Educational Resources

St Peters classroom early 1960sThis Sopwell Memories website contains a wealth of information, including original images and oral history recordings, for teachers and students to use for school projects on local history.

Like the Sopwell History book, it contains a fascinating mixture of formal history and informal recollections from people who have lived in the area and know it well. This website complements the Sopwell History book so it is suggested that both be used together.

Here are just a few suggestions of posts to search for topics. There are many more.

Childhood play:

Wartime recollections:

The prefabs:

Shopping in the 1940s and 1950s:

School days:

Sports and recreation:

Churches:

Sopwell people:

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Tim Slaughter

    Interesting site! I would like to see more on the history of Sopwell House, I’m hoping some of that is on the book. But not much on the internet. I was born and raised at Laundry Cottage just opposite New Barnes Mill and my parents lived there from the mid 1940’s I believe. I did work part time as a lad at Sopwell Home Farm and went to Mandeville School. I remember the prefabs down Holyrood Crescent and used to catch slow worms there. I think I have a few photo’s of the River Ver and surrounding area taken in the latex 70’s and also have a book called “The River Ver at St Albans” which was published by the St Albans Civic Society and published by the Campfield Press, not sure what year though. The book describes the walk along the River Ver from the Fighting Cocks Pub to Park Street.
    Anyway I now live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will keep an eye on this site as it hopefully grows. Best wishes – Tim Slaughter

    Reply
    • Sandy Norman

      Thanks for your comments and memories, Tim. There is a lot more about Sopwell House in the book which you can now buy online. See the link.

      Reply
  2. Jane Hale

    Looking for any information on the Mitchell Close Prefabs, Dad coming back from Oz to celebrate his 80th (we lived in Mitchell Close 1958-1969) and would like to collate information for him…any ideas please? can’t seem to find out much on the internet….thanks Jane (going to buy the Elizabeth Blanchet book about Prefabs for him for Christmas)

    Reply
    • Sandy Norman

      Hi Jane
      I wrote quite a bit about the Mitchell Close prefabs in Sopwell: a history and collection of memories. Perhaps you could buy him a copy when he comes over. See under Our publications for details on how to get it.

      Reply
  3. Andy Marlow

    I recently visited Gillian Avenue on Tithe Barn Estate, as my family was one of the first to live there as it was being built when it was surrounded by fields. I thought I must have imagined the barn at the top of the road on the corner of Robert Avenue and Watling Street.Thanks to your site I now know it was there.
    I have a few questions I’d be grateful if someone could answer.
    Was there a small row of shops on Vesta Avenue, visible from Watling Street?
    I went to Killigrew School in around 1958, but at one point my class was moved to St Stephens. Would the room we used have been attached to the actual church? Or is there a church or a church room of the same name nearer to Killigrew?
    What was the name of the school which has become Marlborough Science Academy?
    I had a friend who lived in a prefab, I don’t know exactly where. I lived in a brand new house and would have happily swapped with her. I loved being at her house.
    The lower side of Buttfield View was a field when I lived there, we few children who lived in the beginnings of Gillian Avenue would play there and would often find Grass Snakes and the odd Adder. Building continued around us and we made dens in the piles of window and door frames and play ‘war’ using newly dug foundations as trenches. We also used to play in a wood which was beyond what became Warren Road and the rest of Robert Avenue. I heard my first cuckoo in that wood. Happy Days

    Reply
  4. Andy Marlow

    I recently visited Gillian Avenue on Tithe Barn Estate, as my family was one of the first to live there as it was being built when it was surrounded by fields. I thought I must have imagined the barn at the top of the road on the corner of Robert Avenue and Watling Street.Thanks to your site I now know it was there.
    I have a few questions I’d be grateful if someone could answer.
    Was there a small row of shops on Vesta Avenue, visible from Watling Street?
    I went to Killigrew School in around 1958, but at one point my class was moved to St Stephens. Would the room we used have been attached to the actual church? Or is there a church or a church room of the same name nearer to Killigrew?
    What was the name of the school which has become Marlborough Science Academy?
    I had a friend who lived in a prefab, I don’t know exactly where. I lived in a brand new house and would have happily swapped with her. I loved being at her house.
    The lower side of Buttfield View was a field when I lived there, we few children who lived in the beginnings of Gillian Avenue would play there and would often find Grass Snakes and the odd Adder. We also used to play in a wood which was beyond

    Reply
    • Sandy Norman

      Thanks for your comment Andy. There are a row of shops in Vesta Avenue which you may have seen from Watling Street then. There was a Church Hall in Watford Road which might be the one. It was called St Stephen’s Hall or the Cavalier hall after the name of the Vicar at the time it was built. The Marlborough Science Academy was once called St Julian’s. Now a question for you: where was the wood and did it have a name? We are researching this area so any memories you have would be helpful.

      Reply

Leave a comment

  • (will not be published)