WELLINGTON CITY STREET NAMES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1741, 12 July 1905, Page 70

WELLINGTON CITY STREET NAMES.

NEW STREETS AND BY-WAYS. THE RECLAMATION. 111. The steady accretion to the building area-- of the city caused by reclamation from the harbour occasioned the further surveying of streets and the extension of existing thoroughfares. ■Clyde quay is supposed to have been named after a ship, the Clyde, which struck a rock on her way from Wanganui to Wellington, and was hauled up on the hard at Kaiwarra for repairs. When the Grainger street block was regenerated, that thoroughfare, which ran parallel'with Courtenay place, disappeared and two new streets Were formed—Allen.street, named after the late Mr George Allen, a boatbuilder, who was Mayor of the city in 1879; and Blair street, named after Mr J. R. Blair, Mayor at the time of the alteration. Recent reclamation near the sheds of the boating clubs has called into existence Cable street, named after the present chairman of the Harbour Board. '-The Grainger street block lay between the Te Aro pa and Clyde quay. It was the' abode of a nondescript class, the name being that of a boatman who was closely associated with the locality. Victoria street was so called after the late Queen, ©ecween Manners street and the water is Old Customhouse street, which explains itself just as the present Customhouse quay does, except that some day people will wonder where the quay comes in. Lombard and Cornhill streets were inappropriately named, as many fugitive streets in different parts of the city, after well-known London thoroughfares; and St. Hill street after Mr Henry St. Hill. Farish street seems to have received its name in a peculiar manner. nvfr w. McKenzie states that the chief surveyor and another gentleman were standing in Manners street • looking, down towards the water, which at th ” time was closer than to-day, when, one of them remarked: “This is a fairish street. 5 ’ The idea was seized upon and the street was 'forthwith named Farish street.

Jervois quay was called after Govfemor Jervois; Mercer street after Mrs John Duthie (who.was a Miss Mercer); Harris street after a member of the City Council;. Chew’s lane after Edward- Chew, an bid identity who carried on business there; Harbour street because it led from the quay to the harbour; Willeston street after Mr C. E. Willeston; Hunter street after the late Mr George Hunter, a member of the City Council, and son of the first [Mayor of the city; Grey street after Governor Sir George Grey; Panama street in memory of the days when the fastest maul from came by way of Panama (the company’s offices were in Grey street); Brandon street after the late Mr A. do B. Brandon, solici- - itor, and member of the Provincial Executive; Johnston street after the late Hon. John Johnston, father of the Hons. Walter and C. J. Johnston ; Waring Taylor street after Mr William waring Taylor, Speaker of the Provincial Council?, and * merchant, whose f unily now resides at Shannon; Bailanoe street after the late Premier; Stout street after the present ' Chief Justice; Whitmore street after the late General Sir G. S.. Whitmore; and Bunny street after Mr Henry Bunny, X formerly Provincial Secretary. SINCE THE FIRST SURVEY. Going over the map again for streets that have been cut at different periods sinco. uie in si survey, we find that the number has been Multiplied over and over again, and some of the names are as difficult to trace as the oldest. Moore leading from Moturoa street to Thorndon quay* is named after Mr George Moore, who was a ■ member of the Executive Council, and at one time, when WelLngto-n was under a Town Board, watched over the interests of Lambton ward. Burnell avenue is believed to be named after the ship Ralph Burnell, well known here n the early days. The first person who lived in Guildford terrace (off Hall street) is said to have* been a Mr Spiers, whose family now resides at Karori. The name should be ‘‘Guilford.” It was given by Mr C. V ebb after the Earl of Gu lford, .for whom he once worked in England. Mr Webb,

who is father of Mr P. P. Webb, and is still, at the age of eighty-seven, weil and active, arrived as one of the surveying staff in the Cuba, and was the first) white man to land on Pet one beach.’ Selwyn terrace is after Bishop Selwyn. Mowbray street is named after the late master of the Thorndon School, now resident at Petone. Golders Hill was so named by Dr Evans, who resided there, after the residence in Hampstead of a personal friend, Judge Evans. Harriett street is stated to have been named after Mrs Evans (wife of Dr Evans). John street was named after a builder and contractor.

