Northbourne: Leybourne Avenue

Image: © Chris Downer Taken: 6 May 2020

One of the main routes through Northbourne, Leybourne Avenue starts here as a continuation of Coombe Avenue. It begins as this proper 'avenue', lined with trees and with low hedges interrupted by each driveway. Further northwest, it opens out into a grass-lined road with trees periodically spaced. Until around 1950, Leybourne Avenue swung into Northbourne Avenue about ¾ mile north of here; it was then extended down to East Howe Lane. Northbourne Avenue is where these desirable detached houses give way to a short stretch of council semis and privately owned bungalows. Even then, Leybourne Avenue has a sequel: beyond East Howe Lane, and only accessible by vehicle via a lengthy detour, is a detached further segment marked by a large oval green in its centre (Image). The road sign is a standard one from around 2000-2006, perhaps a little earlier, featuring the borough coat of arms. This is photo no.242 of a series of 453 in my coronavirus lockdown walking project: See https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/My-2020-Coronavirus-Lockdown-walking-project for the complete set of photos.

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