I have finished walking and writing up the suburb of Westmorland. In Papers Past I found an article about the the development dated 1982. The subdivision was described as a modern Cashmere and to be an exclusive subdivision. The developers Wayne and Bruce Francis purchased Happy Home Farm from their father in 1958 and decided to turn it into a housing estate. When this article was written Wayne Francis was the sole developer as he had bought his brother’s share of the company. It was apparently a childhood dream of Wayne to cover the hills with houses. Personally I think that this was a weird childhood dream. He planned on two shopping centres including a supermarket, a butcher, a drapery shop and hairdressers. He also planned a tavern but the residents objected to this. He obviously didn’t get any shopping centres here. A primary was planned for the suburb but that didn’t happen either. Wayne said that he had a lot of problems with red tape with the council and the Drainage Board. He had to underwrite the cost of the pumping station. In 1976 he was prosecuted for the discharge of silt into the Cashmere Stream. He also had flooding issues in the subdivision and was upset that people thought that the subdivision was unsafe. He also told the reporter that there had been funding issues and he had to borrow a large amount of money to finish the project. The reporter noted that he was still able to drive a very expensive car.

I researched the Francis family on the Ancestry website and I couldn’t find any connection to the Cumbria area of the UK. They had connections to Cornwall, Devon and Ireland. The original Francis came to New Zealand from Ireland in 1832 and settled in Otago. The various women who married into the family came from Devon and Cornwall.

Not all street names in the suburb are place names in Cumbria even through the library claims that they are from Cumbria.

The meaning of Westmorland is the district of the people living west of the moors.

Ravensdale Rise in Westmorland – Named after Ravensdale Park, a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire. Named to continue the theme in the subdivision of naming streets after places in historic Westmorland in England, since 1974 part of Cumbria. First appears in street directories in 1984.

A small amount of information from the library website and Ravensdale Park is nowhere near Cumbria. There is a Ravensdale in Ireland but nothing in Cumbria. The name was bugging me as I thought that the name was familiar and it was in connection with caves. I found Ravenstonedale in Cumbria and there are caves in that area.

Papers Past had lots of ads in 1980s for sections for sale. A few death notices. In 1981 there was a headline about the developer stepping up the fight to stop erosion. The developers for the suburb of Westmorland were the sons of James George Francis who owned Happy Home Farm. I thoroughly searched Ancestry website but couldn’t find any family connection to Cumbria.

Most houses here were built in the 1980s and 1990s but as you go further up the street the houses were built between 2013 to 2022. There was a mixture of nice houses and ugly houses.

Penruddock Rise in Westmorland – Named after Penruddock, a small village in the English county of Cumbria. Named to continue the theme in the subdivision of naming streets after places in historic Westmorland in England, since 1974 part of Cumbria. First appears in street directories in 1980.

A small amount of information from the library website and Penruddock means headland by the little ford. Most entries on Papers Past were ads for sections and houses in the 1980s. In 1976 the building of the pumping station was up for tender. In 1979 there were plans for a primary school to be built with the frontage to be on Penruddock Rise but this obviously didn’t happen. The developer had plans for shopping centres and a tavern. There were objections from residents about the tavern.

This is a long street that starts at Cashmere Rd where is is a reserve called Francis Reserve named after the developer’s family. There are nearly 200 houses on this street and they are very different in styles. There is one house from 1950s but you can’t see it from the road. Most houses between Cashmere Rd and Blencathra Place were built in the 1980s with a couple from 1970. Until about 2012 there were no houses beyond Blencathra Place. All the houses above Blencathra Place were built between 2014 and 2023 with houses still being built. Great views from the upper part of the street but most the houses are ugly here.

Rushden Rise in Westmorland – Named after Rushden in Hertfordshire, England. Named to continue the theme in the subdivision of naming streets after places in historic Westmorland in England, since 1974 part of Cumbria. Named in 2005.

A small amount of information from the library website and Rushden is nowhere Cumbria. Whoever named the street is a bit challenged when it comes to geography. Rushden means valley where rushes grow.

Only 15 houses here and most were ugly. They were built between 2000 and 2022 with most built in 2010.

Pentonville Close in Westmorland – nothing on library website and I couldn’t find out how the street got it’s name. Most the streets in this suburb are named after places in Cumbria but the only Pentonville that I could find was in the London area.

Most houses here were built in the 1990s and 2000s and there was a variety of styles. A pleasant street and at the end of the street there is a green space that leads to Cashmere Stream.

Woodside Common in Westmorland – nothing on library website yet most houses were built in the 1980s. There are several places in the UK with the name Woodside but none in Cumbria.

Most entries on Papers Past were ads for sections and houses. A pleasant looking street with lovely houses. There is an entrance to Sedgwick Reserve from this street plus a walkway to Petworth Place. What put me off was a really horrible chemical type of smell by the corner of Woodside Common and Clovelly Place.

Sedgwick Way in Westmorland – Named after Sedgwick, a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. Named to continue the theme in the subdivision of naming streets after places in historic Westmorland in England, since 1974 part of Cumbria. First appears in street directories in 1980.

A small amount of information from the library website. Sedgwick means dwelling of farm of a man called Sieg.

A few entries on Papers Past and there were sections for sale in 1983 and 1984. In 1982 a W J Francis applied for planning consent on this street. He was the son of James George Francis who farmed Happy Home Farm.

It is a pleasant street with a nice reserve that has a playground. Most houses were built in 1980s with a few built in 1990s.

Studfold Row in Westmorland – nothing on library website yet the houses here were built in 1980s and 1990s. Studfold is a place name in the Yorkshire near the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Some nice houses here but no footpath and I actually didn’t walk all of this street.

Savannah Lane in Westmorland – nothing on library website and I couldn’t find out how this lane got it’s name. Only 5 houses which were built between 1990 and 2012. I didn’t actually walk this street as it was a very narrow private lane.

Happy Home Rd in Westmorland – Named after Happy Home, the farm there owned by James George Francis (1907- 1962). The farm had been named by earlier owners and was sold to James Francis in the 1940s. First appears in street directories in 1953.

A small amount of information from the library website. There were several entries for Happy Home Farm on Papers Past. The first entries that I found were dated 1860 but many entries were in 1916. The entries in 1916 were about court case to do with a breach of the covenants of the lease of the farm. The covenant was about keeping the gorse clear on the farm but this wasn’t happening. James George Francis was only 56 when he died.

In 1957 there were complaints from the residents about people dumping rubbish on their street. In 1963 the Milk Board banned milk delivery to the street. Reason was that the street was little more than a farm track. Several entries between 1971 and 1974 about connecting sewers to the 29 houses on the street. In 1986 and 1987 there was a subdivision on this street and several sections available. The entry from 1968 about a car that ran down a driveway out of control interested me because as I walked this street yesterday I was thinking that there was no way that my little car could cope with the very steep driveways.

There is one house here from 1950s but most were built between 1980 and 2000. There were some nice houses here plus some ugly ones. I was surprised that there was a footpath for the entire street. The houses were mostly on only one side of the street especially as you got higher up the hill.