Flats now stand on this site in one of the busiest roads in Watford but for many years it was home to two houses with a very distinctive appearance.

The Watford Observer has again teamed up with its friends at Watford Museum to look back at structures, objects or businesses from the town’s past that have either disappeared or been relocated and this week we recall Portland Villas.

The museum’s volunteer archivist Christine Orchard said: “There used to be a pair of Italianate-style houses in St Albans Road, opposite Malden Road, which had been built in 1860s and named Portland Villas. In this photo from the 1980s, just the right-hand one remained.

Watford Observer: The photo of the one remaining house from the 1980sThe photo of the one remaining house from the 1980s (Image: Watford Museum)

“The house between it and a hotel known as the Caledonian Hotel, had seen one side demolished and it seems the other half was demolished fairly soon after.

Watford Observer: The empty site of the house next to the hotel in September 2012The empty site of the house next to the hotel in September 2012 (Image: Google Street View)

“This remaining house had been demolished by 2008 and the current block of flats on this site was built around 2014.”

Watford Observer: A block of flats, pictured in 2016, now stands on the siteA block of flats, pictured in 2016, now stands on the site (Image: Google Street View)

Visit the Museum Facebook page or website www.watfordmuseum.org.uk to see more historic photos.