Essex Street

When early settler and Masterton mayor A.W. Renall died his family subdivided some of the land he owned and formed a new street just to the north of the street that bears his name. As Renall was born in Heybridge, Essex, the street was called Essex Street.

The bottom end of Essex Street had been used as a market garden by a number of Chinese gardeners in the early years of this century, and for some time the street was known as Cabbage Avenue.

Pic: Canal-side building is Heybridge, Essex, Alfred Renall's hometown.