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: People
Murder at London Road station
This post is based on an article from the Herts Advertiser and kindly transcribed by Derek Roft. When the now disused St Albans to Hatfield branch line opened on October 1865 the Herts Mercury reported. “The first train started at half… More about ‘Murder at London Road station’»
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’»
The Godman family of St Stephen’s
According to Noel Godman, the Godman family have been involved with St Stephen’s for over 500 years. The Godman family were a family of skilled engineers. John Godman (1828-1908) was born in the St Stephens area and was baptised at St… More about ‘The Godman family of St Stephen’s’»
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’»
Fire at Sopwell Nunnery Farm
As reported at length in Sopwell: a history and collection of memories (Appendix 1), a fire was started deliberately in a corrugated iron shed stacked with waste paper in the area near the ruins called Sopwell Nunnery farm. This was… More about ‘Fire at Sopwell Nunnery Farm’»
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’»
William Longmire
William Longmire (1812 – 1887) was a builder. His business was in London but he had connections with St Albans and at one point owned two houses in Prospect Road, numbers 23 and 25. He lived on and off in number 25,… More about ‘William Longmire’»
Lydia Lightfoot of Holywell Hill
Lydia Lightfoot was born in St Albans in 1875. Her father was George Lightfoot born in 1844 in St Albans and christened at St Peter Church. He started out as a labourer to a bricklayer eventually becoming a builder in later… More about ‘Lydia Lightfoot of Holywell Hill’»
Mercer Chronometers
Mercers was a family run marine chronometer manufacturing business. The firm started in 1858 in Clerkenwell London by the founder, Thomas Mercer. Thomas was born in St Helen’s Lancashire in 1822. St Helen’s was said to be the centre of… More about ‘Mercer Chronometers’»
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