street, off Colombo Street, advertises for a good general servant. By 1895 it is Mollett Street. Not listed in street directories until 1955. There must have been no residents until then. A reasonable amount of information from the library website. There were no birth or death notices in Papers Past for this street. In 1890 and 1895 there were two job ads for servants but these two ads were the only sign that anyone lived here. In 1900 there was a bedroom for let by Mrs Morrison at the back of Ballantynes factory. All the other mentions on Papers Past involved various businesses. In 1880 there were three building sections in Mollett’s paddock for sale. In 1896 and 1898 E Edmonds a wood turner was mentioned as being next to Brown’s Timber Yard. In 1911 there was a job ad for a wood turner for P G Clements at the back of Smith & Smiths Sawmill. By 1920 P G Clements woodturning business was owned by R McCree. The Eclipse Works was first mentioned 1913 and they made cardboard boxes but by 1923 they were known as Eclipse Fencing Co. Also in 1923 a row of shops were being built nearby. 1926 Smith and Smiths Sawmilling Company was in involuntary liquidation and the business premises up for sale. Another company mentioned frequently in 1920s and 1930s was R W England and Sons. In 1935 R W England’s business premises were for sale on behalf of receiver for debenture holders. I don’t think there was a buyer as in 1940 there was a fire on the vacant section owned by K E England. In 1943 there was property for sale because the Christchurch Wrecking Company was moving to other premises. The company A & T Burt were also on this street as they had a fire in 1936. I worked in the Central City until 2009 and I can’t remember what was on this street. This street doesn’t really exist any longer and it is part of the South Frame Laneways. There are two new lanes here Te Puhoe Lane and Sugarloaf Lane and there was an opening ceremony in June 2017 Description is that it will become an inner city oasis populated with seating and native grass. It is now 2021 and it doesn’t seem to be the bustling community that was promised. The day I walked here it was a busy Sunday in the city because of the marathon but the only person I saw was one lonely skateboarder.

When I discovered an article on Papers Past about An Eccentric Will dated 1927 I just had to research Thomas Mollett. Thomas Mollett died in 1906 and after that there were lots of entries about his estate. They were still trying to sort the estate out in 1927 which is why the article about it. He left a will leaving equal shares to his wife, daughter and son which sounds simple enough. His wife Lucretia actually died in 1877 and you would think that Thomas would have changed his will to reflect this. His daughter also Lucretia was married to E C D’Auvergne but she died in 1907 aged 47 but her children got her share. It was the clause involving Thomas’s son Thomas Alley Mollett that created the problem. The son was unable to inherit his share while the son’s wife was still living. Get the feeling that the father didn’t like his daughter-in-law. The son was living in England and I couldn’t find any record of Thomas Junior returning to New Zealand. The will stated that as long as the son’s wife was alive the son could only receive £150 a year from the estate and not the bulk of the estate. Thomas Mollett estate was worth £58,566 which would have been a huge amount those days. Both father and son were builders. It sounds like Thomas senior bought and sold land throughout the Christchurch area. He was also involved in the New Zealand Shipping Company. At least one building he was responsible for building was the Royal George Hotel but he never ran it as a publican. He was probably a property developer and landlord but electoral rolls have him as either gentleman or out of business. The phase out of business those days didn’t seem mean unemployed or bankrupt but sometimes it did. The various family trees on the ancestry website didn’t give me any information. The online calculator gives me the figure of £7,167,995.77 for £58,566 in today’s figures. If anyone can come up with a different amount please do as I could be wrong.

I have found out that Thomas Mollett probably remarried but I can’t find marriage details. Ann Mollett died in 1920 and is on electoral rolls at the same address as Thomas Mollett. She is buried at Bromley cemetery whereas Thomas and his first wife and his daughter are buried at Barbadoes Cemetery. Thomas the son married in 1886 in London by special license. The license had his age as 21 but he was probably 27. The license is probably misleading as it probably just means that he was of legal age to marry. The marriage certificate used the word allegation and I had to google this. It just means that they used special license rather than banns. His bride had her occupation down as clerk in Holy Orders which I found rather strange in 1886. If anyone knows the answer would be great as googling just tells me that it was used for curates

