Sandringham, New Zealand

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Sandringham is an Auckland suburb.

Sandringham was named after the country house of Edward, Prince of Wales. This house, which is located in Norfolk is now the personal property of the Queen. Perhaps coincidentally the Auckland suburb of Sandringham is, like its Norfolk namesake rather flat in nature.

The main road is Sandringham Road which runs more or less north-south. At the northern end, Kingsland is located near the Eden Park Rugby grounds. The Sandringham shops are located at the southern end of Sandringham Road just before it connects with Mount Albert Road.

Today, Sandringham is a bustling, multi-ethnic suburb, and has a population of 10074.

[edit] History of Sandringham

The Sandringham suburb (named Edendale until 1929) began as a small farming settlement in the 1870s. Up to that time, most of the population had been living in the town of Auckland, which was a relatively small centre on the Waitemata Harbour. The first residents of the Sandringham area were mainly engaged in dairy farming or growing produce.

Substantial development only came around 1925 with the construction of the tramline, resulting in the core of what is now the Sandringham Shopping Centre being built. Rows of evenly spaced streets spread on each side of Sandringham road and were lined with wooden Edwardian houses. Large parts of the area remained undeveloped however, and services such as telephone, electricity and gas were only provided at a minimum level.

Over the following decades more retail buildings were constructed, including the Waring shop buildings, a local landmark on the corner of Kitchener Road and Sandringham Road. The once flat and empty farmland became suburbia and houses, mostly 1920s Californian bungalows, began to dominate. Around 1927, the Mayfair Cinema was built, providing entertainment in the area. This elegant building was in the Neo-Greek style and closely resembled the Capitol Cinema in nearby Balmoral, it was demolished in the early 1990s.

After the Second World War, what little remained of the farmland was developed as state housing, and the town was absorbed into the suburbs of Auckland. The Sandringham Shops remain a nice centre for the suburb and are a virtually intact example of an interwar suburban shopping precinct.

[edit] Landmarks in the Area

• Waring Shops - This imposing block of narrow shop blocks was constructed in 1923 and takes its name from the local grocery store. The shop has maintained its look, with the same clear white paint job it has always had. It is now a t-shirt shop and electrician's office.

• Sandringham Community Centre - The community centre is an important gathering place, with language classes, dancing classes, and a mini-market and lunch on Thursday. To the rear of the community centre is located the kindergarten.

• Edendale Primary School - Most kids in the area attend this school, which has a role of about 550. It has 27 classrooms, a hall,library, and rooms for computing & art.

• Site of the cinema - The 1920s cinema was bought by a church in 1993 and demolished to make way for a dentist's office and doctor's practice. While not impressive, it is an important part of the town.

[edit] RECREATION IN THE AREA:

There are quite a few things to do in the area:

• Bike riding - Just riding along in the shopping centre or around the treelined streets is a popular form of exercise and good for getting some fresh air, especially in Sandringham, where the air is very clean and fresh.

• Walking - Walking about in town and doing some shopping is also a good way to pass the time.

• Internet cafes - The Sandringham shops are the location of a number of Internet cafes. Besides offering Internet access they also have games, fax, and printing facilities. Often run by Chinese, they are a popular form of entertainment in the suburb, with heaps of kids patronising them to play computer games. There are three in town: Centronics and two other ones.

• Shopping - In recent years a number of ethnic shops have opened in the Sandringham shops. These are a highlight of the area, particularly those dealing in Sri Lankan and Indian goods. Enter a shop and you will feel like you've entered a spice market.