When built in 1863 it was called The Avenue, Bennett Park. The name "The Avenue" was used from 1871. The name Blackheath Grove was imposed after 1945.
Nos 1-12 and 15-22 were completed by 1865 and purchased by Richard Henry Smith, along with the ground opposite on which he built a roller skating rink.
They were intended as superior villas but had small gardens for their size and front rooms too close to the railway line. Consequently they appealed neither to the middle class, nor to artisans as they were too large and expensive to maintain. By the 1920s nearly all had been converted into flats or one-room apartments. The development of the post office in 1911 and the conversion of the old skating rink into industrial premises in 1916 accelerated the process.
Categories & Keywords
Category:Architecture and Structures
Subcategory:Buildings
Subcategory Detail:
Keywords:Blackheath Grove, Holmes, Rink Hall, post, post office, rink, skating
