Best of 2019: No place like home for 40-year residents of Whanganui's Keith Street

Cheryl and Murray Ansley have been in their Keith St home for almost four decades. Photo/Stuart Munro

This summer the Chronicle is bringing you another look at some of the best content of 2019. This story originally ran on January 4, 2019

Keith St has been home for Murray and Cheryl Ansley for close to 40 years and they have no intention of moving either.

They were initially renting their villa near the London St end of the street when it was put on the market. They decided that it was time they bought.

They're raised three children, with Cheryl a stay-at-home mum while Murray worked. Now Murray is retired they have more time for family "and our grand-children".

"It's handy to everything and a pretty quiet street," Murray said.

"We've never wanted for much and we're very happy here," Cheryl said.

The Ansley's street is one of those in mapped out in the very early settlement of Whanganui.

Street naming for the early settlement of Whanganui dates back to May 1842 when the chief surveyor of the New Zealand Company presented directors with his first plans for the town of Petre.

In his book, Streets of Wanganui, historian and author Athol Kirk says that initial plan showed a large number of streets which indicated provision had been made for a much bigger town than many would have considered at the time.

Keith St was one of those included in that early planning. A Westmere landowner, Augustus Keith, gave his name to Keith St.

Not uncommonly for that time, the street was one thoroughfare but bore two names. The lower end (near to Plymouth St) was originally Malvern Pl but to avoid confusion that name was dropped in favour of Keith St.