Margaret Brown was a child when she lived in Boleyn Drive on the Mentmore estate (built 1938-9) and knew the area well. She talks about how the shape of Cottonmill Lane changed after the war when Berners Drive and Priory Walk… More about ‘Cottonmill area – Margaret Brown’»
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’»
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’»
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’»
The open-air swimming baths in Cottonmill Lane were opened on 29 July 1905 on the site of the old cotton mill. However, bathing in the river took place long before the baths were built. There was a bathing facility established… More about ‘Cottonmill swimming baths’»
Mike was about three years old in 1949 when a thunderbolt struck his house at 10 Nuns Lane. Because of the fire damage, the family were rehoused in Cottonmill Lane, number 161, which was next to a large house belonging… More about ‘Living in Cottonmill Lane – Mike Titchiner’»
Sue Bentley, born Sue Newton in 1938, lived in Tavistock Avenue for thirty years and shares her childhood memories of playing in and around that area. She remembers playing on the little grass islands in the avenue, the fields by… More about ‘Childhood in Tavistock Avenue – Sue Bentley’»
As a child, Evelyn Roberts lived in Nuns Lane. She remembers playing in Cottonmill Lane and watching the houses being built; fishing in the river at New Barnes and going for cycle rides. Interview date: 3 October 2013. Interviewer: Elizabeth… More about ‘Childhood play – Evelyn Roberts’»
Mary was born in 1929 and lived in New House Park. She recalls the Barnett family who lived in Sopwell House, previously called Sopwell Manor, and how Lady Aline Barnett was frequently caught speeding. She remembers picking mushrooms, the ice… More about ‘Sopwell House and New Barnes Mill – Mary Myers’»
When Lil Day first came to St Albans with her husband after the war, she lived with her mother-in-law in Park Street. The river Ver was at the bottom of the garden. Lil describes a family boat trip, complete with… More about ‘Boating on the Ver – Lil Day’»
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