Origins of Bluff street names – #BluffHistory
THIS is the first in a series on the origins of street names in the Southlands SUN's circulation area, starting with the Bluff.
By Duncan Du Bois
While it will not be exhaustive, as my archival resources are not exhaustive, these are the first batch of 10, which I have been able to source, in alphabetical order:
AIKEN PLACE: Named after James Burnett Aiken. Although originally a South Coast resident, after his farm was declared insolvent in 1877, he moved to Durban. Between 1881 and 1883 he was a member of the Town Council. He was also Secretary of the Durban Botanic Society for four years. In September 1885, Aiken left Durban and joined his brother, David, on his Ruthville sugar estate near Port Shepstone.
ANCKETILL AVENUE: Henry Ancketill was a member of the colonial Parliament during its final years before 1910.
ANSTEY ROAD: The Anstey family were prominent in the colonial business world owning a large store in West Street as well as property on the Bluff.
ASHBURTON ROAD: Named after its namesake in Devon, England.
ATHOLL CRESCENT: Of Scottish origin. Blair Castle in Perthshire was the home of the Duke of Atholl.
BERKEN ROAD: Named after F Berken, one of the original settlers of Durban in whose hut a meeting was held on 23 June 1835, at which Captain Allen Gardiner proclaimed that the bay settlement would be named Durban after the governor of the Cape, Sir Benjamin D’Urban.
BRIGHTON ROAD: Another reference to England, Brighton being a prominent holiday town on the Sussex coast.
BYNG AVENUE: Named after Lt Colonel Julian Byng who led the South African Light Horse under General Buller during the Natal phase of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902.
CHARTERS AVENUE: Major Charters led a detachment of 80 men of the 72nd Highlanders to occupy Port Natal in 1839.
CHIPSTEAD AVENUE: Named after a village near Sevenoaks in Kent, England.
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