Margaret Place

On occasions the naming of a street has the happy co-incidence of recognising or celebrating more than one person. Margaret Place is one these; it is named after the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the wife of the developer, Lewis Raymond (Ray) Wheeler.

This Merrilands street was named in 1963, about the same time as a street on the other side of the city was given the name Elizabeth. The naming coincided with the 1963 Royal Tour by the Queen and Prince Phillip. Although the Queen and her sister were honoured in this way it was not enough to persuade the reigning monarch to include New Plymouth on her itinerary.

While Queen Elizabeth has led her life in the limelight, and without too much controversy, Princess Margaret gave the tabloid press plenty of column inches. At the age of 22 the Church of England refused to agree to her marriage to the recently divorced Captain Peter Townsend, 16 years her senior. She eventually married the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960; the first royal marriage to be broadcast on television.

The relationship, despite the birth of two children, was plagued by speculation of extra- marital affairs and the couple eventually divorced in 1978. Princess Margaret's final years were dogged with ill-health caused by heavy smoking and drinking. She died on 9 February 2002 at the age of 71.

Our local Margaret was born in 1922 and married Ray Wheeler in 1947. They had three children, one of whom is the well-known New Plymouth horse trainer, John. Margaret died in 2010 at the age of 87.

When Ray Wheeler suggested Margaret as the name for the road in his Merrilands subdivision, the choice was a fitting tribute to his loving wife and a prominent member of the Royal family.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.