Though I have never had it said that the two sides of Hawthorn Drive were built at separate time if you look at the houses on each side they are of quite a different style.
Why was such a large space left behind Hawthorn Drive / St Valery Avenue and the canal? Was that in the interests of safety or to leave space for pitches and allotments?
One of the things that strikes me about Dalneigh, even today, is the sense of space. Big gardens, huge grassy spaces on Hawthorn Drive, Caledonian Road and other streets too. Some of the so-called executive houses built today don't have half the space. Laurel Avenue was probably the first dual carriageway ever seen in the Highlands and still seems a bit OTT and fewer people would have had cars in the 50s . Even Hilton, built around the same time, appears much more cramped.