New suburbs were a magnet for architects and builders, who when successful left an indelible mark on the areas in which they worked.

E. C. Christmas set up his own business in this converted and expanded cottage in 55 Dartmouth Road around 1890.

Consequently, his career stretched from an age when he was building large detached houses in the old Forest Hill tradition, to the less expensive years between the wars when he made a living by converting similar buildings into flats.

In the Perry Vale area, where his style is still pervasive, he made a curious bid for immortality by giving his houses names of which the first letters spelt out 'Ted Christmas' and 'Laura' his wife.