Bracken Street

Bracken Street is home to arguably New Plymouth's most distinctive historic residence. The large house with its striking turret sits proudly on your right as you drive up Cutfield Road. The local landmark was built in 1911 for New Plymouth businessman Charles Stuart Curtis. At this time the street was known as "Glen Road", and the house itself as "Glen Stuart". New Plymouth-born author Helen Brown spent her childhood living in the house and has written of her affection for the grand homestead.

By the 1920s the name of the street had changed to Bracken Street. It was named after Margaret Bracken Skinner, the wife of noted New Plymouth surveyor and historian William Henry Skinner. It's thought the couple owned the land that was subdivided for the development of the area. Bracken is a family name tracing its origins back to Margaret's grandmother. Grace Bracken married Thomas Hirst at the Parish Church, Halifax, Yorkshire on 22 June 1829. The Hirsts arrived in New Plymouth in 1851 with five of their 11 children, including Margaret's mother Mary.

Margaret married William Skinner on 15 August 1880 and the couple had two daughters and one son. Although for the much of her life she devoted herself to family, church and community work, in later years she accompanied her husband on surveying trips into the Taranaki bush. Colleagues of Skinner spoke of the "quiet influence exerted by Mrs Skinner and her skill in softening the roughness of camp life." Mrs Skinner died on 12 May 1952 aged 93, and was buried at Te Hēnui cemetery.

Interestingly, Bracken Street once had a southern section, off Gladstone Road. The two were separated by a steep ridge, with old maps indicating the intention to join the two together. By 1989, when it was obvious this wasn't going to happen, the council renamed the southern portion Hoyle Place.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.

Related plans:

Barrett Road District (1902), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Glen Road (later Bracken Street) Deed 26, ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Town Belt B (Bracken Street) Deed 45, ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)

Bracken Street (Glen Stuart) DP6915, ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)