27 May 2024

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Christchurch street names have a deep history, stemming from tributes to war heroes, families in the area, iconic monuments and even the horse that grazed on the site.

An old milking shed was the inspiration for Milkers Gate, Parklands, when it was named in 2002. The area had a rich dairying history and has since been developed by Brian Gillman Ltd into The Limes subdivision, with some names causing controversy among Burwood-Pegasus Community Board members.

Richmond’s Aldersley Street was named in 1941 after Philip Atkinson Aldersley (1882-1963). Philip ran a bakery in the area in the 1940s and 50s and lived one block over in a government housing settlement on Chrystal Street. He gave the Mayor, E. H. Andrews, £5 for the first baby to be born to residents of the street in acknowledgement of the naming.

Further north in the red zone of Brooklands you’ll find Shammys Place, which was named in 2002 after Shammy, the horse that had grazed on the paddocks which were subdivided to form the street.

Shammys Place, now redzoned, has come full circle and is surrounded in paddocks once again.

Sitting in the Quarry View subdivision off Kennedys Bush Road is Shotfirer Lane, named after the shotfirers who worked with explosives to dislodge rock from the rock face at the Halswell Quarry. The street was named in 2012 by the local Community Board.

Centaurus Road, formerly a part of Port Hills Road, was named to commemorate the first visit of the Imperial Airways flying-boat Centaurus to the South Island on 3 January 1938. The name was given to the street shortly after on 25 February that same year.

Residents can now delve into the history of local streets with Christchurch City Libraries’ extensive street names map.

“The streets and places map aims to give a back story to many of our local street names and is a fantastic resource to acknowledge our history and what used to be,” says Head of Libraries and Information Carolyn Robertson.

The information available on the interactive map has been collected from published works, manuscripts, interviews and Christchurch City Council archives.

“Our street names tell a story, some older than others, and the history behind them helps us to connect to our city and environment,” Ms Robertson says.

View the street names map here.