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ELLERSLIE DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Picture: An elaborate advertisement for an auction of subdivided
land in Ellerslie dated January 1886. New Zealand Maps 4225, Special Collections,
Auckland Public
Library.
 The
Emergence of a Township
Robert initially planned to create a cemetery on the remainder of his estate
but was thwarted when the central government refused to grant legislative permission.
Following the example of Remuera, Robert instead subdivided the land into building
lots. Advertisements for the settlement included land for a school, a church,
a mechanic's institute, a Masonic hall, and a water recreation area. During the
late nineteenth century settlement of this subdivision transformed Ellerslie
into a small but rapidly expanding township, the first national census in 1878
listing 32 residents in the village. By the 1930s the community possessed a primary
school, three churches, numerous sports and leisure clubs, a post office and
a railway station.
Although residential development continued throughout the twentieth century,
as late as 1953 large areas of land around Celtic Crescent, Marua Road, Ladies
Mile, Amy Street, and between Ellerslie and Panmure remained open paddocks with
scrub, gorse, and rocks strewn around the land. In contrast, Umere Crescent boasted
some beautiful homes and became known as the desirable place of residence for
more prosperous families in the town. |
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