THE history of one of Colchester’s most exclusive streets is one few might know about.

But having been a resident for the past 30 years Dr Fabrizio Casale is the perfect position to tell its story.

He is also working on a history of each of the houses found on the road - including his own.

He explains the properties were created by Henry Winnock Hayward, a local architect and builder. His father, Henry Hammond Hayward was also a builder responsible for the workhouse, the Royal Grammar School and St Mary’s Terrace East and West on the Lexden Road.

After working with his father Henry worked in London where he designed and built Harrow school and a series of grand houses in Phillimore Place and Kensington.

Fabrizio says: “Sadly his glittering career came crashing down with his aspiration to build and market a group of similarly grand houses in Colchester: The Avenue.

“Historically much of the land around Colchester had been bequeathed to various religious institutions which Henry VIII sold off to rich citizens or was devolved to the borough to be used as “half-yearly land”

From 1807 sales of this land began with the land which is now where Lexden Road is being sold at auction at the Cups Hotel in 1847 for £1,500 to John Taylor and a banker called George Errington.

The plot was defined as bordering on the North to the turnpike Rd, on the South to the pathway that ran from Maldon Rd to Lexden on the East to West Lodge land, and on the West to Isaac Bunting’s land.

In 1850 Taylor divided the plot into twenty lots, three years later putting them up for sale as 20 lots.

Henry Winnock Hayward bought lot 11 where he built a cottage, now 3 Queens Road and proceeded over the next few years to build and acquire more lots until by 1859 he had bought all the lots, as well as the avenue from Taylor for around £2,500, explains Fabrizio.