Up until about 40 years ago, children had freedom to roam everywhere. There were many places to explore in Sopwell and further afield. Here is Bill Mackenzie talking about how he and his mates used to walk along the Watford… More about ‘Walking to Park Street – Bill Mackenzie’»
Bill Mackenzie remembers his job as a child was collecting 28lb coke from the gasworks on a Saturday morning. He also remembers warming his hands on the wall where the retorts were. Interview date: 23 April 2010. Interviewer: Sandy Norman… More about ‘Collecting coke from the gasworks – Bill Mackenzie’»
Kathy Sinfield, born 1929, lived at the bottom of Doggetts Way. She remembers that the gasworks had its own sports ground where they played football and cricket. Mr Ripping from the St Johns Ambulance used to come round with lemons… More about ‘Gasworks sports – Kathy Sinfield’»
Bill Mackenzie, born 1939, lived in Cottonmill Crescent. He recalls some the shops situated in the Old London area: Caleys grocers and off-licence, Mr Sedgely greengrocer and Mrs Hooper’s second-hand clothes. Interview date: 23 April 2010. Interviewer: Sandy Norman … More about ‘Old London Road shops – Bill Mackenzie’»
Jasim Uddin, born 1970 in Sylhet Bangladesh, tells the story of his father who came to St Albans in the 1960s and the jobs he had. Later he owned the first Indian restaurant in Hertfordshire, the Koh-I-Noor in George Street.… More about ‘Stories of an immigrant family from Bangladesh – Jasim Uddin’»
In 1865, a six mile single-track branch line from St Albans to Hatfield originally run by the Hatfield and St Albans Railway Company was opened. The line terminated at London Road and was first called St Albans GNR and then… More about ‘London Road station – Valerie Robertson’»
Tavistock Avenue was once part of Doggetts Road. Then it was called St Julian’s Farm Estate on East Road, while the houses were being constructed, as the land was also part of the St Julian’s estate. The land was sold… More about ‘Tavistock Avenue’»
St Peter’s school in Cottonmill Lane is by far the oldest school in Sopwell. It started off as two schools, a church school for boys and girls over seven and a school for infants from two to seven. The building… More about ‘History of St Peter’s School’»
The St Albans gas works were set up in 1826, more than 30 years before the coming of the railway. Until the coming of the railway, coal had to be transported into the city on barges along the canal from… More about ‘History of the Gasworks’»
Before it was vandalised in the early 1970s, St Stephen’s vicarage and garden was a splendid Georgian building. Here are some wonderful descriptions and images of what it was like in its heyday. The land on which the building stood… More about ‘St Stephen’s Vicarage and garden’»
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