Ailsa Park Villas – Part 2
The brochure below details the sale of 146 St Margarets Road which was still named Ailsa Park Villa.
The 1911 census summary above shows the residences in St Margarets road between 128 and 146 at that time.
The 1914 Electoral Register below shows some of the Villa’s residents.
The 1918 Electoral Register below shows residents living in the ten villas. One family of interest are Edward George Perodeau and his wife Annie who can claim to have lived in two of the villas
The photo above dates from 12th March 1924 and shows the bride Grace Eveline Perodeau, eldest daughter of Dr Edward G Perodeau. Also present (left) is her mother Annie Perodeau and husband Reginald Carter Davies.
Around 1930 the local council purchased 146 St Margarets Road which had been Renamed Ailsa Park House by the Perodeau family. The council demolished 146 to enable road widening of the Chertsey Road The Avenue. The Perodeau family relocated to 136 St Margarets Road, naming it also Ailsa Park House.
The 1933 Directory extract below shows two commercial properties which were built in the front garden of number 134 facing St Margarets Road. They were numbered 134a and 134b. The first being a ladies hairdresser and the second being a stationers.
The map below dates from 1935 and shows the loss of now one Villa, No. 146 which were demolished during road widening of The Avenue around 1930.
The photo below shows 136 St Margarets Road which was originally 5 Ailsa Park Villas.
Photographed below is the southern end of Ailsa Park Villas in the 1930’s bordering the railway line from St Margarets Station, which is just out of shot to the right of this picture.
The pictures below shows the only semi detached property in the original row of villas. Originally numbered 2 and 3 Ailsa Park Villas they were also named Haselor and Auckland Houses. Both properties were purchased by the Diocese of Westminster in 1930 to establish a Catholic Church for the Parish of St Margeret of Scotland. The house was supplemented by a large prefabricated hut in the front garden. In 1969 both 130 & 132 were demolished to make way for the new Roman Catholic Church for St Margaret’s.
During 1940 a series of air raids seriously damaged a number of local properties including the Perodeau residence Ailsa Park House at 136 St Margarets Road.
The Perodeau family kept a diary during WW2 and the extract below details of enemy bombing in September 1940 which resulted in the eventual demolishion of 136 St Margarets Road.
Images courtesy Pippa Hoath
By 1946 only four of the original ten Villas remained. No. 130/132 was used still as the Catholic Church although 132 was demolished and No 134 was subdivided into flats.
The 1946 Electoral Register above shows only two of the original ten villas although we believe 128 (Lawrence House) was still in existence. The 1953 directory extract below lists The Roman Catholic Church at 130, Clift & Son at 134 and Rex Library at 134b. They were also stationers and expanded with a travel bureau by 1956. W H Hine Ladies Hairdresser remained operating from 134 St Margarets Rd.