Chester St East in the Central City – Cranmer Terrace Named after the English Anglican bishopric of Chester. One of the original Christchurch streets named in 1850 by Edward Jollie (1825- 1894), and Captain Joseph Thomas (b. 1803?). The names were taken from bishoprics listed in Burke’s Peerage. First mentioned in The Lyttelton Times, in 1852 when 1/4 acre sections are advertised for sale there. Appears in 1883 street directories as Chester Street off East Town Belt to Colombo Street and Chester Street West off Cambridge Terrace to Park Terrace. Chester Street West was renamed Cranmer Terrace for a short time in the 1950s because of the large gap in Chester Street. It reverted to its earlier name when the residents found there was confusion with Cranmer Square. Chester St East – Cranmer Terrace Named after the English Anglican bishopric of Chester. One of the original Christchurch streets named in 1850 by Edward Jollie (1825- 1894), and Captain Joseph Thomas (b. 1803?). The names were taken from bishoprics listed in Burke’s Peerage. First mentioned in The Lyttelton Times, in 1852 when 1/4 acre sections are advertised for sale there. Appears in 1883 street directories as Chester Street off East Town Belt to Colombo Street and Chester Street West off Cambridge Terrace to Park Terrace. Chester Street West was renamed Cranmer Terrace for a short time in the 1950s because of the large gap in Chester Street. It reverted to its earlier name when the residents found there was confusion with Cranmer Square. A reasonable amount of information from the library website. Quite a few entries on Papers Past. In 1862 Samuel Johnson was mentioned as living on this street. I was amused to see that in 1864 there was a house of ill fame on this street owned by Stephen Bowen. There seemed to have been quite a few of these houses of ill fame within the central city. In 1971 and 1873 there were several letters to the editor about the state of the road and footpath. In 1874 the work was finally done. In 1881 there were complaints about women of bad character and abandoned habits living on the street. In 1886 there was flooding on the street which was not helped by the road being higher that the land. In the 1880s Elisha Godfrey who had a small general store on the street was mentioned a few times. Many entries involved The Severed Hand Case. The usual complaints about drains and most complaints were in the 1870s.I walked Chester St West ages ago and yesterday walked Chester St West. This street runs from Fitzgerald Ave to Madras St and is a lovely street. Many lovely older houses here including an heritage house. The heritage house is being worked on at the moment and it has plaques on the brick wall. I love finding plaques. Most of the older houses are in good condition but a couple looking fun down. The properties cover most decades with lots from 1970s, 1990s and 2020. Some of the modern houses just don’t fit in with the character of the street. There is a wee park on this street and I still haven’t find the cache here and my lack of height is the problem. I chatted to a couple of the residents on this street. One man had a lovely old car and I also chatted with the owner of the backpackers. The backpackers looks lovely. I liked the street but suspect that the houses would be beyond my budget.

Willow Street in the Central City – First mentioned in The Press in 1880 when the Christchurch City Council called for tenders for its “forming and shingling”. First appears in street directories in 1885.A small amount of information on the library website. The name Willow was most likely from willows trees along the riverbank. Entries on Papers Past were mostly birth and death notices. The street had channelling work completed in 1880 and in 1885 the residents requested a street lamp. This street was prone to flooding as flooding is mentioned in 1883, 1886 and 1887. In 1888 at a special purpose meeting of the council it was agreed to take over Willow St and nearby Avon St as public streets. A Mr Hurley lived in Willow St in 1922 which is interesting as there is a street called Hurley St nearby. Papers Past had an interesting article in May 1928 about Christchurch in 1868, It mentioned that this area was the original reserve for the Botanic Gardens and is now being built upon. The article said that Willow St, Brightlings Lane, Avon St, Nova Place, Bangor St and Rees St were all built on the original reserve. The same article mentions that the historic site The Bricks is in this area. The article also said that William Wilson of The Bricks cultivated what was known as the Botanical Garden Reserve here. There were 20 acres under cultivation and William Wilson is credited with raising the first Australian trees for the settlement here. He also cultivated fruit trees and is believed to have had a bee hive. This bee hive is also believed to have been the first in the settlement. The reserve was a favorite resort for Christchurch residents in the summer. This is a tiny street near the river and runs off the area of Oxford Tce that is in the Red Zone. I believe that it is in the area called the Avon Loop and had a thriving community here. There are obviously no houses here any longer as it is in the Red Zone. I found it slightly creepy here when walking the street as there was a man in the bushes watching me. Note I still walked the street as I don’t scare easily but I wouldn’t walk here in the dark.

