NAME:
Chatham Ave This road was named by James Martin Logan in 1921, who was the developer of the Prince of Wales Estate.
The origin of the street name is unconfirmed: it could have been named after the English port Chatham, the Chatham Islands, or the ship that these islands were named after (Davenport, 1990, p.48). The Logan family came from Glasgow, so it might be named after the town Chatham south of Glasgow.
However, given the timing, and the close connection of the Logan brothers to Devonport and the Auckland maritime community, it seems likely that this street was named after a significant current event. On 1 October 1920 HMS Chatham was the first ship to be commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy. Prior to this, it had been part of the Royal Navy, and was well known to New Zealanders because of its work in the Dardanelles. It arrived in Auckland on 26 January 1921, and for the next few years was a prominent part of the Auckland scene.
DESCRIPTION:
Chatham Ave runs north west from Martin Ave. At the north west end it turns west and joins Parkdale Rd.
Norgrove Ave runs off it.
On the north side of the road lie numbers 1 to 37. On the south side lie numbers 2 to 42
The boundary of Mt Albert is at the point where Norgrove Ave intersects. # 1-#23 and #2-#30 are in Mt Albert.
FACTS ABOUT THIS STREET:
1937: “described as 1/4 mile long, with 31 residences.” (Auckland Libraries, n.d.).
SOURCES FOR THIS PAGE:
Auckland Libraries. (n.d.). Auckland city street names. http://www.akcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/streets/streets.html
Davenport, John. (1990). Street names of Auckland: Their story. Auckland: Hodder & Stoughton.