| Ellerslie | |
|---|---|
A view down the town centre's main road. |
|
| Basic information | |
| Local authority | Auckland Council |
| Date established | 1908 |
| Population | 7,263 (2001) |
| Facilities | |
| Train station(s) | Ellerslie Train Station |
| Surrounds | |
| North | Remuera |
| Northeast | Saint Johns |
| East | Mount Wellington |
| Southeast | Sylvia Park , Southdown |
| South | Penrose |
| Southwest | Oranga |
| West | Greenlane |
| Northwest | Remuera |
Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1. A largely residential suburb, the area's best known feature is Auckland's main horse racing course, Ellerslie Racecourse, as well as for being the original site of the Ellerslie Flower Show.
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The suburb was named by early local politician and entrepreneur Robert Graham, after his father's home in Elderslie (sic) in Lancashire, England. Adjacent to his home, 'Ellerslie House', was a track along which Mrs Graham was in the habit of riding her horse every morning, now a street called Ladies Mile. Many of the local streets bear names of Graham family members.[1]
In 1873 construction of the railway from Auckland reached the area. Possibly this was what induced Graham to develop part of his property as the 'Ellerslie Zoological Gardens', a pleasure garden with flower beds, fountains, bandstand and dance pavilion and a zoo.[1] Although it was popular to a certain degree it failed to prosper. In 1886 much of the Graham farm was subdivided for housing but the landscaped grounds became the setting for the Racing Club (though racing had already started in the area in 1857, and remains located here to this day). The racecourse had its own railway station for racedays, and strongly characterised the local area up until its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s.[1]
Next to Ellerslie Train Station developed a small township servicing not only the local residents but also the raceday crowds. As the 20th century progressed the surrounding rural land disappeared and the small town of Ellerslie became absorbed into the suburbs of Auckland. The building of the Southern Motorway was to both strengthen the strategic location already created by the railway as well as damage the local cohesion of the area.[1]
The original Ellerslie Town District was established in 1908. The Borough of Ellerslie was formally declared on 1 April 1938. In 1989 Ellerslie was amalgamated into Auckland City. The area has seen strong population growth in the recent past, growing 32% in the inner Ellerslie area between 1991 and 2001.[1]
Ellerslie is now seen as a very desirable suburb to live in. Its location provides convenient access to the city centre for commuters (via rail and bus links) and ready access to the nearby Southern Motorway for road users. The town centre is pleasant with good services while maintaining a sense of community. Housing in the area is well planned and close to a number of attractive parks, such as Michael's Avenue Reserve and Waiatarua Reserve.
The Ellerslie Town Centre is on Main Highway near where it intersects with the Great South Road. The construction in the 1960s of the Southern Motorway meant that Ellerslie was less easily accessible from nearby Greenlane, resulting in a downturn in trade and many empty shops, with the area featuring as a backdrop of urban blight in the famous movie Once Were Warriors.[2] However, in the 2000s, a strong upturn in employment in the nearby business parks on the southern side of the motorway (connected to the area with a pedestrian overbridge), as well as a long-term strategy by a local business association, helped revive the area - which is now increasingly becoming oriented to lunchtime crowds and again has many prosperous smaller businesses.[2]
Based on the 2001 Census, and relative to Auckland on the whole, the Ellerslie area had a number of characteristics:[1]
Ellerslie is home to Ellerslie AFC who compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1.
The main local State secondary schools are Auckland Grammar School, Epsom Girls Grammar School, One Tree Hill College, St Peter's College, Michael Park School, Selwyn College and Baradene College of the Sacred Heart. However, of these schools only Michael Park School is located within Ellerslie itself.
Auckland City Libraries. Residents or rates payers of Ellerslie are entitled to free library membership at any of the 17 branches of Auckland City libraries.
Ellerslie Toy Library is a branch of the Toy Federation of New Zealand established by Miss Gillan Gorick in 1972 as a not for profit organisation. There are now 220 toy libraries all over New Zealand. The Ellerslie toy library relies on membership fees and donations to run the library.