The Perry family clearly loved Cornwall, their county of origin. B .P. Perry named the road to his Taratahi farm Cornwall Road, and his brother Walter named one of Masterton’s suburban streets Cornwall Street.
Originally this was one of the many Masterton streets to have two names. The section west of Pownall Street was constructed first, and named Bennington Street to commemorate the family that owned the block it went through. Perry named the eastern portion Cornwall Street, and the Borough Council changed the name of the whole street to Cornwall Street in 1905. Cornwall Place, now Kokiri Place, was also named after the county.
During a proposed development of the corner of Pownall Street and Hillcrest Street in 1975 a number of street names were chosen. These streets were never formed, but make interesting reading.Cornwall Place, which was to be extended into the new subdivision, was to be changed to Cumberland Street, and the following streets were to be created:
Girdlestone Street; Holdsworth Avenue; Te Mara Terrace; Mitre Place; Fishpond Crescent; Meadow Crescent. The first four streets are named after peaks in the Tararuas, the last two reflect the proximity of the trout hatchery.
Pic: The wild coastline of Cornwall, the homeland of the Perry family.