When Michelle Mackenzie’s Uncle Bill passed away in 2017, she discovered several photos of her uncle and his family: the Becketts, who lived in a prefab in Tavistock Avenue in the 1950s. Their prefab, number 106, must have been where… More about ‘Prefabs – Tavistock Avenue’»
Category: Life and leisure
Vesta Avenue shops
The shops in Vesta Avenue originally consisted of three shops: St Julian’s Stores at one end, Holdham’s Butchers in the middle and St Stephen’s Stores at the other end. In between was waste ground. These three shops were built when the… More about ‘Vesta Avenue shops’»
Cottonmill Men’s Club
The St Julian’s and Cottonmill Men’s Club, usually referred to as the Cottonmill Men’s Club, was founded in 1953. Meetings were held on Fridays at Mandeville School. According to one of their chairmen, Mr W. Christie, the club was founded… More about ‘Cottonmill Men’s Club’»
Tar River and Flint Cottages – Denis Mardel
I knew that one day I would find someone who could give an explanation as to why the river Ver near New Barnes Mill is also called the Tar. Denis asked this question when he was a child and the… More about ‘Tar River and Flint Cottages – Denis Mardel’»
Walking to Park Street via Sopwell – Denis Mardel
Denis lives in Abbots Avenue West. He describes what the area looked like years ago before the shops were built. He also describes visiting his married sister in Park Street c.1936 and the route he took to get there from… More about ‘Walking to Park Street via Sopwell – Denis Mardel’»
Playing in the river Ver – Denis Mardel
Denis was born in 1932. He lived in the town and didn’t move to Sopwell until 1960 but he knew the area well and he and his mates used to play here often. Denis describes how they used to go… More about ‘Playing in the river Ver – Denis Mardel’»
Watercress wildlife area
The commercial watercress industry ceased in the Riverside Road site in the 1970s. A lot of the springs had dried up. Some of the productive land was used for allotment but there was a lot of fly tipping so it needed some attention. St… More about ‘Watercress wildlife area’»
Murder in the allotments
In December 1948, a man was found murdered just inside the allotments opposite the ruins in Cottonmill Lane. The man was Steven Varley, a 52 year old who worked as a shop steward at de Havilland’s at Hatfield. The full… More about ‘Murder in the allotments’»
The Railway Tavern – a forgotten Sopwell Pub
The following item has been written by Jonathan Mein, a member of the St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society (SAHAAS) and an authority on St Albans pubs. In a city where many of the remaining pubs have histories… More about ‘The Railway Tavern – a forgotten Sopwell Pub’»
Hatfield – St Albans Railway (Alban Way)
The Great Northern Railway (GNR) line from St Albans to Hatfield was opened on 16th October 1865 but there had been plans to construct this branch line much earlier than that. Local landowners were encouraged to form an independent company… More about ‘Hatfield – St Albans Railway (Alban Way)’»
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