Word on the street: Beach Street
Beach is a simple and very common street name. The Automobile Association lists ‘‘Beach’’ as the third most popular street name in New Zealand – this includes both Beach streets and roads.
Beach St in New Plymouth runs from Devon St East toward Fitzroy Beach, hence the name. In 2004 a previously unnamed roadway down to the beach reserve was named after a local identity, Ron Barclay.
On the evening of February 17, 1909, 32 sections in what was then known as Shuttleworth’s Estate were put up for auction at Leslie Adams Nolan’s New Plymouth office.
The sections, on either side of Beach St, ranged in size from quarter of an acre near Devon St to ‘‘over half an acre’’ closer to the beach. In the lead-up to the auction, newspaper advertisements ramped up enthusiasm for the locality with the catchcry ‘‘Why Live in Town?’’.
The suburbs were deemed the place to be, with ‘‘plenty of fresh air and space ... children will be healthier and happier for the romps in the green paddocks’’. Fitzroy was described as the ‘‘leading suburb in New Plymouth’’, with Beach St only two minutes away from all that Fitzroy village had to offer. Despite all the enthusiasm for the locality, only a few quarter-acre sections sold on the night – for up to £140 – though it was reported several more would-be purchasers were negotiating privately.
The local area had acquired the name ‘‘Shuttleworth Estate’’ from a prominent landowner, Darius Shuttleworth.
Darius had immigrated to New Plymouth from England with his brothers in early 1856. After the First Taranaki War, the brothers established a successful business as timber merchants, ironmongers and general importers. Darius Shuttleworth died on December 27, 1901 after a long illness. By the time Beach St was formed and subdivided, the land had been bought by farmer Anders Hagenson, but for marketing purposes the wellknown local name of Shuttleworth was used.
Contributed by the Taranaki Research Centre I Te Pua Wānanga o Taranaki at Puke Ariki.