Place Name
Prince Albert Victor (January 8, 1864 – January 14, 1892), Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone, was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria. He was born in Berkshire and at the behest of his grandmother was named Albert Victor, after herself and her late husband. His short life was dogged with controversy and scandal – although nothing was ever conclusively proved. He was linked with the Cleveland Street scandal, in which he and other high-ranking members of society were said to have been at a homosexual brothel; it has also been suggested that he was Jack the Ripper. The Duke, who had just become engaged to Princess Mary of Teck, died suddenly at Sandringham during an influenza pandemic. The name Avondale originally referred to the dale (or valley) of the Avon Water in Scotland, a tributary of the River Clyde. This continues the theme of royalty that was first established by developer John Augustus Beaumont (see Beaumont Road) in this area.
