2-12, NORTH AVENUE

Nos. 2 to 12 North Avenue is a row of almshouses built around 1912 by Sir Reginald Blomfield. The building is constructed of red brick with ashlar dressings at the center, set on a brick plinth. It features a plain tiled roof with four tall ridge stacks, a pediment, and a columned cupola on a rusticated square pedestal at the center. Flamboyant Baroque urns adorn the ends of the pediment. There is a central 1½ storey arch that breaks through the ashlar string below the pediment, which also serves as the lintel for flanking doorways that have massive Baroque projecting keystones. The building has four casement windows flanking the central projection, with the second window from the center on both sides set behind segment-head arches. The outer bays feature narrow segment-headed entrance arches. Whiteley Village was established by William Whiteley of Whiteley's stores to provide housing for thrifty elderly individuals and was designed on an octagonal plan by Frank Atkinson, utilizing prominent architects of the time.