18-20-22 Perkins, LeBreton Flats

These three buildings at the south end of Perkins St. sit at the base of a limestone escarpment locally known as Nanny Goat Hill or Primrose Hill. This lower ground forms the SE edge of LeBreton Flats and was part of lands razed by the Great Fire of April 1900. The cliff in the background acted as a fire-break, protecting Upper Town and Ashburnham from the flames. 

In the background, atop the hill we see part of the former Our Lady of the Rosary Convent at 85 Primrose Avenue East, constructed in 1890.

All three Perkins addresses were built after the fire, the apartment block on the right at #22 being the most recent, constructed c. 2016, replacing a small bungalow.

The 1912 Goad map shows the relative position of Perkins St., Primrose with its convent, and the intervening escarpment. It serves as a testament to how quickly Lebreton Flats was rebuilt after the fire, only to be bulldozed in the 1960s.