Wednesday 26th February 2020  

Chaveney Road – then and now

The two large semi detached houses on the left were called West Hayes and are now 65 and 67 Chaveney Road (67 is on the far left). This view is looking down Chaveney Road from the Woodhouse Road direction towards Buddon Lane corner. When these houses were built, they were surrounded by open fields. Although the scene looks far more rural when compared with today, it is actually very difficult to take comparative photographs on Chaveney Road, as there are now far more trees and high hedges.

In the older photograph, in the background (centre left) is a house in the process of construction. This was built in 1904 by Edwin Neal, and at that time was called Woodhouse Lodge. It is now 61 Chaveney Road and is almost opposite Buddon Lane (known as ‘Dirty Lane’ at that time). You can just about make it out on the modern photograph, although it has other houses on both sides.

On the right of the older photograph can be seen what look like low wide gates. It is thought that these are the gates to Harleston House (now demolished). Harleston House was built between 1891 and 1901, and appears on the 1901 and 1911 census returns, occupied by James Camm and his family. He was the manager of the gas company and the registrar of births marriages and deaths - both jobs which where also carried out by his father Joseph before him. In 1891 James and his wife Rosa were living on Freehold Street, Rosa's birthplace is recorded as Harleston Suffolk - which is obviously why they called their new home 'Harleston House'.

Submitted on: 2011-05-12 Submitted by: Sue Templeman Artefact ID: 1269 Print: View artefact in printer-friendly page or just on its own.