Charles Gallagher Place in Bexley Red Zone – Named after Charles Vaughan Gallagher (1918- 1974). Gallagher was the foundation headmaster of Shirley Boys’ High School 1957-1970. First appears in street directories in 1981.

A small amount of information from the library website and yes he had been headmaster at Shirley Boys’ High School but is not why this street received his name. Papers Past had good information and from 1969 until his death in June 1974 he was director of Christchurch Technical Institute. The carpentry students at Tech built pensioner cottages and the first cottages that they built were in this street. The official opening of the cottages was in October 1974 and this was attended by Mrs Gallagher with the mayor Mr Pickering. Charles Gallagher was only 55 when he died.

I didn’t walk this street as it no longer exists and it is part of a large area that is fenced off. No photos either. Edited to say that a friend reminded me that we went to high school with Charles Gallagher’s daughter. I hadn’t picked up on the connection and I hadn’t been a close friend of hers at school.

Arncliff Street in Bexley Red Zone – Formerly Alexandra Street. Named after HM Queen Alexandra (1844- 1925), consort of King Edward VII. Re-named Arncliff Street. Probably named after Arncliffe in North Yorkshire, England. Alexandra Street first appears in street directories in 1914. Re-named Arncliff Terrace in 1933 by the Public Utilities Committee of the Heathcote County Council.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website but there is a mistake as the street wasn’t renamed Arncliff Terrace but was renamed Arncliff Street. The information on Papers Past from the Heathcote County Council very clearly states the name change as being Arncliff St and it was to avoid duplication. There was already an Alexandra Street in Richmond. Most entries on Papers Past were for the Alexandra St in Richmond but did find a couple of death notices for this Alexandra St. Possibly a dairy farm here as there were ads for cows in the 1930s. There was a poultry farm called Raecliff Poultry Farm on this street but the ads stop in the mid 1950s. Sewage was connected in 1963 and in 1966 there were ads for tenders for work on kerbing, channels and footpaths.

Several sections available in 1955 and I wondered if this was connected to the poultry farm no longer advertising in the same year. The year 1971 saw several ads for new homes and sections.

Street view for 2007 showed a variety of houses that looked liked they covered most decades. Street view for 2012 showed a road that was a huge mess with liquefaction and many houses had already been demolished. When I walked the street on Boxing Day it was very wet and flooded in some parts.

Waikare Lane in Bexley Red Zone and nothing on library website. Only one entry on Papers Past and that was a death notice in 1988. I vaguely knew the person from my days at Barrington Post Office. This was a tiny lane that ran off Waitaki St and going by street view for 2007 it just looked like a driveway to a house.

I had walked this area on Christmas Day and went back today to doublecheck the streets. Where this street used to be is now mostly fenced off and you can’t access it.

Seabreeze Close in Bexley Red Zone – First appears in street directories in 1995. A tiny amount of information from the library website. Street view from 2007 shows brick houses that were typical 1990s style. I did find two articles from 2010 describing what it was like for the residents are the September earthquake. The article from February 2012 was about interviews with the last four households still living on the street.

I walked this street on Boxing Day and there are no longer any houses here.

Parenga Place in Bexley Red Zone and nothing on library website. Papers Past had a few entries and it was a new subdivision in 1978. Found several ads for sections and houses for sale with many promoting river frontages. A couple of death notices.

Looking at street view for 2007 and there were some really nice houses here. There was a walkway that took you through to the walkway that followed the river. No longer any houses here and I walked this street on Boxing Day when I was geocaching in the area.

Ibsley Lane in Bexley Red Zone – Probably named after Ibsley in Hampshire. First appears in street directories in 1977. A tiny amount of information from the library website and it is definitely named after Ibsley in Hampshire. I found an article from 1978 where some councillors were objecting to street names. Councillor W J A Brittenden who had put forward several of the names being objected to said that they were all names from delightful villages in the New Forest area. I also found one death notice and a few ads on Papers Past. The ads said that the street ran off Mitcham Place which is why I went looking for the street. The street isn’t on any maps but I eventually found it on an old map from the 1980s. It is only because I was looking at Papers Past for Mitcham Place that I found this street. The area where the street used to be is well and truly fenced off.

Mitcham Place in Bexley Red Zone and nothing on library website. The street was either named after a place in the UK or was someone’s surname. I managed to find several ads on Papers Past for this street and most of the houses were built in the 1980s. At the end of the street there was a walkway through to Mitchem Reserve. After the earthquakes there was a story about a family having their possessions stolen by looters.

Another street that I couldn’t see on Christmas Day and went back there today to check it out. This area is fenced off with warning signs about asbestos and there is no evidence that there were ever any streets or houses here.

Sopley Lane in Bexley Red Zone – Probably named after Sopley in Hampshire. First appears in street directories in 1981.

A tiny amount of information from the library website and I was surprised that the library had information as the larger street that it runs off isn’t mentioned on the library website. As Sopley is on the edge of the New Forest I have probably been here as I did work in the New Forest area a couple of times.

This is another street that I managed to miss on Christmas Day and I went back today to doublecheck. There is no evidence that this street ever existed and the area has been fenced off with asbestos warning signs on the fence. I did manage to find it on maps and and on street view from 2007 it looked like someone’s driveway and there wasn’t a footpath. My photo is the same as what I used for Fordingbridge Lane.

Fordingbridge Lane in Bexley Red Zone and nothing on library website. It was probably named after Fordingbridge in England and I was so sure that I had found a cache here but couldn’t find it when I checked my app. I couldn’t find this street on either google maps or Apple maps but did find street view from 2007. Edited to say that I eventually found it on maps. It was a tiny lane that looked like someone’s driveway. Street was possibly developed in the 1990s but couldn’t find much information.

I managed to miss this street when I walked here on Christmas Day so I went back today to have a look. No wonder I missed it as there is no evidence of any streets here plus most of the area is fenced off with big warning signs about asbestos. I just took a photo of the general area and the photo shows the area where three streets used to be.

Marigold Lane in Bexley Red Zone – First appears in street directories in 1993. A tiny amount of information from the library website and I was surprised that they had some information. The library doesn’t mention many of the nearby streets.

I couldn’t find out any more information and the street doesn’t show up on google maps but it is on Apple maps which is the only reason that I knew that there had been a street here. I managed to find street view for it from 2007 but it just looked like someone’s driveway. When walking here on Boxing Day I wouldn’t have known that there had been a street as there isn’t a signpost or any other evidence of a street.