Handley Place

Handley Place is a short cul-de-sac in Glen Avon, leading off Alberta Road. The subdivision was completed in three stages by Brown Lands Development beginning in 1966, with the final survey plan approved on 17 November 1967.

In April 1968 Andy Aldridge Land Agency sold off the remaining sections (seven had already sold) for £950 each with the tag lines “excellent building sites” and “all lie to the sun”.

Council records are silent on the origin of the name but the company involved in the subdivision provides a clue.

Reverend Henry Handley Brown and his family arrived in New Plymouth aboard the Eclipse just before sunrise on 3 March 1859. Barely a year later Taranaki was in the midst of war and while some of the family were removed to Nelson for safety, the older sons stayed to fight. Frank Handley was killed at the battle of Mahoetahi and another son, Henry, joined the Taranaki Bushrangers, eventually reaching the rank of Lieutenant with the Taranaki Rifles.

After the Taranaki Wars the younger Henry set up a sawmill on the family farm at the foot of the Pouākai Ranges. From these modest beginnings grew a timber business familiar to many Taranaki residents, Henry Brown and Co. Once the railway opened at Inglewood, Henry Brown moved the business there and later to other parts of Taranaki including a large site at the bottom of Morley Street. In 2000 the company relocated to Auckland but still operates under the same name with descendant Richard Brown running the business.

The Handley name came from Henry’s mother, Frances Connington Handley, who married Major Francis Brown in 1813. As sometimes happens, her surname was used as a tribute and passed down through the generations.

As well as their influence on the timber industry, the family is known for their excellence on the rugby field. Three have been All Blacks, starting with Handley Welbourn Brown who toured with the Invincibles in 1924-25. His brother Henry played for the All Blacks in the 1930s and Handley’s son, Ross Handley Brown, played 16 tests for New Zealand between 1955 to 1962. In 2019 the family generously donated Handley’s rare Invincibles rugby jersey to Puke Ariki.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.

Further reading: 100 Years of Timber: A History of Henry Brown and the Company He Established, John E. Gifford. (Taranaki Research Centre collection TRCT338.1749 GIF)