Tuam Street in the Central City- Tuam Street was formerly known as Old Drain Road. Named after the Irish (Anglican) bishopric of Tuam One of the original streets of Christchurch named in 1850 by Captain Joseph Thomas (b. 1803?) and Edward Jollie (1825-1894). The names were taken from bishoprics listed in Burke’s Peerage. First mentioned in The Lyttelton Times in 1852 when 1/4 acre sections are advertised for sale there. A small amount of information from the library website. I suspect Old Drain Rd only refers to the part of the street that runs from Fitzgerald Ave towards Linwood as the maps from 1850 and 1862 clearly shows Tuam St on them. I decided to walk the central city streets that go as far as Linwood separately as the character of the streets is very different beyond Fitzgerald Ave. So many entries on Papers Past. In 1874 there was discussion about metalling the street. I was amused to read that Councillor Louisson at a council meeting called attention to the state of the road except near Councillor England’s premises. In 1885 the laying of concrete kerbing is commenced. In 1881 the tramway is completed. Many complaints about state of the road between the years of 1872 to 1886. In 1887 a second stratum well was sunk. Found mention of three hotels, the White Swan, Royal Hotel and the White Horse. There were many businesses on this street, Clifford & Co engines and boilers, Ayers & Co a leather merchant, Dallas & Co furniture, Hepburn & sons iron founders and both H Matson & Co and Twentyman & Cousins were mostly farming implements. A few businesses had fires. In 1881 bakehouse and stables belonging to Mr Williams burnt down. In 1897 J Bigwood a plumber had a fire at his shop and dwelling. In 1886 the factory for confectionery by W G Clydesdale burnt to the ground. Many complaints about the alarm system. In 1885 W Harrison a stonemason attempted to burn down his property. W J White in 1883 was a grocer and in 1885 he was fined for selling beer without a license and by 1886 the bailiffs seized his stock. In 1880 there was a petition from residents complaining about the blacksmith forge of Mr J Martin and that it was dangerous. In 1874 Mr B Midgley complained about his rates. In 1886 Johnson Midgley was killed by his neighbour Mr Taylor. It was a dispute over a fence and Mr Taylor was charged with manslaughter. Both Benjamin and Johnson Midgley lived at the same address but I couldn’t find out what the relationship was between the two of them even with looking at the ancestry website. I walked from Riccarton Ave to Fitzgerald Ave and there is a huge number of car dealers on this street. The bus exchange has an entrance here and there is a campus for Aspire 2 International School. Lots of empty spaces and damaged buildings. Alice Cinema is here and it is a great little cinema. Too many businesses here for me to name. There is an entrance to the Justice Precinct here and a man skateboarding nearby told me that there is a nice garden within the Precinct. I will take his word for it and I didn’t ask him how he knows so much about the building.

Duke Street in the Central City- Queen Street South Land for sale in Queen Street South is first advertised in the Star in 1886. First appears in street directories in 1887. Re-named Duke Street on 7 March 1904.A small amount of information from the library website. I searched Papers Past but found very little information. Not helped by both Queen St and Duke St being very common names. There was also a Queen Street South in Sydenham. In a coroner’s report in 1891 there was mention about the filthy condition of the street and the concern about the diseases typhoid and diphtheria. In 1903 the council were asked about the dedication of the street. Road to be inspected and report back to the Board. In 1923 there was a fire in a small whare. The name Queen is obvious as Victoria was on the throne and it is possible that the name Duke St is after the Duke of Cornwall and York as he had visited New Zealand in 1901. The street runs from St Asaph St to Lichfield St and there are several businesses here but many are the back entrances to the businesses. A couple of empty sections which were full of rubbish. There is also a back entry to the Cancer Society here as well.

