The magnificent horse chestnut tree, a well known landmark in St Stephens churchyard, is no more. It was dying having succumbed to various tree diseases over several years, the main one being the horse chestnut leaf miner which causes the… More about ‘Horse Chestnut tree at St Stephens’»
Posts By: Sandy Norman
Jenny Lane
In January 2024, Jenny Lane a small residential development of seven three-bedroomed properties was officially opened in a naming event by the mayor of St Albans, Councillor Anthony Rowlands. The land on which the houses were built was formerly occupied… More about ‘Jenny Lane’»
Some interesting Vicars of St Stephen’s
Marcus Richard Southwell is well-known for establishing the vicarage in Watling Street adjacent to the church. The funding for this came from a Mrs Martha Shippery of Watford who, in 1736, set up a deed to give £7pa to the… More about ‘Some interesting Vicars of St Stephen’s’»
Woad Mead
Most people turning into Griffiths Way would never guess the origins of the land on the corner stretching from the Abbey View office development through to Sainsbury’s supermarket. Some may remember the gasworks which occupied the site before the retail… More about ‘Woad Mead’»
Footpaths in Sopwell
If we look at some of the older maps of the Sopwell area we can see clearly where some of the footpaths were. A few of these paths are still in existence. Many of the later estate roads followed the… More about ‘Footpaths in Sopwell’»
Cereals Research Station in Old London Road
In Old London Road there used to be the Research Association of British Flour Millers Cereals Research Station. It was founded in 1923 and closed down when it merged with the British Baking Industries Research Association in 1967 to become… More about ‘Cereals Research Station in Old London Road’»
Memories of Glebe House
Glebe House, 5 Watling Street was the home of Peter Gardner (1925-98) and his wife Barbara who lived there with their two sons, Andrew and Timothy from 1956 until 1999. His granddaughter, Louisa Pauley, nee Gardner has fond memories of… More about ‘Memories of Glebe House’»
Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre
Many older residents will remember the old Cottonmill Club off Cottonmill Lane which was opened in 1971 but closed in 1994. Since then there has just been the uninspiring prefabricated building – the Marlborough Pavilion – used mainly for clubs… More about ‘Cottonmill Community and Cycling Centre’»
The Cedar tree
The magnificent cedar tree in St Stephen’s field on the edge of the churchyard was rumoured to have been around at the time when Henry VIII was courting Anne Boleyn. In 1921 it was thought to be the largest cedar… More about ‘The Cedar tree’»
Hunting in Sopwell
In medieval times Sopwell was part of a wood called Eywood. As well as providing timber and fuel the woods were also used for hunting – at that time mainly deer. The Abbey monks and the nuns from Sopwell Priory… More about ‘Hunting in Sopwell’»
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