Roslyn, Palmerston North

Story

Roslyn is a suburb in the city of Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand.Roslyn is located 3 km NE of the CBD and bounded on the north by the North Island Main Trunk Railway (Milson), on the east by Palmerston North-Gisborne Railway (Kelvin Grove), the south by Main Street East (Terrace End) and the west by Ruahine Street (Palmerston North Hospital Area). Roslyn is also located 2.1 km SE from Palmerston North International Airport.HistoryRichter, Nannestad & Co., a sawmilling company, acquired and cleared the vast deep forested area northeast of Palmerston North. In 1879, the company owned 600 acres of land in the area between Vogel Street, North St, Boundary Rd (now Tremaine Ave) and Featherston Street.In 1902, Charles Mackintosh Ross, founder of Rosco (CM Ross and Co) purchased land in the east end of Featherston Street and built a house in 1908, Rangimarie (still extant). In 1924, Ross died, the property passing to his wife (who lived at the house until her death thirty years later). In 1940, Mrs Ross sold land around Rangimarie to the Government, which became the basis of a new state house subdivision. The Government later purchased more land nearby.The area was known as Ross Block until 1948, when it was renamed Roslyn. Unfortunately, when the Post Office was established here, there was already a Roslyn in Dunedin. Therefore, the Terrace End-Roslyn Progressive Association had to find another name for the area. Rossmont was chosen because of the location; the fact the area is higher up from the rest of Palmerston North. Recently, perhaps because of the local primary school, the name Roslyn has resurfaced.