Dawson Street in the Central City- formerly David Street, Carter’s Lane and Carters Street. Formerly Carters Street. Named after James Carter (1862-1939). Re-named Dawson Street. Appears on an 1875 map as David Street. By 1883 it is listed as Carter’s Lane. It was taken over by the city council that same year becoming Carters Street. Carter, a carrier, was born on the ship Echunga. He is listed as a resident of the street in 1885. Re-named Dawson Street officially on 27 September 1915 after a petition was received by Christchurch City Council asking that the name of Carter’s Lane be changed. Not recognised as a public street by the Christchurch City Council until 1960.A reasonable amount of information from the library website. In 1876 there was mention of James Carter – carrier living Carter’s Lane. In 1878 there was a petition from freeholders and occupiers on Town Reserve No 107 Chester St known as Carter’s Lane signed by 6 persons requesting council to take over on the usual terms. From council minutes dated November 1877. In 1878 the street was channelled. In 1883 in a special meeting Carter’s Lane was taken over and known in the future as Carter’s Street. James Carter died at his residence Carter’s Street in 1894. In 1909 there was a vet C W Seager on the street. in the 1910s and 1920s there was mention of Carter’s Lane in both Cashmere and Linwood. In 1915 there was a petition from 9 people residing on Carter’s Lane. We the owners of properties situated in Carter’s Lane which for various reasons has become known as an undesirable locality and we are anxious the neighbourhood should be improved in order to alter this state of affairs and allow name to be changed from Carter’s Lane to Dawson St. Mr Swift who owned several properties on the street was prepared to spend money on improving the street if the name change was approved. Note Carter’s Street was hardly ever used and most people continued to use Carter’s Lane. I searched to find out why Carter’s Lane became undesirable but couldn’t find a reason. I couldn’t even find a house of ill fame. This street was on the 1862 map as David St but this name was hardly ever used. This is a narrow street running between Kilmore Street and Chester Street East with only 8 properties and one from 1915 and one from 1920 and the rest from 1970. Parking is terrible here as the street is so narrow. To drive here with cars parked on the side of the road is difficult. I didn’t look to see if there was parking was only allowed on only one side.

Ulster Place in the Central City – In 1892 an application was sent to the council asking for it to take over “a private street turning out of Taylor’s Lane” (later Aberdeen Street). First appears in street directories in 1914.A small amount of information from the library website. I am assuming that the street was named Ulster because a local person was from Ireland. I found the same information from 1892 that the library had on their website and it described the street as being 20ft and 200ft long with no exit except to Taylor’s Lane. Practically nothing on Papers Past. In 1913 there was a death notice for someone living at a house called Flowerdale. In 1920 Ann Taylor of Daisy Cottage died and this cottage was on Ulster Place. There was a house and land for sale in 1930. In 1935 residents requested that the road either be widened or a footpath be provided. By 1940s it was mostly businesses here. I couldn’t find this street and there wasn’t a street sign either. I checked google maps and you could see what looked like a driveway but it was blocked by a high fence. I suspect that this tiny road is hidden by plants behind the high fence.

Moa Place in the Central City- At a meeting of the city council held on 21 October 1872, a letter was received from John Emanuel Anthony (1817?-1887) handing over the private roadway on behalf of residents and requesting it be named Moa Place. First appears in street directories in 1883.A small amount of information from the library website and I found the information about the naming of the street. John Emanuel Anthony never lived on this street but seems to have written a lot of letters to the council about the street. His occupation was Clerk of Works so it is possible that the letters were part of his job. Lots of complaints about drains and drainage and the drains were mentioned as early as 1873 and there were still complaints in 1899. I was amused by the request for Anthony’s drain to be filled in and for Anthony to use sewer pipe for draining of slops and to discontinue discharging into the drain. John Anthony lived on a neighbouring street to Moa Place. In 1882 there was a complaint about the state of the road after drainage repairs. Many requested for the road to be repaired and in 1879 the channelling had been finished. In 1891 there was mention of the road being regraded, channelled and asphalted after a petition from the ratepayers living on the street. In 1875 Mary Horn was charged with keeping a disorderly brothel on the street. In 1903 there was a fire in an unoccupied and uninsured house owned by John Dollan. There is a nearby street called Dollans Lane. Lots of death notices in Papers Past. I was amused by the couple of mentions of Hubert John Aulsebrook who lived at 14 Moa Place as he managed to fall off his bike twice. Once in 1942 and then again in 1943. This is a tiny street that runs off Madras St and end at a lovely wee park. There was a cute wee cottage dating from 1890 and a few houses from 1920s and 1930s but the rest are from 1990s and 2019. The modern houses are ugly apartments crammed onto to tiny sections but if I just say Williams Brothers I am sure many of you will understand why I disliked these newer places. Three of the older houses were painted in bright colours and sunglasses are required for the bright yellow house. There is apparently a holiday home available to rent on this street. Parking was terrible here and I thought where I lived was bad enough. There was a big empty section on the corner with Madras St.

