Richmond Street (Inglewood)

Most of the original streets in Inglewood were named after prominent Taranaki people of the 19^th century. One such man was Henry Robert Richmond.

Born and educated in London, Richmond travelled to New Zealand in 1851. His early years were involved in politics, culminating in his 1865 election to lead the Taranaki Provincial Council. At the time these were the local government bodies responsible for public facilities.

They were short-lived political bodies however. So, at the age of 40, Richmond went to Nelson and studied law, qualified as a solicitor and returned to New Plymouth in 1875. He worked in the profession until his untimely death, aged only 61, on a visit to Christchurch in 1890.

Richmond Street has seen much change since Henry Richmond’s day. The northern end remains residential, a mix of original and newer houses. Early surveyors’ plans indicate significant commercial redevelopment was undertaken around the Rata Street intersection in the mid-1920s. Some of the buildings in that area of the town still reflect those years of Inglewood’s development.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.