John, born 1943, recalls what Cottonmill Lane was like when he was a lad. This part of the story starts at the top of the lane coming from Old London Road. he recalls the old carpenter’s shop at the top,… More about ‘A walk down Cottonmill Lane 1 – John Buckingham’»
Category: Streets
Living in Berners Drive – Rob Edwards
Rob Edwards was born in 1950 at 12 Berners Drive, in one of the prefabs. Eventually, when the family grew they moved into a council house exactly opposite at number 55. Rob describes where the prefabs were and talks about… More about ‘Living in Berners Drive – Rob Edwards’»
Living in Abbots Avenue West – Tony Prior
Frederick Anthony Prior, known as Tony, moved into the Sopwell area in 1958. He lived in Abbots Avenue West, opposite the shops. He saw the flats above the shops being built and also the King Offa pub. He talks about… More about ‘Living in Abbots Avenue West – Tony Prior’»
Leyland Avenue
Leyland Avenue, off Cottonmill Lane, was built in 1933 by the Whitehall Building Company of St Albans. The land was originally part of the Nunnery Farm in Sportsman’s Hall field owned by Lord Verulam. The last tenant farmer was Charles… More about ‘Leyland Avenue’»
Prefabs in Sopwell
The years following Word War 2 saw the building of thousands of prefabricated dwellings all over Britain. Familiarly called prefabs, they provided homes for returning servicemen and their families. Many of them were built in Sopwell and some of them… More about ‘Prefabs in Sopwell’»
Ashwood Mews and The Brambles
The land behind 14-24 Prospect Road, which used to belong to Thomas Mercer and his workshop in the late 19th century, was later used for the development of Ashwood Mews and The Brambles. Some of the original buildings belonging to… More about ‘Ashwood Mews and The Brambles’»
Memories of the 1930s – Dorothy Grummitt
Dorothy Grummitt lives in Albeny Gate but was born in Gateshead. In the 1930s, she often used to visit her aunt and uncle in Park Street, St Albans. Her uncle worked as a carpenter at Handley Page in Radlett. He… More about ‘Memories of the 1930s – Dorothy Grummitt’»
From the USA to Ramsbury Road – Anne Wares
Anne Wares, born in New York, outlines the adjustments she had to make when she settled in the UK and moved to Ramsbury Road in the early 1960s. Very few houses in the UK had central heating, refrigerators or telephones… More about ‘From the USA to Ramsbury Road – Anne Wares’»
Living in Ramsbury Road – Anne Wares
Anne Wares was born in New York, USA in 1943. She and her husband moved into Ramsbury Road in 1969. She has researched the area where she lives and has produced a booklet called A History of Priory Park (Approach… More about ‘Living in Ramsbury Road – Anne Wares’»
Watling View fire station – Michael Clark
Michael Clark used to deliver milk in Sopwell and recalls that there was a fire station built in Watling View at the same time as the houses were built. Twelve houses were allocated to fireman. The fire station building proved… More about ‘Watling View fire station – Michael Clark’»
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