Richmond Hill, New Zealand facts for kids

	Richmond Hill, New Zealand

Richmond Hill is a hillside suburb located above Sumner in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is known for its beautiful views and interesting history.

Richmond Hill is actually a volcanic spur, which is a ridge extending from a larger mountain. This spur comes from Tauhinukorokio / Mount Pleasant.

The Story of Richmond Hill's Name

The first European owner of this land was Edward Dobson. He had a small cottage on Nayland Street. His land stretched up the hill, covering about 50 acres. Dobson decided to keep 2 acres around his house. He then sold the rest of his land to a man named George Day.

After George Day passed away, his daughter inherited the land. She later sold it to two brothers, Arthur and R. M. D. Morton. The Morton brothers then sold the land to George Humphreys.

George Humphreys was a very important businessman. He decided to divide the land into smaller sections for houses. By 1909, a road was built up the hill. Walter de Thier managed Humphreys' farm on the hill. Walter loved the song "The Lass of Richmond Hill". With George Humphreys' permission, the property was officially named Richmond Hill.

Richmond Hill Golf Course

George Humphreys was also a member of the Christchurch Golf Club. He noticed some men in Sumner playing golf in a very unusual way. They used hockey sticks, tennis balls, and tin cans for holes! Humphreys felt sorry for them.

So, he offered them 40 acres of his hilly land. This land became the 12-hole Richmond Hill Golf Course. It officially opened in April 1910.

Developing the Area

Building houses on Richmond Hill was slow at first. This was because the road up from Nayland Street was very steep. By 1930, there were only ten houses on Richmond Hill.

However, after World War II ended, more people started to build homes there. One of the first people to live in the area was a famous architect named Cecil Wood. The golf course eventually closed in December 1997. Some of the land where the golf course used to be was then divided into more sections for houses.

Population Growth

Richmond Hill is part of the Clifton Hill statistical area. The population of Richmond Hill has changed over the years.

• In 2006, there were 333 people living here.
• In 2013, the population was 267.
• By the 2018 New Zealand census, the population had grown to 390 people. This was a big increase of 46.1% since 2013!

There were 135 homes in Richmond Hill in 2018. The average age of people living there was about 44.5 years old. About 20.8% of the people were under 15 years old.

Most people living in Richmond Hill are of European background (95.4%). A small number of people are Māori (1.5%) or Asian (3.8%).