The notorious Fraser’s lane, •which, has been replaced by a fine street bearing the name of the late Mayor. Mr J. G. W. Aitken, M.H.R., is believed to have taken its name from one of two brothers, Thomas and Alexander Fraser, who arrived at Kapid on a whaling cruise, in 1837. They lived with -the Maoris at Kapiti and Mana for many years, afterwards coming to Wellington, where they became associated with the circle that made the locality of Fraser’s lane its habitat. Pita Rua street, off Harriett street, possesses a name which will probably cause the philologists of the future some trouble. Mr H. F. ’ Logan explains that the land belonged to one .of the old chiefs of the Pipitea pa who ivere mentioned in the last article, Ihaia Porutu, and his brother. They were called the Pitt brothers. Porutu himself for many years acted as an assessor in native cases. When the property was cut up Mr Logan gave it the name of P'ta Rua, literally “the two Pitts. ” . St. Mary street received its name in. Bishop Viard’s time, after the convent in Hill street. Wesley crescent is so called from its proximity ’to the Wesleyan Church in Molesworth street, Wesley road was formed on land given to the Wesleyan denomination by the company in exchange for a grant which it had received from the Maoris on Te Aro flat and which interfered with the servev of the city. The first ohnrch of fh© denomination on Te Aro flat was ofhaupo, and Avas built by the resident Maoris, Avho were very devout Christians. The earliest m misters were the Revs J( Buller (father of Sir Walter), Ironsides, and Aldred. OnsloAV terrace is a tribute to a recent Governor, and Clifton terrace OAves its name to the early ship Clifton. Mount street, Avluch appears on the original map of the city, was so named to describe the nature of the country. From it runs McKenzie terrace, the only memorial in this way of the first white man who slept on the site of the city, Mr T. W. McKenzie, as Plimmer’s S+eps is of the veteran John Plimmer. Perceval st>eet and M’odonald crescent >re on land that was held jointly by Mr Perceval Johnston, of Sydney, 1 and Mr T K. Macdonald : Whitaker (formerly George, blit changed to avoid duplication 1 ) and Puller streets are a Per S’r Frederick Whitaker .and Sir Walter Buller. Palmer street is’named after a well-known bank official in the early days.

TE AEO PLAT. Herbert street is on land that was owned and cut up by Sir William Fitzherbert; Quin street is named after Mr, .Michael Quin, a blacksmith and farrier, w'ho carried oil business in the vicinity, and was a member of the first City Council in 1870; Howe’s lane is after a bootmaker of that name; Garnett streetis called after a chemist whose place of business was at the corner of Taranaki street; Tonks grove is after the late Mr W. Tonks, father of Mr Enoch Tonks; Knigge’s avenue, alongside the Skating Rink, is after Mr C. Knigge, a German, who at one time owned the New Zealander Hotel, and later built the Rink; Hankey street is aftar a London banker who was connected with the company ; Broadway terrace is merely a fancy name given by Mr H. F. Logan after the New York thoroughfare. • Horner’s avenue is liar 1 ''after Mr J. H. Horner, v ho kept the Aurora-, tavern in Willis r f reet, and was one of the Te Aro Commissioners on the Town Board. Another of these Commissioners was the Hon J. Martin. He owned a great deal of property in the vicinity, and the | subdivisions of it are marked to-day by i family names—Martin street, Mart ; n j square, Marion, and Jessie streets. I Martin’s Fountain was presented to the i city by the Hon J. Martin. Kelvin ' grove was named after a suburb of j Glasgow. I The family of Mr H. D. Edwards, of j Courtenay place, owned a piece of land i in Taranaki street adjacent to the Wesley Church, which was cut up. Ebor street is tlie old Roman name of the town of York, from which the family came. Jacob place was named after a Dane named Jacobsen, who owned the property. Frankv : lle terrace near the j top of Tory street, bears tl. - t.ame of { Mr Frank Buck, who resides there, and i owns most of the houses. Sage’s lane i is the humble memorial of Mr G. C. Sage, of Masterton. A sailmaker by j trade, he came out here in the seventies, and carried on business in Wellington. He started a Sunday school in Tory street, which did very good work, and was afterwards taken over by St. John’s Church and continued in the Mount Cook School. Francis' place, almost opposite to Sage’s lane, is wrongly soelt. It was named after Mrs „T. K. Macdonald, and should, therefore, be snelt Frances. College and Lome streets, which were on college property, were cut up "by the old Weli lington Building and Investment Company. Cambridge avenue runs out of Cambridge terrace. MOUNT VICTORIA. On the slopes of Mount Victoria, Moeller street was named after Mr ' Phillip Moeller, formerly licensee of the Occiden".rl Hotel, and a member of the City Council. Shannon street is after ; Mr G. V. Shannon, of the firm of Thompson. Shannon and Co. He was a prominent volunteer and a leading promoter of the Wellington?and Manawatu railway, which, iri recognition of his services, named one of the principal Lr-TT-nc an Lhe line after him. Mr Shs.n-

i non was appointed a Customs expert, j He afterwards went to reside in the ■Rangttikei. Macfarlane street bears the name of the first Presbyterian minister who came to New Zealand under, th© company. Hawker street, which was on the original map, was probably named, after Mr C. C. Hawker, of Camelford, Corn-wall. Mclntyre’s avenue was named after a Tory street baker, who owned some of the land; Vogel street after Sir* Julius Vogel, whose son was a member of the City Council; Doctors Commons after the London thoroughfare of that name: Stafford street after Sir E. Stafford, one time Premier; Nor-m-anby street after Governor the Marquis of Normanby ; and Port street after a merchant named Robert Port; and ; Caroline avenue after the ill-used Queen j of George IV. I THE DOCK IN THE AIR.

