NAME:
Up to 1912, Benfield Ave was a no-exit street known as the west part of Counsel Tce, or Old Counsel Tce. It ended at number 13.
Counsel Tce was named by Judge Rogan, the an early landowner.
In 1912, the street was renamed West St, and an extension was put in linking it with Williams St (now Wilcott St). The extension was named Frederick Street.
Frederick Street was probably named after Frederick Carrington, who surveyed the area (Inomata, 2007).
In 1928, West St and Frederick St were renamed Benfield Ave.
Benfield Ave was named after the subdivision of this area, undertaken in 1884.
DESCRIPTION:
Benfield Ave runs south west from Carrington Rd. It makes a sharp turn and joins Wilcott St.
Numbers 1 to 31 lie on the north and west side of the road. Numbers 2 to 20 lie on the southern side.
FACTS ABOUT THIS STREET:
Mary Inomata has written an article about the history of this street, including details about the murder-suicide.
1884: The Benfield Estate was advertised by J. H. Daubeny. The western part of Counsel Rd was formed at this time, running to what is now number 13.
1912: This part of Counsel Rd was renamed West St. The extension to join up with Williams St (now Wilcott St) was added. This was named Frederick St.
1927: There was a murder / suicide in West Street. Following from this, West St and Frederick St were combined into a new street, Benfield Ave (Inomata, 2007).
SOURCES FOR THIS PAGE:
Auckland Libraries. (n.d.). Auckland city street names. http://www.akcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/streets/streets.html
Inomata, Mary. (2007). Our streets. Mt Albert Historical Society Newsletter, 3. 7-8