Bowenvale Ave in Cashmere – Named because it runs through Bowenvale which in turn, is named after Charles Bowen (1804-1871). Bowen, an original land purchaser in 1850, bought Rural Section 82, 50 acres on the “south bank River Heathcote, foot of hills”. He was the first Speaker of the Canterbury Provincial Council but eventually returned to England. First mentioned in The Press in 1923 when it is reported that the Bowenvale Residents and Ratepayers Association had asked the Heathcote County Council to install drainage facilities along Bowenvale Avenue. First appears in street directories in 1923.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website and I suspect that they have managed to muddle up the father and son as it was the son who was the first Speaker of the Canterbury Provincial Council. Who actually purchased the land is also a bit confusing going by the information in the book Place Names of Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills by Gordon Ogilvie. The first section was purchased by C Bowen and the title deed has Reverend Christopher Bowen on it. Charles Bowen senior the same year purchased a large block of land in Fendalltown. The son was Sir Charles Bowen of Middleton Grange.

Papers Past was no help in this situation and neither was the ancestry website. In the 1920s there were many entries referring to it as Bowen’s Valley. In 1925 the Mildren brothers had purchased the Bowenvale quarries but couldn’t find out more about the quarry. There were sections for sale in the 1920s and one ad confused me as it said corner of Bowenvale Ave and Port Hills Rd. I went checking maps and Centaurus Rd used to be Port Hills Rd. Most entries on Papers Past related to the many market gardens on this street. There must have also been a sheep farm here as well because in 1929 there were complaints about mobs of sheep being driven down the road.

The market gardens are now all gone and have been replaced by houses. There was a recent article only a few weeks ago where there are apparently plans to build another 50 plus houses at the end of this street. I don’t know how it will affect the walking track but I believe that the mountain bike track has already been closed.

The houses here date from every decade from 1920s with a big increase in houses from 1990s onwards when the various market gardens were sold off. So many different styles of houses and the ones from the 1920s weren’t obvious. As usual some of the modern ones were fairly ugly.

Matthams Lane in Cashmere and this lane doesn’t seem to actually exist. There are 6 houses here but the addresses for them are 44 Bowenvale Ave. They are B, C, D, E, F and G. There is a sign post for this lane and it is on google maps. There is even street view for the lane. There is a map on the council agenda for 2004 showing the lane but it isn’t on any other official websites. Real Estate agents have the Bowenvale Ave address with Matthams Lane in brackets. I am assuming that it is named after a person because of the s at the end of the name.

Wedgewood Ave in Cashmere – formerly Wedgwood Avenue.Named because the developer was very fond of Wedgwood china. First appears in street directories in 1972 where it is spelt correctly. From 1981 it is mis-spelt as Wedgewood Avenue.

A small amount of information from the library website. Most entries on Papers Past in 1970s were ads for either sections or ownership flats. Both spellings for the street were used and in April 1977 under Council Special Order the street known as Wedgewood Ave was renamed Wedgwood Ave. The renaming obviously didn’t work as maps, signposts and official websites still use Wedgewood Ave. There was a problem with flooding in 1976 caused by Sibleys drain. Most houses here were built in 1970s and 1980s and for some reason many are in pairs. I quite liked the street but Sibleys drain does put me off. The drain seems to start at the top end of Bowenvale Ave and follows Bowenvale Ave for a while and then cuts through the back of some properties. It eventually ends up at the river.

Sunvale Tce in Cashmere and nothing on the library website. Papers Past mostly had ads for sections in the 1970s and as they were all described as sunny elevated sections this is possibly the reason for the name. Most houses were built in the 1970s and 1980s but there are two houses from 1940 and one from 1950s. I did like the house from the 1950s and it looked more like a lovely 1920s wooden villa. There was another house that I assumed was very modern which I couldn’t decide if I liked or not. From the front it looked very ordinary but from the side it had a strange angle that I quite liked. When I checked it out I realised that it was probably from the 1980s and had been empty for 7 years after the earthquakes. It was sold as a ‘As is where is’ property. This was a very common thing after the earthquakes. At the start of the street there is a reserve and a playground. It is also a steep wee street to walk up and there is a footpath on only one side of the street. I did still quite like the street.

Rockcrest Lane in Cashmere – Named to reflect the topography of its site.A right-of-way which rises steeply off Bowenvale Avenue. Named in 2000

A tiny amount of information from the library website. Only three houses here built in 2000 and I didn’t walk this street. There wasn’t a footpath and it definitely felt like someone’s driveway.

Plumwood Lane in Cashmere and there wasn’t any information on the library website. Because of how close it is to Fineran Lane I suspect that it was part of the property that belonged to the Fineran family. Where I searched Papers Past about Charles Fineran there were several mentions of the plum trees on their property. I didn’t actually walk this street as there wasn’t a footpath and it looked like a driveway to just a couple of houses. I was surprised to find out that there were 12 houses here that were mostly built in the 1990s.

Oakview Lane in Cashmere and nothing on the library website. This street would have been named because of a view of an oak tree or there was a market garden here with that name. The houses here were mostly built in the 1990s.

Maurice Knowles Lane in Cashmere – Named after Maurice William Knowles (1918- 2004). The property had been owned by the Knowles family for over eighty years before being subdivided by James Lloyd Developments Ltd. A member of the family asked that the street be named after her father to recognise his long association with the property. Maurice Knowles lived at 52 Bowenvale Avenue during the 1990s. Named in 2005.

A reasonable amount of information from the library website. The electoral rolls actually show Maurice Knowles living at 52 Bowenvale Ave from the 1960s to early 2000 and not just in the 1990s. It isn’t often that I find a street named after someone that I had met. My older son when he was a teenager did weekend work for Maurice. Most the houses on the street were built in the late 2000s.

Herbs Place in Cashmere – formerly Herbs Lane. Named after Herbert Francis Arnold Anthony (1907-1984). Anthony was a glazier who also owned a market garden there. Des Petherbridge bought the land and sub-divided it, forming the lane. First appears in street directories in 1991 as Herbs Lane and becomes Herbs Place post-1997.

A reasonable of information from the library website and nothing that I can add to this information about the name. The s on the end of a street name is always a good indicator that it was named after a person. Most of the houses here were built in the 1980s and nothing stood out for me.

Fineran Lane in Cashmere and it isn’t on the library website. Only 9 houses here which were built in 1990s and 2000s. The street will have been named after the Fineran family who grew fruit and tomatoes on Bowenvale Ave. There was a father and son on the property and they were both Charles John Fineran. There were several entries on Papers Past as one or possibly both of them were involved with the Fruit Growers Association.