Portia Street (Stratford)

One constant about Portia Street has been change. Part of the original town block, it has seen more changes and re-development over the years than most Stratford streets.

One thing has always been the same. Like many streets in Stratford, it is divided by the Patea River. The southern section is dominated by the playing fields of St. Joseph’s School. Further south is where the hospital once stood.

It opened in 1907. As early as 1911, there were discussions about closing a section of Portia Street to enable the hospital’s expansion. The council would not agree to it. Decades later it did and Portia Street was divided into three. The hospital closed in 1998 and today about all that remains is the nurses’ home.

North of the river, Portia Street is a mix of commercial buildings, sports fields and housing. Hockey has always been a prominent sport in south and central Taranaki. The artificial hockey turf beside King Edward Park was Taranaki’s first, opening in 1996. The TET multi-sport centre was developed in the years following.

The old gospel hall on the corner of Regan Street, now a private residence, probably dates from the 1890s. Some of the houses further north along Portia Street, towards Pembroke Road are of a similar age. But there’s also a considerable amount of newer housing, built as the original large sections have been sub-divided.

Portia Street was named after a character in ‘The Merchant of Venice’. In the play, Portia proved herself very good at changing her appearance. Portia Street in Stratford has changed its appearance too, and more than once, since Stratford was first designated a town in 1878.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.