Betty Entwistle house, a local authority sheltered housing scheme in Holyrood Crescent, was constructed around 1975-76 and officially opened in 1977 with the planting of a tree. The photo below shows a local dignitary doing the planting. In the background… More about ‘Betty Entwistle House/Eywood House’»
Category: Places and spaces
Abbots Avenue Bridge
In 1948, the council tried to get a bus service installed on the Cottonmill estate but the London Transport Executive said they were unable to do so because of the state of the roads leading to the estate. It was… More about ‘Abbots Avenue Bridge’»
Prefabs – Tavistock Avenue
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’»
Searchlight battery – Denis Mardel
Denis remembers during the war there being a searchlight battery behind Cottonmill Lane. He remembers the soldiers and the Nissen huts and the fenced in area with the searchlight which would have extended near where the bottom of his garden in… More about ‘Searchlight battery – Denis Mardel’»
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’»
Designing the clock face for St Albans clocktower
This is a lovely tale which was told to Michelle Mackenzie by her Uncle Bill about his time working at Mercers Chronometers. In the late 1950’s I was working as a draughtsman in the drawing office of Mercers. St. Albans City Council had… More about ‘Designing the clock face for St Albans clocktower’»
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’»
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’»
The building of Doggetts and Wilshere
In 1931-2, subsidised by the government, the Workman’s Housing Association built 134 houses where there was once a footpath leading up the hill from Eywood Road. The estate was called the Eywood estate which later became part of St Julian’s estate and the… More about ‘The building of Doggetts and Wilshere’»
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