i Mr H. F. Logan, writing on the subject of the drainage of Cambridge and Kent terraces, which .was attributed *© the earthquake of January 23rd, 2855, states that though this no doubt assisted the bursting out of the swamp, it actually took place in the previous year. There was a heavy continuous downpour of rain, with the result that the water made for itself a regular course. It ran down .about where the trees are . planted in the avenue, then crossing to the Avest about the lip© of Alma lane, it passed where the large gasoi meter is now erected, and reached the sea as near as possible to where Tory street is formed. There was never a lagoon-at any part of- the swamp. The burst started in some holes that Avere cut and used for steeping cut flax and experimenting in dressing the leaf. Mr Logan considers that Brougham street was named after Lord Brougham, and not after the vessel, since there are also Brougham streets in Nelson, New Plymouth. and Auckland. He also believes that as Thompson street was on the original map, It cannot have been i named after Mr J. S. M. Thompson.

SOME OF THE SUBURBS. A LIST OF ERRORS. IV. X When Mr Lipman Levy’s property on the slopes of Mount Victoria was subdivided h y Mr T. K. Macdonald, th« auctioneer gave the names Lipman and Levy to two of the streets, to commemorate the original owner. Mr Peter Tutchen, grandfather of Mr R„ E. Bannister, arrived in Wellington by the Arab in 1841, and became the owner of a large area of land in this locality. From him is derived the name of Tutchen street. Moir street is named after the Rev John Moir, who was for many years minister of St. John’s. Ellice avenue, leading out of Ellico street, Brougham avenue, leading out of Brougham street, and Victoria avenue (because it is on the slopes of Mount Victoria) were names given temporarily Avhen Mrs Gray (mother of Mr W. Gray, of the General Post Office) cut ud her property; but they have now

grown into permanence'. Rixon’s grove, Mr F. G. Petlierick states, recalls Mr Robert Rixon, a shoemaker, who lived in Austin street, and owned property there and in Willis streetHarley street is probably named after the London thoroughfare. South of the Basin Reserve the multiplication of streets has been less pronounced. Ranfurly street is a compliment to the late Governor, and Rolleston street to the distinguished politician, the late Hon. W. Rolieson. Coombe street is named after an organ builder, who was at one time a member of the City Council. If it is correct that Bidwell street is named after Mr C. R. Bid-will, who arrived in 1840, and afterwards became a runholder in the Wairarapa, then 1 the name is wrongly spelt. Hargreaves street bears the name of a merchant who has since gone to Christchurch. Wright street is called after Mr J. Evelyn Wright, who cut up a great deal of this and the Vogeltown district, naming 'the streets after himself and family (hence Evelyn place), and after prominent public men of the time. Howard and Wallace streets - are named after an auctioneer, Mr J. Howard Wallace, who wrote a history of early Wellington. Carrington street, named after one of the company’s surveyors, is the only one of the original thoroughfares that runs through the centre of the town acres. Crawford street is after the Magistrate, Mr J. C. Crawford, who also published a historical work about Wellington, and Diver street is after Dr H. W. Diver, who represented Lamb ton ward from 1878 to 1883. Douglas Wallace street is named after a manager of the Union Bank, and Myrtle Crescent after a daughter of Mr H. Crump, who cut the land up. Go x-don street is said to have been so called after General Gordon, and Lux-

ford street commemorates the late Mr G. H. Luxford.

Berhampore originally belonged to Mr George Hunter, who had a man named Guthrie managing it. The name, an Indian one, was given by Mr Hunter, probably from some personal connection with that town, and when the place was cut up by Johnston and Go. they gave the streets Indian names also.: Ohilka is a lake in Orissa, near Berhampore ; . Pb’wah and Jaipur are also Indian towns.

Angus avenue is named after a son (now deceased) of the Hon T. K. Macdonald. B-lyth, Pitt, and Dawson streets are on a piece of ground that belonged to Mr E, Reeves (of the firm of E. Reeves and Co.), and Mr Brown, father of Mr Balcombe Brown. Blyth and Dawson streets were named after sons of Mr Reeves, Messrs W. B. and D. Reeves, and Pitt street after Mr E. B. Brown’s mother. .

