Corstorphine, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Corstorphine is a suburb of southwest Dunedin
in the South Island
of New Zealand
. It is located on the slopes of Calton Hill - a spur of Forbury Hill - between Caversham
Valley and the Pacific Ocean
. The suburbs of Saint Clair
and Forbury lie to the east and south, and Caversham and Lookout Point lie to the north.
Corstorphine is a largely residential suburb, containing a substantial amount of state housing
built from the 1930s to the 1960s. Its main roads include Middleton Road, Sidey Street, and Corstorphine Road. A small group of shops is located at the top of Middleton Road.
To the west is largely rural land, connected via the rural Blackhead Road and Green Island Bush Road to Green Island
and Waldronville
. The popular Tunnel Beach lies 1.5 kilometres from the top of Middleton Road and is accessed via Blackhead Road.
On the lower slopes lies the smaller suburb of Kew. Here, Easther Crescent runs along a terrace at the edge of the hill, connecting with Saint Clair at Allandale Road to the south and descending to Forbury Corner and Caversham in the northeast. Kew Park lies at Forbury Corner itself. To the north of Corstorphine, the smaller suburb of Calton Hill connects Corstorphine with the upper Caversham Valley and Lookout Point by way of Riselaw Road.
The name "Corstorphine" comes from the house and land owned by early settler John Sidey, who arrived in Dunedin in 1848. It originates from the Edinburgh
district of Corstorphine
. Many of the streets in Corstorphine and Kew are named after places in Scotland, among them Skibo Street, Dornoch Street, and Lockerbie Street.
Sidey's son, Sir Thomas Sidey
became a prominent local and national politician during the later nineteenth century. Sidey's residence, Corstorphine House, was built in 1864 and was substantially extended in 1910. It is one of the suburb's main landmarks.
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
in the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is located on the slopes of Calton Hill - a spur of Forbury Hill - between Caversham
Caversham, New Zealand
Caversham is one of the older suburbs of the South Island New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is sited at the western edge of the city's central plain at the mouth of the steep Caversham Valley, which rises to the saddle of Lookout Point...
Valley and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The suburbs of Saint Clair
Saint Clair, New Zealand
St Clair is a leafy residential suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located on the Pacific Ocean coast five kilometres from the city centre on the southwesternmost part of the coastal plain which makes up the southern part of the urban area, and also climbs the slopes of Forbury Hill...
and Forbury lie to the east and south, and Caversham and Lookout Point lie to the north.
Corstorphine is a largely residential suburb, containing a substantial amount of state housing
State housing
State housing is the system of public housing offered to New Zealand residents on low to moderate incomes. Some 66,000 houses are managed by Housing New Zealand Corporation, most of which are owned by the government.-The Liberal Government:...
built from the 1930s to the 1960s. Its main roads include Middleton Road, Sidey Street, and Corstorphine Road. A small group of shops is located at the top of Middleton Road.
To the west is largely rural land, connected via the rural Blackhead Road and Green Island Bush Road to Green Island
Green Island, New Zealand
Green Island is an island off the coast of Dunedin, New Zealand, also the name of one of the city's suburbs. The suburb is not on the sea — formerly a borough, it took its name from the Green Island bush, uncleared native forest extending from the valley where the town is centred over the hills...
and Waldronville
Waldronville
Waldronville is a coastal settlement on the Pacific Ocean coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Established in the 1950s as a commuter settlement, it is located to the southwest of Dunedin city centre, and lies within the city's limits. Waldronville was developed by Bill Waldron, when he...
. The popular Tunnel Beach lies 1.5 kilometres from the top of Middleton Road and is accessed via Blackhead Road.
On the lower slopes lies the smaller suburb of Kew. Here, Easther Crescent runs along a terrace at the edge of the hill, connecting with Saint Clair at Allandale Road to the south and descending to Forbury Corner and Caversham in the northeast. Kew Park lies at Forbury Corner itself. To the north of Corstorphine, the smaller suburb of Calton Hill connects Corstorphine with the upper Caversham Valley and Lookout Point by way of Riselaw Road.
The name "Corstorphine" comes from the house and land owned by early settler John Sidey, who arrived in Dunedin in 1848. It originates from the Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
district of Corstorphine
Corstorphine
Corstorphine was originally a village to the west of—and separate from—Edinburgh, Scotland, and is now a suburb of that city.Corstorphine retains a busy main street with many independent small shops, although a number have closed in recent years since the opening of several retail parks...
. Many of the streets in Corstorphine and Kew are named after places in Scotland, among them Skibo Street, Dornoch Street, and Lockerbie Street.
Sidey's son, Sir Thomas Sidey
Thomas Sidey
Sir Thomas Kay Sidey was a New Zealand politician from the Otago Region, remembered for his successful advocacy of daylight saving time.-Early life:...
became a prominent local and national politician during the later nineteenth century. Sidey's residence, Corstorphine House, was built in 1864 and was substantially extended in 1910. It is one of the suburb's main landmarks.