RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => Topic started by: blacksmithy on Saturday 28 June 25 06:53 BST (UK)
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I am hoping for some help to read the NZ Directories correctly for a house location. I am looking at the 1905 directory for ChCh for the house location of William Welsh occ. Blacksmith who lived in Hawdon Street (page 232). My understanding is he lived near Matson st which no longer appears on google maps however there is a Maldon st. (I have not found any road name changes in the ChCh City Library street name changes but see there is a Matson Ave in St Albans and a Matson Road in Papanui.) I realise this area of ChCh is very industrial now but would love to know an approximate location of their home. When looking at google maps would the house have been located in the area now occupied by Phantom Billstickers and LM Architectural Builders
Directions in summary:
……….Brougham st………..
Left side from Carlyle st
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…here is Wordsworth st……
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…Coleridge st intersects….
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…here is Matson st………
100 Welsh Wm, blacksmith
Many thanks for your expertise :)
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This blog post says that Matson Street was renamed to Maldon Street in 1926.
https://lytteltonwitch.wordpress.com/2020/01/24/maldon-street-in-the-suburb-of-sydenham-christchurch/
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I’m posting this in its entirety in case it is of wider interest.
From: Star (Christchurch), Issue 17855, 25 May 1926, Page 10
COUNCIL DECIDES ON STREET NAMES.
CITIZENS MAY LODGE OBJECTIONS TO THEM.
Citizens are entitled to lodge objections against the alteration of certain street names by the City Council, which resolved last night to make the alterations by special order, to be confirmed on June 21.
Following is the list of streets it is proposed to rename:—
Avonglade, Richmond, to be Glade Avenue.
Albert Street, Linwood, to be Dobson Street.
Alexandra Street, Richmond, to be Ashby Street.
Church Lane, Linwood, to be Cheshire Lane.
Church Road, Opawa, to be Locarno Street.
Church Street, Opawa, to be Vincent Street.
Church Street, Papanui, to be Bellvue Avenue.
Cumberland Street, Richmond, from Vogel Street to London Street, to be Pavitt Street.
Domain Road, Richmond, to be Freeman Street.
Dyer’s Road, East Linwood, to be Barker Street.
Edmund Street, Richmond, to be Bruge Street.
Elm Street, Central, to be Leech Street.
King’s Lane, Central, to be Plymouth Lane.
Langdon’s Road, Papanui, to be Lambeth Street.
Matson Street, Sydenham, to be Maldon Street.
North Avon Road, from Fowke Street northward, to be M’Leod Street.
North Avon Road, from London Street northward, to be Fitzgerald Avenue
North Avon Road, from Fitzgerald Avenue, eastward, to be Avalon Street.
Park Road, Papanui, to be Windermere Road.
Parkes Street, Woolston, to be Mackenzie Avenue.
Perceval Street, Papanui, to be Perry Street.
River Street, Woolston, to be Oak Street.
Rosewarne Street, Papanui, to be Aorangi Road.
St Andrew’s Terrace, to be Walnut Avenue.
St John Street, Papanui, to be Blair Street.
Sheen Street, North Richmond, to be North Avon Road.
Station Road, Opawa, to be Lucas Street.
Tweed Street, Richmond, from Vogel Street to Forth Street, to be Vogel Street.
William Street, Papanui, to be Wyndham Street.
The only discussion was over the proposal to change the name of River Road. Woolston to Kowai Street: Councillor A. D. Ford pointed out that there was already a Kowai Street in Riccarton. Various other names were suggested, including Veronica Street. Several councillors favoured this name, but it was finally decided to alter the name to Oak Street.
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Detail clipped from this 1922 map (use link within the page to view the zoomable version):
https://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Maps/141654.asp
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Hi, many thanks for all this valuable and interesting information. Having spent the evening on papers past with this new information I have discovered so much more about my family and the house was still standing in 1973! So sad there are no photos (not that I can find!).
Would I be correct in thinking the house would be on the right side of Hawdon street walking away from Brougham st towards Matson/Maldon street?
