History

The suburb is named after the three Bishop brothers, James (1848 – ?), Robert (1851–1940) and William (1854–1903), who bought land in the area in 1858 or 1859 and established pipfruit orchards. Initially, the area was called Bishopsdale, but the second 's' was dropped from the name. Part of Greers Road (the section between Harewood Road and Sawyers Arms Road) was formerly called Bishop's Road. It was renamed in 1948 to avoid confusion with Bishops Road in Papanui

Papanui

Papanui is a major suburb of Christchurch New Zealand. It is sited five kilometers to the northwest of the city centre. Papanui is a middle socio-economic area with a population of 3,543 consisting predominantly of Pākehā 92.3%, Māori 5.7%, Pacific peoples 2.5%, Asian 5.0%, Middle Eastern/Latin...

 and Bishop Street in St Albans

St Albans, New Zealand

St Albans is one of Christchurch, New Zealand's largest suburbs. It is a short walk from the central city. To the east of St Albans is Shirley and to the west is Fendalton...

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Location and services

Bishopdale lies close to Christchurch International Airport

Christchurch International Airport

-Facts & figures:As the gateway for Christchurch and the South Island, Christchurch International Airport is New Zealand’s second largest airport.5,908,077 passengers travelled in and out of Christchurch International Airport from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009...

 at Harewood

Harewood, New Zealand

Harewood is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is north-west of the city centre. It had a population of 3,234 in the 2006 census, an increase of 477 since 2001.-Transport:SH1 passes through Harewood, and separates the land use...

 and Christchurch's zoo, Orana Wildlife Park

Orana Wildlife Park

Orana Wildlife Park is New Zealand's only open-range zoo, located on the outskirts of Christchurch. It opened in 1976, and is owned and operated by the Orana Wildlife Trust, a registered charity.-External links:*...

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Bishopdale is overall a middleclass suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

, with a wide range of people living in the area. Most of the houses were built in the 1960s, and are either brick or wood, single story designs. The area boasts a lot of parks and recreational areas, and a small shopping mall. The main schools in the area are Bishopdale Primary, Isleworth Primary, Harewood Primary, Cotswold Primary, and Breens Intermediate

Breens Intermediate

Breens Intermediate School is located in Bishopdale in Christchurch, New Zealand. It has a roll of approximately 200 students. It serves year 7 and 8 students. Having recently gone through a change of principal, Brian Price now leads the school. Established in the 1970s, Breens Intermediate is...

. All have generous areas of landscaped park ground.

Bishopdale has a library and many churches, including Presbyterian, Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...

 and Catholic

Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch

The Latin Rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. Its cathedral and see city are located in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand...

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