Bletsoe Ave – Named after Bletsoe, a village in Bedfordshire, England. Referred to as “the newformed Bletsoe Avenue” in The Press in 1912 when Harry Brewer advertises 29 “choice building sites” for sale in the Bletsoe estate. The developer of the street may have had some connection with Bletsoe. From Strickland Street to Selwyn Street was created on Deposit Plan 3577 in October 1912. From Selwyn Street to the bend was created on Deposit Plan 3974 also in October 1912. From the bend to Simeon Street was created on Deposit Plan 4061 in September 1913.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website. Papers Past had several ads for the sale of sections in 1912 and 1913. In October 1912 there was an auction of land owned by Harry Brewer and he lived at 175 Strickland St at a house called Bletsoe. He died in 1922 and is buried in Sydenham cemetery and his occupation was bricklayer.
I checked ancestry website and found that Harry was born in Portsea in Hampshire and married his wife Mary Ann in Brighton. Managed to find a family tree that had good information and the person had proved the details by having certificates. Not all the family trees were this good and had conflicting information. I have no idea how Harry and Mary Ann managed to meet and get married as she was born in Bletsoe and her family lived and died in that area.

A pleasant street with a mixture of old wooden original villas plus newer houses from 1980s and 1990s. A few empty sections from where houses have been demolished. The street runs from Simeon St to Strickland St and is cut in half by Selwyn St. One house was really gorgeous and it is the one which had the huge animals on the porch for lockdown bear hunt.

Diamond Ave – Named in 1928. The section which is at right-angles to Coronation Street was formed in March 1928. By July 1928 it linked up with Simeon Street. By October 1929 it linked up with Barrington Street. NB This section is now part of Coronation Street. First appears in street directories in 1930.

A small amount of information from the library website. Still don’t know why the developer wanted the name Diamond for the street but this turned into an interesting piece of research on Papers Past. In November 1928 the name Diamond Avenue was approved and it was a suggestion from F A Neale. Several sections for sale in 1929 and in September 1930 permits were issued to F A Neale for building houses on this street. Then on 16th May 1931 there is a huge article about Frederick Ashley Neale regarding him being bankrupt. It was an interesting read and he had land deals all over the place. There was a comment about his interest in race horses and it was hinted that he was a gambler. In November 1931 he was jailed for failure to keep proper books. He is buried at Sydenham cemetery in 1953 and described as a salesman. Checked ancestry website and it got slightly confusing but eventually worked out that after his first wife died in 1933 he married his first cousin on his mothers side.

A pleasant street with many of the original wooden villas from 1930s with a couple of places from 1960s. The original houses would have been on large sections and in the 1990s many were subdivided to build houses at the back of the original houses. There was one house dated from 1920 which is from before the street was developed. Some of the original houses had been enlarged and had a second story added. Most houses in really good condition with nice gardens.

Elstow Place – Probably named after Elstow in Bedfordshire, England.
A tiny amount of information from the library website. Most houses are from 1970s and 1990s. A mixture of building materials but mostly brick or summerhill stone.There was a block of flats that would have been built in the 1970s and would have been described as ownership flats. I was so happy that there was a footpath on both sides of this tiny street. I was so sure that I had already walked this street but couldn’t find any write up that I would have done. Couldn’t find any information about the naming of the street but my theory is that because Elslow is really close to Bletsoe in the UK this is why the name was chosen.

Hillier Place – nothing on library website. I was surprised that this street wasn’t on the library website as most houses date from 1930s.

I couldn’t find anything on Papers Past under Hillier Place but found a few entries under the name Hillier Street. I suspect that the name was changed when street entrance to Jerrold St was closed but couldn’t find the information. Sections were for sale in 1927 and 1929. There was also an entry in 1938 about 10 sections for state houses. Most houses date from 1930s and 1940s but there was a confused one on the QV website that said it was built in 2000 but described as mixed aged. This house had sales records going back to 1987.

I suspect that this street is named after a person and I have narrowed it down to two men called Nehemiah Hillier. One was a retired farmer who lived on Antigua St and the other one was a gardener who lived on Taramea Place. The one who lived on Taramea Place is my best bet but obviously this is just a theory from me.

Most of the houses were in reasonable condition except for one house. One house that was having work done on it had an interesting letterbox.There was a house by Jerrold St end that looked like it was in terrible condition. It was hard to actually see the house because of the junk surrounding the house plus the growth of the grass and plants.

A friend on Facebook mentioned a street called Little Hillier Street which went from Hillier Street to Spencer Street. Found a map from 2004 which showed both of these streets. Little Hillier disappeared when the motorway was built and Hillier Street became a place. The motorway extended when I was living in the UK.

Limburg Lane – nothing on library website. There was no information on the library website for this street which was a bit surprising as the houses date from 1980s and 1990s.
There was one house dated from 1950s that sold in the 1980s and I suspect that this house was on a large section and was then subdivided. Limburg is a place name from The Netherlands and possibly there is a connection to the original owner of the house or to the developer. Couldn’t find any information.
This is a private lane and I didn’t walk it yesterday but did walk it in December when delivering The Addington Times. I don’t recall any of the houses being anything out of the ordinary.

