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’»
Margaret recalls that after building the Cottonmill Estate, St Julian’s was built. She said that there was no access to the estate other than by foot because of the cattle bridge in what is now Abbots Avenue. Over the cattle… More about ‘St Julian’s Estate – Margaret Brown’»
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’»
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 following description of the people who lived in the area around St Stephen’s Church is derived from the census returns from 1851 to 1911. Watling Street is not mentioned. People who lived in that area were just living in… More about ‘St Stephen’s 1851 – 1911′»
There used to be a farm in Watling Street called St Julian’s Farm The farm buildings were opposite the entrance to Vesta Avenue and can be seen in this photo which was taken in 1939. This land in Watling street originally… More about ‘St Julian’s’»
Prospect Road first appears in the 1871 census so some of the houses in the road must have been built in the late 1860s and early 1870s. It was originally a cul de sac and ended before St Julians Road.… More about ‘A portrait of Prospect Road in 1911’»
As a holiday job, Mike used to help out at the farm near Black’s Pine at New Barnes. He was given unsavoury jobs to do like clearing out manure from the cowsheds and cutting down thistles in the fields. Interview… More about ‘Sopwell Home Farm – Mike Titchiner’»
Val shares her memories of St Julian’s farm, now the Tithe Barn estate, in Watling Street. Interview Date: 29 January 2014. Interviewer: Sandy Norman… More about ‘St Julian’s farm – Val Goodyear-Burrow’»
Mary was born in 1929 and lived in New House Park. She recalls the Barnett family who lived in Sopwell House, previously called Sopwell Manor, and how Lady Aileen Barnett was frequently caught speeding. She remembers picking mushrooms, the ice… More about ‘Sopwell House and New Barnes Mill – Mary Myers’»
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