Trafalgar Street

Trafalgar Street is a cul-de-sac in Westown opposite a self-service petrol station which opened in May 2021. When it was surveyed in 1960 the site across the road was home to well-known horticulture firm Duncan & Davies.

The original correspondence from legal representatives of the developers indicates that the subdivision was a project driven by Key Homes Corporation Limited, based in Fielding. The landowners were Mr William Abraham Willan and Mrs Bessie May Callaghan.

Later correspondence suggests that Key Homes purchased Willan’s property and that the venture was just a partnership with Mrs Callaghan. The final survey plan (DP8730) shows an ambitious 45 section development, with sections on either side of the soon-to-be Trafalgar Street and several fronting Tukapa Street.

Also noted on the plan are two existing houses, one on the southwest corner of Trafalgar Street and the other on Tukapa Street. The bungalow on the corner of Trafalgar Street remains, while the other, an early 20^th century villa, has recently been moved from the site. 

The choice of Trafalgar as the name for the street was that of the owners, although the reason for their decision was not explained. It’s likely that the council was comfortable with the choice as it fitted with their policy at the time of naming streets after those in the English city of Plymouth. Trafalgar Street in Plymouth is a short laneway near Beaumont Park, nicknamed “Squirrel Park” due to its abundance of grey squirrels.

The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement between British Royal Navy vessels, led by Lord Horatio Nelson, and a combined fleet of French and Spanish Navies under the command of Admiral Pierre-Charles Armée. The battle was waged off Cape Trafalgar on the south-west coast of Spain on 21 October 1805.

Their victory, and particularly Nelson’s brilliant tactics, were a source of huge pride and celebration for the British. Arguably the most notable expression of this is London’s Trafalgar Square, featuring an enormous column topped with a 5.5m statue of Nelson himself.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.