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’»
Category: Places and spaces
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’»
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’»
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’»
Sportsman’s Hall and Priory Park School- Frances Gordon
Frances Gordon (nee Parsons) shares her memories of living in one of the two cottages, known as Sportsman’s Hall. Sportsman’s Hall was situated on the corner of Cottonmill Lane and Prospect Road. Frances born 1934 was evacuated from the East End… More about ‘Sportsman’s Hall and Priory Park School- Frances Gordon’»
Memories of the 19th cub scouts – Kelvin Callow
I remember that when I joined the cubs my mum had to take me to the scout hut in Waverly Road to buy my uniform. Akela was Derek Cooper who had a motorbike and lived in Redbourn. I can remember… More about ‘Memories of the 19th cub scouts – Kelvin Callow’»
Growing up on the Cottonmill Estate – Kelvin Callow
Kelvin Callow, born in 1946, has written up his memories of living on the Cottonmill Estate and kindly agreed to share them on the website. “When I was very young I lived with my parents at my Gran’s house in Cottonmill… More about ‘Growing up on the Cottonmill Estate – Kelvin Callow’»
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