Sopwell Memories

Stories and History of Sopwell in St Albans, Herts

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Gasworks sports – Kathy Sinfield

Posted November 4th, 2013 by Sandy Norman & filed under 1930s, Gasworks, Kathy Sinfield, Life and leisure, Sport.

Kathy Sinfield, born 1929, lived at the bottom of Doggetts Way. She remembers that the gasworks had its own sports ground where they played football and cricket. Mr Ripping from the St Johns Ambulance used to come round with lemons… More about ‘Gasworks sports – Kathy Sinfield’»

Sopwell Cottages

Posted October 15th, 2013 by Sandy Norman & filed under Agriculture.

Sopwell cottages belonged to the farm at New Barnes which is now part of Sopwell House. Beryl Whitney (nee Parrott) writes: “In 1927, my parents were able to take up the tenancy of one of the Sopwell Cottages as my… More about ‘Sopwell Cottages’»

Flint Cottages, Hedges Farm

Posted October 11th, 2013 by Sandy Norman & filed under Agriculture, Work.

Jack and Sarah Stratton were the grandparents of Beryl Whitney. Flint Cottages were owned by Hedges Farm where, Beryl says, Jack was head cattleman for over twenty years. He and his family lived at 1 Flint Cottages from the 1920s… More about ‘Flint Cottages, Hedges Farm’»

Park Street roundabout

Posted October 11th, 2013 by Sandy Norman & filed under Streets.

The images below are of the construction of the Park Street roundabout in the 1950s. Before that it was not a roundabout but a junction between the A5 and A414 North Orbital.  It was part of the construction of the M10… More about ‘Park Street roundabout’»

History of St Peter’s School

Posted October 9th, 2013 by Sandy Norman & filed under 1960s, Life and leisure, Schools, Sport.

St Peter’s school in Cottonmill Lane is by far the oldest school in Sopwell. It started off as two schools, a church school for boys and girls over seven and a school for infants from two to seven. The building… More about ‘History of St Peter’s School’»

History of the Gasworks

Posted October 9th, 2013 by sopwellnimda & filed under 1970s, 19th century, Gasworks, Work.

The St Albans gas works were set up in 1826, more than 30 years before the coming of the railway. Until the coming of the railway, coal had to be transported into the city on barges along the canal from… More about ‘History of the Gasworks’»

Memories of Sopwell Mill – Bill Mackenzie

Posted October 9th, 2013 by Sandy Norman & filed under Bill Mackenzie, Blowers sisters, Work.

Local resident, Bill Mackenzie, talking about his childhood memory of the time when there was a kennels at Sopwell Mill run by the Blowers sisters and a dog was trapped under the mill wheel. Interview date: 23 April 2010. Interviewer:… More about ‘Memories of Sopwell Mill – Bill Mackenzie’»

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