In 1879 the Melrose Estate was put up for auction. The land had belonged to Alexander Sutherland who died in 1877, and was sold to Mace and Jackson and then a syndicate known as Melrose Proprietors. Like James Coutts Crawford’s subdivision of the Seatoun township on the Miramar Peninsula, there were few buyers because of difficult access. Crawford's earlier auction of Kilbirnie sections in 1874 had attracted mainly speculators buying cheap land rather than would-be homeowners. The Melrose Borough was established in 1888 from the earlier Kilbirnie Road Board, to serve a horseshoe-shaped and largely rural area stretching from Upland Farm through Brooklyn and Island Bay and to areas later called Haitaitai and Roseneath. Initially it was to be called the Borough of Southend. The borough experienced rapid growth from the early 1890s, mainly in Kilbirnie, Brooklyn and Island Bay. Amalgamation with Wellington City would avoid large borough debt for amenities like drainage, water supply and a separate electric tramway system. Wellington City was planning an electric tramway system to replace the private horse tramways, and purchased them in 1902. In June 1902 a poll of Melrose residents agreed to join the Wellington City Council, and amalgamation proceeded in 1903. Extension of new electric tramway to the area plus water supply and sewerage was promised within three years, although held up by Island Bay "malcontents" wanting a firm commitment of a tramway extension to Island Bay. There was a "boom" in house construction in Melrose and Kilbirnie in 1907. In 2013 the population reached 1,215 in the 34 hectare land area. The Wellington Community Board boundaries splits Melrose between the Motukairangi/Eastern Ward and the Paekawakawa/ Southern Ward.
The water Melrose receives comes from either Waterloo or Wainuiomata, it makes its way under the Wellington motorway and is pumped into the Mt Albert reservoir. In 2016 the original 1910 810 litre tank was replaced with a 2.2 million liter tank built underground beside one built in 1955. The Wellington town belt reserve runs along the top of Melrose, backing on to the Wellington Zoological gardens. Mt Albert is part of this reserve and includes biking and walking opportunities along the Southern walkway. There is an off-leash dog exercise area part way up Mt Albert and a specialised mountain biking track has been built in the reserve by local volunteers.
Melrose Park is located on Sutherland Crescent. Football is played here, there is an artificial surface for cricket and the park also contains a playground and changing rooms.
Park is off Manchester Street in Melrose, the homestead is now managed by Wellington City Council but was previously home to the founder of the Plunket Society and features many plaques and memorials to the work Sir Truby King and his wife Lady Isabella King undertook. Both are interred at a mausoleum on the 1.4 hectare site.
Activities
The Melrose suburb is part of the Predator Free Lyall Bay, Rongatai and Melrose group. Through backyard trapping, this group aims to help New Zealand native species become reestablished within Wellington.