Somerset Crescent – formerly Somerset Street. Named after Lady Henry Somerset, née Isabella Caroline SomersCocks, (1851- 1921). Lady Henry Somerset was the eldest daughter of Charles, Somers-Cocks, 3rd Earl Somers. She was an English philanthropist and temperance leader. One of two streets named after the two leading temperance women of the world at the time. Named by the Spreydon Road Board in 1895. Somerset Street appears in street directories in 1902. Becomes Somerset Crescent in 1977.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website and this street name is more interesting that I was expecting. Looked at Papers Past and on 7th December 1895 there was a report about a special meeting by Spreydon Road Board where they agreed to name two streets after leading temperance women. Lady Henry Somerset of England.and Frances Willard of America.
There were lots of ads for the sale of houses in 1900. In 1897 there was a request to kerb the footpath. The Addington School is mentioned a lot and this school seems to have been around long before this street was formed.
There are houses on this street built in every decade and the earliest date I could find was 1890.

The Brougham Street end looks rundown. There is a dairy here plus empty shops that are waiting for earthquake repairs.Then you cross Selwyn St and there is a church. Opposite the church there is a green space between the street and Brougham St. The houses seem to get nicer the further you walk around it. There is a back entrance to Addington School on the bend and there more houses until you get to Rosewarne St. There were some really lovely older wooden villas here.Loved the unusual letterbox.
There was an article n Papers Past dated 1916 about a fire that was on the corner of Crescent Rd and Somerset St and I was wondering if the two streets were combined to become Somerset Crescent but couldn’t find any information about this.

Willard Street – Named after Frances Willard (1839-1898). Miss Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer and women’s suffragist. One of two streets named after the two leading temperance women of the world at the time. Named by the Spreydon Road Board in 1895.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website. This street runs off Somerset Crescent and was named at the same time as Somerset Crescent. Named at a special road board meeting.
Checked Papers Past and in July 1938 there was a headline Homes for Aged Poor. The council agreed to purchase a site in Addington to build houses for the old age pensioners. The site was in Willard St and the original plan was to build 38 units but there was an objection for this. They eventually built 26 units and allowed space to the pensioners to have a garden. There were 20 units for married couples and 6 units for single women or widows.. A public telephone was installed in this street in 1940.
The houses range in age from 1905 to 2010. The older houses seem to be on the opposite side of the newer houses. The pensioner cottages are still there but I doubt that many pensioners live here and is more likely to be now social housing. One of these pensioner houses is fire damaged and this was a recent fire.There is entrance to Simeon Park here. There were some nice houses here but the social housing would put me off.

Howard Street – formerly Havard Street. The Spreydon Borough Council did not know why Havard Street was named, saying it was the early form of Harvard, the name of the founder of the American University and that there was a Havard, a hero of an Icelandic saga about 1000 years ago. Havard Street “between Simeon Street and Wilderness Road” (Barrington Street) first appears in The Press in 1905 when building sites there are advertised for sale. Havard Street never appears in street directories. Renamed Howard Street in 1912 at the request of residents.

A reasonable of information from the library website and I found the same information about the renaming of the street on Papers Past. The information about Harvard University and hero of an Icelandic saga seemed to be from a letter to the editor rather than from the council. I did find 4 or 5 entries mentioning Howard St in 1904 and 1905 which is a bit strange.
The houses range in age from 1910 to 2005 and most are in good condition. There are some lovely older wooden villas with one rundown looking one. The rundown one is next to a very nice villa and it makes for an interesting contrast. It is a pleasant street that runs from Barrington St to Simeon Park. I thought that I had already written this one up but couldn’t find the entry so if I have written up twice I apologise about that.I walked this yesterday and I walked it in December when delivering the Addington Times.

Note I found a Howard family living nearby on Edenbridge St ( Nairn Street )

Simeon Street – Named after Charles Simeon (1816-1867). Simeon was acting Canterbury Association agent and provincial treasurer of Canterbury in 1854. He bought Rural Sections 154 and 214, land in Lower Lincoln Road, and Rural Section 240, 100 acres in Lincoln Road and Riccarton Road. First mentioned in the Star in 1878 when land for sale there is advertised. First appears in street directories in 1902.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website and not really a lot that I can add to it. Papers Past had a couple of article about tramway extension in 1909 and 1916. Lots of ads for sale of sections in 1878.
This is a long street with houses from every decade from 1905. At the Brougham St / Jerrold St end there is a mixture of new and old houses. The old houses are interesting as they were originally built in the exactly the same style but over the years they have evolved so each one is slightly different. Then you come to Simeon Park. It is all housing until you come to the new fire station. This station replaces the one that was demolished because of earthquake damage. On the same side of the street is the car park for Barrington Mall.
More houses until you get to Roker St where there is an entrance to Sydenham cemetery. Many of the houses are lovely old wooden villas but if I was going to live on this street I would prefer to be at the other end away from the Mall and the fire station.

David Ching Lane in Spreydon and this tiny lane isn’t on library website or Google maps but does have a signpost. It is beside Simeon Park and Addington school and leads to the school’s Conductive Education Facility and I got most of my information from Addington Times. I like the Addington Times as I get snippets of information that are nowhere else. Reminds me that I am supposed to be writing a couple of articles for them. David Ching was headmaster at Addington school and set up the Conductive Education Facility and the article said it was the first in NZ to be at a school. When he retired he became national coordinator for NZ Foundation for Conductive Education..