St Albans is a large, inner-northern suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located directly north of the Christchurch Central Business District. It is the second largest suburb in the city by population (behind Halswell), with a population of 13,137 at the 2018 Census. The suburb falls within the Christchurch Central electorate and is represented by Duncan Webb, who has been the member of parliament since the 2017 general election. St Albans is one of the most diverse residential neighbourhoods in Christchurch, with a wide range of densities, architectural styles and housing ages throughout the suburb. It has everything from run-down high-density council-owned flats, to modern luxurious high-density flats and apartments; old mid-density workers cottages through to large low-density estates of various ages. History Originally a working-class settlement, St Albans was a separate borough from 1881 until 1903 when it became part of Christchurch City. St Albans was named after George Dickinson's farm, which lay to the south of the St Albans Creek. He had called his farm St Albans in memory of his cousin Harriet Mellon, an actress, who had become the Duchess of St Albans. Earthquake damage The suburb escaped severe damage in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. Many chimneys came down but only a few complete houses were affected. In the 22 February 2011 earthquake, however, the suburb was hit hard. Many houses, supermarkets, and shops were significantly damaged with a lot ending up totally demolished. In July 2011, the demolition of the former library, which houses the community centre, was ordered by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. By 2014 the extent of the damage to drainage systems and lowered ground levels had become apparent, with the regular flooding of a series of streets known as the Flockton Basin. Boundaries The suburb of St Albans is bordered by: Merivale to the west (West of Papanui Road – South of Innes Road) Strowan to the north-west (West of Papanui Road – North of Innes Road) Papanui to the north (North of Tomes Road) Mairehau to the north-east (East of Jamieson Avenue, Severn Street and Forfar Street – North of Warrington Street) Edgeware to the east (East of Forfar Street – South of Warrington Street and East of Madras Street – North of Bealey Avenue) Christchurch Central City to the south (South of Bealey Avenue). Inconsistencies The borders of St Albans are often disputed, particularly by real estate agents who often list