Melrose Street in Central City- formerly New Road and New Street. Named New Road in 1872 at the request of the residents. Patrick Street was another suggestion. Re-named Melrose Street in 1891 at the request of the residents. First appears in street directories in 1894.A small amount of information from the library website and I found the same information on Papers Past. No reason given for why the name Melrose but it is a Scottish place name so that is a possible reason. State of the road was mentioned in 1876, 1907 and 1909. The road was regraded, channelled and asphalted in 1891. The change of name to Melrose was at the request of the 13 residents of the street. Drains were mentioned several times from 1874 onwards. There seemed to be a drainage issue with many of the streets in this area. In 1880 there were three cases of typhoid and typhoid was a big issue in the early days of Christchurch causing many deaths. There was a Taylor family who lived on this street and there was at least two other Taylor families living on neighbouring streets. This street runs from Madras St to Barbadoes St and there is an entry to Ely Reserve on this street, Most of the houses here were built in the 1990s plus many built between 2016 to 2019. These are all high density housing crammed into tiny sections. There is one house from 1890 and a couple from 1920. There were a couple of the modern places that I liked and it was a pity that they were part of a huge high density complex. Parking would be a big problem here but I felt that I could almost live here or on a neighbouring street. Not sure that my son would appreciate it was I would then be within fairly easy walking distance to his place.

Aberdeen Street in Central City- Formerly Taylor’s Lane. Named after George James Taylor (1841?-1934). Re-named Aberdeen Street. Taylor’s Lane first appears in the Star in a report of a meeting of the city council in 1879 and also appears on an 1879 map. At another council meeting held on 5 April 1880 it is reported that Taylor’s Lane has been “channelled, formed and shingled”. First appears in street directories in 1883. Taylor, a storeman, is a resident, although his obituary says he died at his residence at 440 Madras Street. Re-named Aberdeen Street in 1893 after residents petitioned the city council asking for the change. Not recognised as a public street by the Christchurch City Council until 1960.A reasonable amount of information from the library website and I found the same information on Papers Past. Not much on Papers Past. There was a request for a lamp for the street and it was agreed for a kerosene lamp at the junction of Taylor’s Lane and Manchester St as long a the residents were prepared to look after it and provide the kerosene. There was a request in 1870 for Taylor’s Lane to become a public St and in 1894 it was agreed that the council take over the street. There was also a Taylor’s Lane in Addington and in 1893 this street was to change it’s name to St Mary’s St. I suspect that having two Taylor’s Lanes was confusing which is why the Central City one changed it’s name to Aberdeen St. In 1870 there was mention that the right of way that runs from Manchester St to Madras St was to be called Taylor’s Lane. In 1905 George Taylor and his wife Louisa were still living at 9 Aberdeen St but by 1911 they were living at 440 Madras St. Information from his obituary said that George Taylor was from London and came to New Zealand with his parents on the ship Joseph Fletcher in about 1856. He had a cart and carried passengers before trying gold mining. Returned to Christchurch where he worked for Bishop and Co for 40 years. There were several Taylor families living in nearby streets who were possibly related but didn’t find much information on the ancestry website. This street only has two houses left on it and I was unable to find out the ages of the houses but they have to be from 1910 or even older. The rest of the street is businesses but at the Madras St end the buildings look abandoned. I recently read the book Rebel Girls which is about suffragettes from Yorkshire and one of the women mentioned in the book lived on this street in the 1930s and 1940s. The house where she lived is still standing.