P.O. Renaming Explained

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31306, 28 February 1967, Page 16

P.O. Renaming Explained

Considerable public interest had been aroused by the Post Office proposals to change the names of several suburban offices, the Chief Postmaster (Mr M. E. Wilson) said yesterday.

The Post Office plans to change the names of the St. Albans office to Merivale, Shirley to St. Albans, Shirley East to Shirley, Ferry road to Phillipstown, Elmwood to Bryndwr, Bryndwr to Seven Oaks, and Moorhouse to Walker street. The names of four other post offices may be changed. Mr Walker said the offices concerned had been named when there was little chance of confusion as to their whereabouts. The St. Albans Post Office had been set up at 183 Papanui road in 1864, but both old and current survey maps showed the site as being situated in Merivale and not in the area recognised as St. Albans. If the name of the post office were changed to Merivale it would conform to survey maps, perpetuate an old Christchurch name, and facilitate the renaming of an office in St. Albans. The Shirley Post Office was opened in Warrington street in 1920 and is in fact in St. Albans. Many people are reported to call there to cash money orders which are drawn on the St. Albans Post Office. St. Albans Park is next to the Shirley Post Office and the bus terminal for buses headed “St. Albans Park” is a short distance away. None of the 17 shops near the post office include Shirley in their trade titles and only one has used the street name Warrington. The latter name is already used for a post office in Dunedin. It is desired to change the name from Shirley to St. Albans to allow the present Shirley East Post Office to be renamed Shirley. It has already been decided to rename the Christchurch North Post Office, which is also- in the St. Albans district. When it is opened in about two months’ time it will be known as Edgeware, The Shirley East Post Office was opened in 1925 in Marshland road, and although old survey maps do not show any locality name, the current maps show Shirley East to be in Shirley. In the shopping centre where the post office is situated are 16 businesses which use the name Shirley. There

are three schools nearby, all called Shirley, as well as the Shirley Methodist Church and Shirley Lodge. The Ferry Road Post Office was opened in 1911 on the corner of Barbour street. A confusing factor is that the Linwood railway station is at the end of Barbour street, which makes many people think Ferry Road Post Office is the Linwood Post Office. It is also confused with the Woolston Post Office, which is one mile south-east on Ferry road. If the Post Office were renamed Phillipstown the office would be much more clearly-pin-pointed and an old locality name would be revived. Confusion has continued over the use of the name Elmwood for the post office in Normans road. Businessmen oppose the name and frequent correspondence and telephone calls intended for Bryndwr go to Elmwood. If local businessmen and residents so desire Elmwood will revert to Bryndwr, which was its name when it was opened in 1936. The Bryndwr Post Office in Greers road serves an area where the name Bryndwr is hardly used by local business people and there is a proposal to rename it Seven Oaks, the name adopted by a local supermarket after the nearby Seven Oaks drive, which runs off Greers road. The Bryndwr Post Office cannot be renamed Wairakei. as there is already a post office of that name . near Taupo. The Moorhouse Post Office in Walker street serves a district mainly industrial and business. A correspondent of “The Press,” Mr Albion Wright, asks why Moorhouse is so named. “The Post Office authorities impress upon all the need to address mail clearly in order to speed delivery, and then confuses the public by giving this name to a post office which is neither in an avenue nor any area called Moorhouse,” he says. Mr Wilson said head office did not favour changing Moorhouse to Walker street because of the objection to using street names for post offices. He said the office was originally planned to be in Moorhouse avenue.