Ellerslie, New Zealand
| Ellerslie | |
|---|---|
 A view down the town centre's main road. |
|
| Basic information | |
| Local authority | Auckland Council |
| Date established | 1908 |
| Population | 7,263 (2001) |
| Facilities | |
| Train station(s) | Ellerslie Train Station |
| Surrounds | |
| North | Remuera |
| Northeast | Saint Johns |
| East | Mount Wellington |
| Southeast | Sylvia Park , Southdown |
| South | Penrose |
| Southwest | Oranga |
| West | Greenlane |
| Northwest | Remuera |
Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1. A largely residential suburb, the area's best known feature is Auckland's main horse racing course, Ellerslie Racecourse, as well as for being the original site of the Ellerslie Flower Show.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Overview
The suburb was named by early local politician and entrepreneur Robert Graham, after his father's home in Elderslie (sic) in Lancashire, England. Adjacent to his home, 'Ellerslie House', was a track along which Mrs Graham was in the habit of riding her horse every morning, now a street called Ladies Mile. Many of the local streets bear names of Graham family members.[1]
In 1873 construction of the railway from Auckland reached the area. Possibly this was what induced Graham to develop part of his property as the 'Ellerslie Zoological Gardens', a pleasure garden with flower beds, fountains, bandstand and dance pavilion and a zoo.[1] Although it was popular to a certain degree it failed to prosper.[citation needed] In 1886 much of the Graham farm was subdivided for housing but the landscaped grounds became the setting for the Racing Club (though racing had already started in the area in 1857, and remains located here to this day). The racecourse had its own railway station for racedays, and strongly characterised the local area up until its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s.[1]
Next to Ellerslie Train Station developed a small township servicing not only the local residents but also the raceday crowds. As the 20th century progressed the surrounding rural land disappeared and the small town of Ellerslie became absorbed into the suburbs of Auckland. The building of the Southern Motorway was to both strengthen the strategic location already created by the railway as well as damage the local cohesion of the area.[1]
The original Ellerslie Town District was established in 1908. The Borough of Ellerslie was formally declared on 1 April 1938. In 1989 Ellerslie was amalgamated into Auckland City.[citation needed] The area has seen strong population growth in the recent past, growing 32% in the inner Ellerslie area between 1991 and 2001.[1]
Ellerslie is now seen as a very desirable suburb to live in. Its location provides convenient access to the city centre for commuters (via rail and bus links) and ready access to the nearby Southern Motorway for road users. The town centre is pleasant with good services while maintaining a sense of community. Housing in the area is well planned and close to a number of attractive parks, such as Michael's Avenue Reserve and Waiatarua Reserve.
[edit] Town Centre
The Ellerslie Town Centre is on Main Highway near where it intersects with the Great South Road. The construction in the 1960s of the Southern Motorway meant that Ellerslie was less easily accessible from nearby Greenlane, resulting in a downturn in trade and many empty shops, with the area featuring as a backdrop of urban blight in the famous movie Once Were Warriors.[2] However, in the 2000s, a strong upturn in employment in the nearby business parks on the southern side of the motorway (connected to the area with a pedestrian overbridge), as well as a long-term strategy by a local business association, helped revive the area - which is now increasingly becoming oriented to lunchtime crowds and again has many prosperous smaller businesses.[2]
[edit] Demographics
Based on the 2001 Census, and relative to Auckland on the whole, the Ellerslie area had a number of characteristics:[1]
- Higher than average rate of residents with a bachelor or higher degree (21.8 per cent of residents aged over 15 compared to 19.5 per cent across Auckland as a whole)
- Lower level of public transport use (0.86 per cent of people used the train compared to 0.33 per cent across the city, while 4.57 per cent of people used the bus compared to 7.66 per cent of people across the city)
- Higher than usual rate of people driving private or company vehicles to work (68 per cent compared to 58 per cent)
- More people identifying themselves as having a European background, (88 per cent compared to 62 per cent for the city), with 18% of Asian background, the same proportion across Auckland as a whole
- More couples without children, (46 per cent of families without children compared to 38 per cent across the whole city)
- Smaller than average household size (the average household size of 2.2 persons, compared to a 2.7 Auckland average)
[edit] Notable buildings
- Christ Church 1883, a wooden gothic building in Ladies Mile. Its most significant feature is a full set of windows gifted to the congregation by the English firm of Clayton and Bell..
- Former Ellerslie Post Office 1909 John Campbell architect. Decommissioned in the 1980s.
- Former Southern Cross Picture Theatre 1925, converted into squash courts in the 1970s.
- Former Municipal Offices 1926, (corner of Ramsgate St and Main Highway).
- Aborfield (corner of Ramsgate St and Main Highway). A two-storey wooden Italianate house, the residence of Lieut. Col Charles Dawson (18th Royal Irish Regiment), Chairman of the Mount Wellington Road Board and Master of the Pakuranga Hunt.
[edit] Sport and recreation
Ellerslie is home to several sporting clubs, including Ellerslie AFC who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1 and the Ellerslie Eagles who compete in Auckland Rugby League competitions.
[edit] Education
The main local State secondary schools are Auckland Grammar School, Epsom Girls Grammar School, One Tree Hill College, St Peter's College, Michael Park School, Selwyn College and Baradene College of the Sacred Heart. However, of these schools only Michael Park School is located within Ellerslie itself.
[edit] Libraries
Auckland City Libraries. Residents or rates payers of Ellerslie are entitled to free library membership at any of the 17 branches of Auckland City libraries.
Ellerslie Toy Library is a branch of the Toy Federation of New Zealand established by Miss Gillan Gorick in 1972 as a not for profit organisation. There are now 220 toy libraries all over New Zealand. The Ellerslie toy library relies on membership fees and donations to run the library.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Draft Ellerslie’s Future Framework (Auckland City Council, 2006. Accessed 2008-06-28.)
- ^ a b Gregory, Angela (23 June 2008). "Ellerslie: A story of revitalisation". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10517745. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
- Ellerslie Town Heritage Walk, Ellerslie Business Association Mainstreet Programme 2005
[edit] External links
- Ellerslie Online (business association website)
Coordinates: 36°53′51″S 174°48′31″E / 36.897581°S 174.808493°E
