Smeaton Road (Bell Block)

The first subdivision of farmland around Smeaton Road in Bell Block was started in the mid-1960s by Ellen Smeaton, when she was over 70 years old. Ellen and husband John Smeaton had farmed in the area many decades earlier and she still owned the land. Their marriage, however, had ended in a great tragedy.

On 11 December 1928, John McLaren Smeaton, aged 54, was haymaking on the farm when a horse bolted just as he was about to unyoke it from a hay-rake. Smeaton, caught in the rake, was dragged along the ground and struck a gatepost. He was taken to hospital but died of internal injuries the following day.

By the 1960s, Ellen still owned the fifty-acre farm. However, Bell Block was no longer the small village it once was and, as the population grew, more houses were being built in the area. Initially, she contracted Beazley Homes to draw up plans for a subdivision. Other companies were interested in the development and, when she took the land to auction in February 1967, it was bought by a company called Parklands Developments. The new owner immediately called its purchase the ‘Smeaton Block’. Development of the area didn’t start in earnest until the 1970s.

Today, Smeaton Road is dominated by Hickford Park. Established in the 1970s and named after Laurie Hickford, the ground is used by sports clubs year-round. Alongside the club rooms is a large carpark, where generations of Bell Block teenagers have learned to drive a car.

In recent years, the Taranaki Cycle Park and a velodrome have been developed nearby, built with the donations of many generous individuals, families and organisations. Many ages are catered for, from the aspiring professional cyclists and BMX riders to young children, keen to ride their bikes among the traffic lights and stop signs.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.

Related plan:

Taranaki DP9859 Sheet 1 Section 5 Bell District, ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)