Wilderness Drain

Wilderness Road, later named Barrington Street, was named after “Wilderness”, the home of John Parker Marshman (1823‐1913). Marshman was an emigration agent and head of the provincial railways in the 1870s. Wilderness Road is first mentioned in The Press in 1871.

Wilderness Road was re‐named Barrington Street in 1885 at the request of Messrs Harman and Stevens on behalf of Sarah Jane Simeon, widow of Capt. Simeon.  She said that as there was no longer a property named Wilderness there was no point in retaining the name.

On some current CCC Waterways maps the drain is called the Sydenham Cemetery Drain; on others it has no name, but it is clearly marked on the historic waterways map

For a higher resolution map, click here

Wilderness Drain was one of the first planned drain dug by hand for the Christchurch Drainage Board. The name Wilderness Drain appears to be nolonger used by the CCC 3Waters but no alternative is provided either.

The drain takes flow from the top part of what was Wilderness Creek as well as draining all of the suburbs through which it passes.