Margaret Brown was born in 1928 and lived in Boleyn Drive on the Mentmore estate, Cottonmill Lane since she was 11. She shares her childhood recollections of wandering miles over the fields with her friends and scrumping apples. She remembers… More about ‘Childhood – Margaret Brown’»
Category: Timeline
Sopwell Mill
In Cottonmill Lane almost opposite Priory Walk, there is a little track which leads down to Sopwell Mill Farm. The original mill on this site was probably one of the three St Albans mills referred to in the Domesday Book.… More about ‘Sopwell Mill’»
Betty Entwistle House/Eywood House
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’»
Memories of Mercer’s
William Beckett, 1939-2017, worked at Mercer’s Chronometers. At some time in his life, he wrote down his memories of those times. His family have kindly agreed to share them. “At 15 I left school. My uncle, Rick Rickman, worked at… More about ‘Memories of Mercer’s’»
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’»
Memories of the coalman
Can anyone remember the coalman in Cottonmill and St Julian’s? I asked this question on Facebook and received many replies. Thanks to my many FB friends for sharing these memories. Yvette Wright: “Oh yes I do! I must have been… More about ‘Memories of the coalman’»
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’»
Cottonmill Men’s Club
The St Julian’s and Cottonmill Men’s Club, usually referred to as the Cottonmill Men’s Club, was founded in 1953. Meetings were held on Fridays at Mandeville School. According to one of their chairmen, Mr W. Christie, the club was founded… More about ‘Cottonmill Men’s Club’»
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