Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project
I love walking and history and this project covers both interests
Aubrey Lane – too new to be on the library website. Found information from council meeting dated 15/04/2018. Caroline (Caro) Murray formally Wilson who is granddaughter of John Wilson Cracroft suggested names for the new subdivision based on her childhood memories. Aubrey was the family name of a previous farm manager.
The lane looked like a private driveway that leads to a couple of houses that are still being built.
Delhi Place – Named after the capital city of India, which from 1911 was named New Delhi. One of the streets in Cashmere given the name of a place in India. First appears in street directories in 1991.
A small amount of information from the library website. There are many streets which have names with a connection to India and the reason is because of John Cracroft Wilson.
I walked a small track from Sasaram Lane to get to Dehli Lane. Dehli had mostly modern looking houses but there was one gorgeous house with tudor style timbers.
Bengal Drive – Named after Bengal, a region in India. One of the streets in Cashmere given the name of a place in India. First appears in street directories in 1977.
A small amount of information from the library website. Because this is an Indian name it is mostly likely named in connection with John Cracroft Wilson.
This was a steep street to walk and it had a mixture of new and old houses. The older houses were gorgeous. Some lovely gardens here as well. I was checking a friend’s geocache in the wee reserve that is about halfway up the hill. Good views from the top of the street.
Eliza Place – Continues the theme used in the Aidanfield subdivision of naming the streets after members of the Order of St John Of God. Named in 2008.
A wee bit of information from the library website. Eliza isn’t in the cemetery. A tiny street with modern houses and as usual in new subdivisions the footpath is only on one side of the street. The photo is of a huge house on the corner of Eliza Place and Somerville Crescent.
Rosario Place – May be named after Sister Rosario Battung. Sister Rosario was professed in 1968 in Te Horo. Continues the theme in the Aidanfield subdivision of street names recognising former Sisters of the Good Shepherd Community, and place names with a strong association to the community. Named in 2010.
A wee bit of information from the library website. Sister Rosario wasn’t in the cemetery so couldn’t prove this.A tiny street that finished at a reserve. I couldn’t get a photo of the street so took a photo from the street of the reserve. A modern street with modern houses mostly brick.
Rees St – Named after Evan Devereux Rees (1844?- 1931). Rees, a boat builder, is listed as living at 283 Oxford Terrace on the 1893 electoral roll. His house was next to the Union Rowing Club and he was the first custodian of the CRC sheds. Rees Street is first mentioned in the Star in 1884 in a report of a meeting of the city council. In 1984 a ¼ acre section and two “aged colonial cottages in original condition” in the Avon Loop area were sold for $59,500. They were on Rees Street and the corner of Bangor Street and were offered on behalf of the estate of Kate Alicia Rees (1901- 1984). She was the daughter of Augustus John Rees and granddaughter of Evan Rees. First appears in street directories in 1893.
A reasonable and interesting amount of information for this street When you check google maps it shows a street full of houses but the reality is different. I couldn’t walk the street as it is closed and fenced off and there are no longer any houses here. This area was affected badly by the earthquakes.
Boon Street – Formerly Smollett’s Road and Smollett Street. May have been named after Tobias George Smollett (1721- 1771). Re-named Boon Street. Probably named after C. E. Boon Ltd., bakers. Smollett was an English author. Smollett’s Road first appears in street directories in 1887. Becomes Smollett Street in 1898. Re-named Boon Street on 1 September 1948 when 120 streets were renamed. The bakery business of Charles Edwin Boon (1878-1951), established in 1909, was at 221 Colombo Street. Not formally recognised as a public street by the Christchurch City Council until 1952.
A reasonable amount of information from the library website. Mostly older houses here but some new places. The street runs from Colombo St to Strickland St. There was nothing that stood out on this street except for the apartments which I couldn’t figure if are new or older ones that have been done up.
Claxton Place – First appears in street directories in 1957.
A tiny amount of information from the library website. I couldn’t find anything extra to add to this. Claxton sounds like someone’s surname and the only person that I could find lived over New Brighton way. This street runs off Riverlaw Tce
Mostly brick houses built in the 1960s but as with the rest of this area there were a couple of rebuilds. Footpath on both side of the street which I like. Nothing stood out for me here.No photos.
Derrett Place – Named after Selwyn Noel Ellison Derrett (b. 1908) and his wife, Valarie Zoraide Evelyn Derrett (1916- 1991). Derrett was farming at 200 Fifield Terrace in 1950 and his wife was running the Wharema Convalescent Home in Opawa. The street was formed on a subdivision of their land. First appears in street directories in 1950.
A small amount of information from the library website. Selwyn Derrett and his wife did live on Fifield Tce but Derrett Tce runs off Riverlaw Tce. If their property on Fifield Tce was subdivided to form a street surely it would run off Fifield Tce. The Heathcote River divides Riverlaw Tce and Fifield Tce. A bit confusing..
Selwyn was born in 1908 and seems to be known as Noel Derrett. He died in 1986 at Oxford. They were married in 1942 but possibly divorced in the 1950s.
The houses here date from 1950s but there are rebuilds here. At the end of the cul de sac there is a house being rebuilt and it looks like it is going to be huge. I was amused by a “giant cat” in someone’s window. Footpaths on both sides of the street and it looked like a nice street.
Fifield Terrace – Formerly River road. Named because it runs along the northern side of the River Heathcote between Wilson’s Bridge and the Railway. Re-named Fifield Terrace. Named after Fifield, the home of William Bayley Bray (1812?-1885). Bray was consulting engineer to the Canterbury Provincial Council. An advertisement for a general servant for “a family up country” appears in the Star in 1880. Mrs Bray, Fifield, Opawa, “near railway station” is the advertiser. Re-named in 1917. First appears in street directories in 1924.
A reasonable amount of information from the library website. Article in Papers Past said that there were too many River Roads which was confusing which is why this one was renamed Fifield Tce. Sounds like William Bray was an interesting man and he was described as eccentric in his obituary. William was an engineer and worked with Moorhouse on the Railway Tunnel. There was a story about William being mocked for his views on the risk of the Waimakariri River flooding Christchurch as he wanted flood protection barriers built. They weren’t laughing after the big flood of 1868 when he was proved correct.He died of pleurisy on 26th May 1885.
William and his wife Harriet are buried at Rutherford cemetery and on the headstone it has his birth date as 31/01/1812.
I walked this street last night and it has the Heathcote River one side and houses on the other side. Yes there was a geocache nearby. The houses are on the high side of the river. Houses are a mixture of old and new. Still a few empty sections where houses have been demolished. A wide variety of building materials have been used. A couple of houses I couldn’t tell if they were original cottages or rebuilt in the original style. One house had the most wonderful little playhouse for children and I wish I could have got a photo of it. When I was a little girl it would have been my dream to have a playhouse like this. The children at this property were having a great time playing.
Some of the new houses were huge and I would love to know what the original houses looked like as I suspect that there would have been lovely old villas here.
Lytteltonwitch's Walking the streets of Christchurch Project