Draycott Avenue is a notable shopping street.
In 1794 the northern end of a local lane called Blacklands Lane still consisted of open land - mainly nursery gardens. By 1813 this nursery included some large outbuildings, while at the top of the lane the beginning of Cumberland Street was laid out and a terrace of houses fronted Blacklands Lane.
The house halfway down Blacklands Lane was known as the Marlborough Tavern in 1794, with pleasure grounds laid out behind it. The area between the house and Green Lettuce Lane had become a cricket ground in association with the tavern.
By 1828 most of Blacklands Lane was called Marlborough Road. The former name was retained for the part south of the junction with Cadogan Street.
In 1836 a wide band along the east side of Marlborough Road was completely built up as far east as Bull’s Gardens and Princes Street, with the exception of the grounds of Blacklands House, and most of the streets were filled with small terraced houses.
Whitelands, a paper factory, had extra buildings behind it, and further north a candle factory stood on the north side of Green Lettuce Lane fronting Marlborough Road, with other commercial buildings; a national school stood at the corner of Marlborough Road and James Street.
Marlborough Road had a wide range of shops of all kinds and had become a major retail street serving the needs of local residents.
