If you happen to turn off Elphin Road into College Street, Newstead, early 20th-century houses greet your gaze on both sides.
College Street had its beginnings in January 1911, when WC and WJ Wilson advertised choice villa sites in a sub-division of Richard Dry's land described as the 'Toorak of Launceston'.
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The street was so named because the prestigious Methodist Ladies College was nearby.
Albert V Davey was the first to purchase a block in June that year and Charles Adams and Sons built him a house at No. 6.
Also in 1911, Mrs M Fleming bought No. 8, and Frank Boland No. 14, but these blocks remained vacant until later owners had houses built there by 1922 and 1925 respectively.
In December 1911, Mary Ann Tyson purchased Nos 3 and 5, contracting Hinman, Wright, and Manser to build two red brick houses the following year.
Ernest and Florence Ritchie moved into 3 College Street and lived there until the mid-1930s.
Spencer Jewkes, an engineer, contracted J & T Gunn to build his home Kelvin at No. 2 in 1912.
After the next owner Jean Taylor died in 1927, RA McEachern moved from No. 5 and bought No. 2 renaming it Daille.
It remained with that family until 1988.
Evidence suggests that AH Manser built No. 1 for Valentine Taylor, while Syd Featherstone constructed houses for Thomas Vincent at 10 and 12 College Street.
James Stevenson bought four blocks in 1912 and 1913 at Nos 7, 9, 11 and 16, and a parcel of land joining the latter two defining the end of the street.
Today College Street veers right past No. 11, built in 1938 for Edwin Ayers, towards a quiet cul-de-sac ending.
However, in 1912 Nos 11 and 16 and the connecting land all shared a boundary with the Elphin Showground.
The Tasmanian Agricultural and Pastoral Society bought the showground in 1912 and purchased the right to extend College Street through Mr Stevenson's property to create a new entrance for visitors.
First used for the 1914 show, reporters praised the spacious entrance gates with turnstiles at the end of the well-formed road lined with fashionable residences.
Beautiful spring weather in October 1923 brought out crowds of people, causing an unprecedented crush at the gates.
The Examiner wrote, "Never has College Street ... been so densely thronged ... people were packed tight halfway up the street from the turnstiles."
Life carried on for the residents of College Street.
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There were celebrations of engagements, weddings, births, the Stevenson's diamond wedding anniversary in 1927 and the sadness of deaths.
In May 1935, Launceston solicitor EH Ritchie passed away.
His long funeral cortege left for Carr Villa from his family home at 3 College Street.
The home was sold in December 1936 to Sister Mary Kirkland who established the St Ives Private Maternity Hospital there.
To be continued.
