St Albans, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
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
. The suburb is inside the Christchurch Central electorate
and is represented by Brendon Burns
, who has been the MP
since the 2008 election
.
from 1881 until 1903 when it became part of Christchurch City. St Albans was named after George Dickinson’s farm, which lay to the south of the St Albans Creek. He had called his farm ‘St Albans’ in memory of his cousin Harriet Mellon
, an actress, who had become the Duchess of St Albans.
. Lots of chimneys came down but only few complete houses. In the 22 February 2011 earthquake the suburb was hit hard. Many houses, supermarkets, and shops were significantly damaged with a lot ending in total demolition. In July 2011, the demolition of the former library, which houses the community centre, was ordered by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority
.
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's largest suburbs. It is a short walk from the central city. To the east of St Albans is Shirley
Shirley, New Zealand
Shirley, sometimes referred to as Windsor, is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, about north-east of the city centre.-Naming:Susannah Buxton was married to John Buxton . On her deathbed in 1868, she asked her son, Joseph Shirley Buxton , to gift land to the Methodists to build a church...
and to the west is Fendalton
Fendalton
Fendalton is a suburb of Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand.-History:Fendalton was originally known at Fendall Town, named after the original settler of the land, Walpole Cheshire Fendall . Fendall emigrated from Yorkshire in 1850 and took up land north of the Waimairi Stream...
. The suburb is inside the Christchurch Central electorate
Christchurch Central
Christchurch Central is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate in the South Island city of Christchurch. The electorate was established for the 1946 election and has always been won by the Labour Party. Since 2008, the incumbent is Brendon Burns...
and is represented by Brendon Burns
Brendon Burns (politician)
Brendon Burns is the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central electorate of the New Zealand Parliament.-Early life:Burns worked for 12 years in the Parliamentary Press Gallery. As editor of The Marlborough Express for seven years, he led various community initiatives and won the...
, who has been the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
since the 2008 election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
.
History
Originally a working-class settlement, it was a separate boroughBorough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
from 1881 until 1903 when it became part of Christchurch City. St Albans was named after George Dickinson’s farm, which lay to the south of the St Albans Creek. He had called his farm ‘St Albans’ in memory of his cousin Harriet Mellon
Harriet Mellon
Harriot Mellon was a British actress who eventually starred at Drury Lane. She was successively the wife of banker Thomas Coutts and William Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St Albans....
, an actress, who had become the Duchess of St Albans.
Community facilities
St Albans centers on the Edgeware shopping centre on Edgeware Road which contains a small number of well-supported shops. A large number of the shops are out of action or were demolished in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes. The suburb contains two schools, St Albans Primary School and St Albans Catholic School. The two main parks in the suburb are St Albans Park and Malvern Park.The St Albans Neighbourhood News
St Albans is known for its sense of cohesiveness and community spirit. This has manifested itself in the local monthly paper, The St Albans Neighbourhood News (STANN) was first published by a group of local residents in 1996 and is still going to this day. It has a distribution of 5000 homes and businesses and has recently expanded to fill 16 pages. Over the years it has been central in numerous community related issues including local planning, Packe Street Park, the Edgeware Road Tragedy and the closure of Edgeware swimming pool of which it was editorially opposed. The community has now regained control of the pool site and the pool will now be rebuilt with a generous donation from a local resident.Earthquake damage
The suburb was not significantly damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
. Lots of chimneys came down but only few complete houses. In the 22 February 2011 earthquake the suburb was hit hard. Many houses, supermarkets, and shops were significantly damaged with a lot ending in total demolition. In July 2011, the demolition of the former library, which houses the community centre, was ordered by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority is a public service department established by the New Zealand government to coordinate the rebuilding of Christchurch and the surrounding areas following the 22 February 2011 earthquake.-Description:...
.
Notable residents
- Wizard of New Zealand - Lived in the suburb until his Cranford Street home was destroyed by fire in September 2003.