Onslow Place is a short cul-de-sac in Merrilands, near Te Mete Park. In 1976 it was judged New Plymouth’s best street.
There were six finalists for the prestigious title and the residents of the winning street were justifiably proud. “It’s what we’ve been aiming for” said one of the residents, and it was this sense of pride and teamwork that clearly impressed the judges.
The notable achievement was the result of 10 years hard work. In December 1966 Mr R.A. Warner submitted his plan for the subdivision with the District Land Registrar. The development included the formation of Te Mete Place to provide access to the 14 sections on either side of Onslow Place.
Like a number of New Plymouth streets formed in the 1960s and 70s, Onslow Place was named after a street in the English city of Plymouth. Onslow Road in that city is a short street in the suburb of Peverall, lined with terraced houses.
The many other streets in New Zealand with the same name are more likely to have been named after William Onslow, the 4th Earl of Onslow. In November 1888 he was appointed Governor of New Zealand. The conservative Onslow does not appear to have a happy time in New Zealand, nor was he particularly popular and after only three years in New Zealand he returned to England. He died there in 1911, aged 58.
This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.
Related plan:
Onslow Te Mete Subdivision DP9661, ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)
William Hillier Onslow Biography (1993), Ross Galbreath. Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
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