Bryndwr

Bryndwr (/ˈbrɪndwər/ BRIND-wər; Welsh: [brənˈduːr]) is a suburb in the north-west of Christchurch, New Zealand. Like all suburbs in Christchurch, it has no defined boundaries and is a general area.

Development

Bryndwr, meaning 'hillside by water' (from Bryn "hillside" + dŵr "by water"), and probably named for the slopes beside the Wairarapa and Wai iti streams which run through the suburb, is one of the few places in New Zealand with a name of Welsh origin. It was given this name by Charles Alured Jeffreys, (1821-1904) of Glandyfi, Machynlleth, Wales. He farmed this area after being given 100 acres (40 ha) freehold by his father-in-law Thomas Parr in 1851, who was granted Rural Section 188 from the Canterbury Association. Jeffreys also took a further 100 acres (40 ha) leasehold. He and his wife Clara Ellen emigrated on the Tasmania arriving in Lyttelton in 1853.

His land, sections 503 and 504, was known as Bryndwr Farm, Fendall Town. Jeffreys subdivided the land, selling 180 lots at auction as the "valuable suburb of Bryndwr", in 1880. Many streets he named in the area have Welsh associations including Jeffreys, Plynlimon, Penhelig, Glandovey (Anglicised over time from Glandyfi), Idris, (from Cadair Idris),Snowdon, Garreg, and Bryndwr Road. Jeffreys, his wife and daughter returned to Glandyfi castle after his elder brother, Edward, died in 1888.