Building the Estate

The very first houses were built at the top end of Collingwood Avenue. The map shows how Collingwood Avenue was started in 1900 and not completed for several years, but before finishing Collingwood Avenue, Collins had begun on Grand Avenue, his other point of entry. One oddity about the numbering of Grand Avenue is still a puzzle, and may illustrate one of his problems. There is a gap between numbers 28 and 34, which was clearly the entrance to Roseneath, the large house in Woodside Avenue and is now the entrance to the Hospital. A second gap between 44 and 50 appears to have been the rear entrance to Leawood, then the next large house in Woodside Avenue, but why are the numbers missing? Did houses ever fill the gap? Did Nos 30, 32, 46 and 48 ever exist? Did Collins hope to buy these gaps and build across? According to the records the houses were not bombed and do not appear in any street directory that I have seen. Perhaps some local resident may know. The original plan, mentioned earlier, numbered the,south side of Grand Avenue from 10 - 60 with no gaps. Presumably he hoped to override the objections of the Woodside Avenue house owners and build across? We may never know.


The Development of Fortismere Estate with approximate building dates.

 

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