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I must admit I’m having difficulty reconciling your directory extract with what the map shows.
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The area is defined more clearly on this 1962 map:
https://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Maps/228452-11.asp
of which I'm posting a clip below. Assuming that the area had not already been redeveloped at this date, and also assuming that the small circles denote individual properties, I don't understand how there would have been a number 100 Hawdon Street. How did/does street numbering work in NZ: are numbers continuous as in the UK, or is there some sort of block-based system with not all numbers used, as occurs in the USA?
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Generally in NZ the street numbering is odd numbers on one side and even numbers on the other.
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Hello.
Have no time to assist you now, but I would suggest that you spend some time exploring
https://retrolens.co.nz/
the site takes a little time exploring to find how to select an area of interest, and to zoom in, but the aerial photos, through the years, supply a lot of info of how an area developed.
Also try the City library and the University Libraries for their holdings of old maps. Any documentation, or advert mentioning land title descriptions can also greatly assist in locating old properties.
Alan.
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Hello Blacksmithy
You may already have this info ??
I had a look at Christchurch Electoral rolls >
Christchurch East Roll
1905-06 and 1908 - William and Rhoda WELSH - at 100 Hawdon Street, Sydenham
1911 and 1914 - Christchurch East roll
- both are now listed as residing at No. 12 Hawdon Street, Sydenham
- William's death notice of 1916 (died at ChCh Hospital) but mentions 12 Hawdon Street.
William apparently died Intestate and it wasn't until 1963 that a claim was officially made on his estate.
The following article shows the "for sale" notice for 12 Hawdon Street ...
"Sydenham Cottage on a small section ... Beautifully clean and tidy .... situated just by Brougham Street " :
.... On account of the Administrators in the Estate of the late William WELSH :
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19630622.2.214.7
~ Lu
Edited to add: Hi Blacksmithy ... I realise in having re-read your query, that it was more info you were wanting for 100 Hawdon Street. However will leave my replies in place here in case they are of use. ;D
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Hi again
Just in case you don't already have it, here is link to the Administration file in Estate of late William WELSH.
It mentions the reason for the claim not being made until 1963 was due to the fact that William's spinster daughter, Jean Carlyle WELSH had lived there until her death in November 1962.
https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE69641298
~ Lu
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Thank you everyone for your help and input. I agree Alan, the maps are not looking like 100 houses! And I will go and have a good look at your map tomorrow.
Following a subsequent post by Shanreagh, I gather they must have lived on the right side of the road heading away from Brougham Street given the even numbers of their house.
The retrolens.co.nz looks fascinating with some interesting aerial photos, I'm sure there must be something of interest for this part of my research and subsequent family houses to find. I have work leave coming up and can't wait to get to the libraries!
Thank you for your research Lucy2. After last night's search I had found some of this information. William's daughter continued to live in the house and had spina bifida. She took in sewing and knitting. There are a number of papers past articles about this family which seems to have come to light since I last looked. After her death, the family home was sold but I did not have the Administration file for the Estate, so this is very important to me.
Thanks again for everyone's time and expertise.
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Hello again.
It has taken me 20 minutes tonight to remember how to negotiate the site, and download zoomed in images in a higher resolution, but hopefully this link will take you to an aerial photo taken on 13/9/1940. Not being a city I am familiar with, the first problem is to sort out the direction of the flight recording the succeeding photos, and then locate your target within.
https://files.interpret.co.nz/Retrolens/Imagery/SN152/Crown_152_130_47/High.jpg
The next set were taken in 1946.
In the center of the photo in the link, is a square area that is Sydenham Park bounded by Brougham Street.
The base map upon which all the overlapping photographs are layered, shows numbered plots which I assume are the current street numbers, allowing you to identify the particular property. In 1940 all on Maston Street appear to be residential sections with a house on each, and Hawden a mixture of commercial and private dwellings. Revised after further study.
I will PM you with more detailed info that I have been able to extract.
While Retrolenz provides this service for personal research, RootsChat has some strict rules re copyright and republishing, so will PM you with more info.
Alan.