East of the main thoroughfare in Newtown, Emmett street is on land that was owned and cut up by the Emmett estate ; Wilson street is named after Mr Alexander Wilson, a large holder of property in Cuba, Tory and Constable streets. He was a Councillor from 188-3-6, and was instrumental in having the official naSne of Newtown changed to Wellington South. Donald McLean street is named after the Land Commissioner; Arney-street after Sir George Arney, one time Chief Justice, and Rhodes street after the late Mr W. B. Rhodes. College green leads up to the Wellington College reserve. Russell terrace, is called after the contractor, Mi* J.. Russell; Mansfield street after Judge Mansfield, of the Native Land Court;' Telford terrace after a merchant, Mr' John Telford, who arrived in the Duke of Roxburgh; and Sievemton terrace after an old settler of Wellington and Makara.

What used to be known as Howe’s Farm, between Constable and Mein streets, was for many years a favourite spot, for picnickers. It was cut up by Mr Walter Turnbull under the name of the- Wellesley block (after the Duke of Wellington), and the streets all commemorate incidents of his life—Picton, Waterloo', Corunna, Douro, and Blucher. THE MELROSE SUBURBS. Roseneath has a history. Once upon a time Sir George Grey wished to see the yellow bluff secured as a site for Government House, but it was considered to be too exposed for that purpose. The property belonged to a man named W. G. Brown, who was connected with the Union Bank. Brown went to Tasmania, became general manager of the Bank of Van Diemen’s Land, and then defaulted on a large, scale. The creditors took over Roseneath and cut it up for sale. The streets, Maida Vale, Grafton road, -and The Crescent, are supposed to he “fancy” names. There was at one time a movement in the direction of making a cemetery on the Roseneath bluff, but it was defeated, -

When Island Bay was cut up, about twenty years ago, the streets were almost all named after the rivers of the United Kingdom and Ireland—-Derwent, Deo, Severn, Liffey, Shannon, Humber, Trent, Mersey, Clyde, Thames, Avon, Tamar. Two foreign rivers the Rhine and the Seine, also found a place, and appropriately enough, the English watering places, Dover and Brighton. Reef street is opposite the reef hi the bay. When Brooklyn was cut up by Baker Bros, and named after the suburb of New York, it was intended to name the streets after Presidents of the Republic ; hence, Garfield, Adams, Jefferson, Cleveland, and Hayes. Washington avenue is also appropriate to the theme.

In the suburb of Vo gelt own (named after Sir Julius Vogel) there are streets bearing the names of Archdeacon Stock, Messrs Borlase, Bunny, Kruhl (German Consul), Duncan (auctioneer), Butts (postmaster), W. T. L. Travers, Robert Port, Moffitt (a. dentist), Vennell (merchant), Captain Mclntyre, Sir Walter Boiler, Rev. J. Paterson, and'many others. Todman street, in Fitchett, recalls one of the original owners, of the land; Mitchelltown is named after MiHenry Mitchell, and the Mr Tait after whom Taitville is named is living there to-day. ON THE' HILL-TOP. The suburb of Kelburne was called after a seat of Lord Glasgow. There are Glasgow terrace and Fairlie terrace (named after another seat of the family) ; Central terrace in the centre, and North and South terraces as indicated; Moxharn terrace is in memory of .the gentleman from whom the property was bought by the company, and Grove road is so called 1 from the plantation that existed there. Amongst the streets in course of construction are several named after trees, Rimu, Ngaio, etc.; Marine is so called because it slopes “gently,” and Glen road is an ingenuous combination of the glen into which it runs and the name of the municipal head gardener, whose exertions have transformed the neighbouring gardens into a beauty-spot. Going further afield to Northland, named after Lord Rahfurly’s son, Orangi Kaupapa road adjoins the old native reserve of Orangi-Kaupapa.; Harbour View has an outlook over the harbour; Creswick road leads to Oreswick. Gardens road leads to the Gardens; and Governor’s and Farm roads to I

the place where, in the days of Sir George Grey and Sir Hercules Robinson, the vegetables for Government

House were grown. The names in this neighbourhood were given by Mr J. B. Harcourt and the late Mr C. B. Pharazyn. The new Anglican Church is at the corner of Creswick and Kaupapa roads. WRONG SPELLINGS. Following is a list of the names of streets that are wrongly spelt:— Leraud should be Lavaud. Nairn should be Nairne. Francis should he Frances. Majoribanks should be Marjoribanks. Waripori should be Wharepori. Epuni should be Te Funi. Orangi Kaupapa should be Aorangi Kaupapa. Guildford should be Guilford. Tinakori should be Tinakofe. Bidwell should be Bidwill. There are still a few well-known names the origin of which remains a mystery. Of these Bawkestone and Wingfield may be mentioned.