Page Street (Stratford)

Page Street in Stratford was not named after the many leaves of Shakespeare’s First Folio but for a family of characters in his comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor. First published in 1602, this play tells the story of Sir John Falstaff and his foolish attempts to seduce Mrs Page and Mrs Ford, the clever wives of two wealthy merchants. Windsor Park on Cloten Road was named after the same play, as suggested by Dr Doris Gordon in 1934.

An old blacksmith’s store was converted into a hotel on the corner of Page Street and Broadway in 1894, but the rest of the street only began to be developed in the 1910s, with sections selling for a deposit of £10. It was described in advertisements as being “right alongside King Edward Park [with] rich soil, [a] healthy situation… and within 6 min of [the] Post Office”.

In 1936, Frank McCullough appeared in the local magistrate’s court for allowing 50 cattle to graze along Page Street, so development was clearly slower than hoped. McCullough claimed he was doing the town a favour by clearing the long grass along the road, lest “Some dry day… a small boy may drop a match… which may blaze up, and beautiful trees may be scarred and blackened.”

Construction of a children’s playground in King Edward Park, with its entrance on Page Street, began in 1920. Financed by Percy Thomson, who went on to become Mayor of Stratford, the Page Street playground has hosted many carnivals, concerts and fancy-dress processions over the years. This seems to have been why an application to open a tannery on the street was turned down in 1924, the Borough Council deeming the potential for bad smells too risky.

Page Street once had an extra section. Located at the intersection with Brecon Road, it was originally known as the Page Street Extension, but came to the attention of Land Information New Zealand as the street numbers did not meet LINZ standards. Stratford District Council considered renumbering all of Page Street to include the extension properties, but it was eventually decided to rename it entirely. Councillor Gloria Webby suggested Ford Street, after the other merry wife in the play, and this was accepted by unanimous decision in October 2021.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.