River Ver - How Wood
River Ver
The Ver flows south east and south west, and then south east again
Post to the north Park Street
Post to the east Radlett Aerodrome
Post to the south Smug Oak Lane
Branch Road
The road is between River Ver and the branch line of 1868 which ran at the backs of the houses on the north side of the road. It is almost entirely 19th houses the earliest of which date from the 1860’s. They are mainly red brick with some Luton greys and some yellow gault.
1 Old School House - a new school house built in 1878
Park Street Baptist Chapel – this appears to have been at no.1. in the mid-20th
2-4 A coffee tavern, built in 1884 as part of the temperance movement. It was later converted into two houses
Park Street Primary School. This was originally Park Street Church of England School established in 1831 in premises at the junction with Watling Street - now the Old School House. In 1900 a school and a school master’s house was built on a new site was selected at the north-western end of Branch Road.
The school grew – children had
garden plots to grow and sell potatoes and in 1923 they exhibited at the County
Agricultural Show. In the Second World War evacuee children from London came to
the school and an air raid shelter was built behind the school. In 1954 new
classrooms were built and more in 1959. In the 1970s the fuselage of a Handley
Page Jetstream at the school was featured on Blue Peter.
Watling Engineers. Caravan and motorhome servicing.
Burydell Lane
Terrace of four cottages on the south side
Hyde Lane
How Wood Station. Opened in 1988 between Park Street and Bricket Wood on London Overground Line to Euston via Watford Junction. It was opened when then line was electrified. It appears possible that it was built on the site of the original Park Street Station.
Park Street Station. Opened in 1858 by the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway as the station for Frogmore. It opened with the line then closed within a few months. A building there could be the original station master’s house.
Park Street
War Memorial. This memorial was unveiled in 1920 by the Earl of Cavan, recording 42 men who were lost
Bar Room Bar. Park Mill. Water Mill – 18th mill with low race and undershot wheel, in red brick and weather boarded. This is now a pub. “Le Parkmulle” was first referred to in the 12th and it was repaired and rebuilt by successive abbots. As well as grinding flour, the miller was required to supply the abbey with eels from the mill ponds. During the early 19th it was rebuilt by the Beament family. It stopped grinding flour in 1920, and became a glue factory, then a scrap metal store. It was converted into offices in the 1980s. The mill house was demolished for road widening in the early 1960’s.
72 The Falcon. Said to be on the site of a "Pilgrim's Rest", which was somewhere to house pilgrims to St Alban's shrine in the 1600s.
86 The Overdraft. This was previously called the White Horse.
Bridge Abutments. In order to connect the LNWR line to the Midland Company’s line at Napsbury, a second line was constructed, crossing the Watling Street and River Ver on an embankment. It was never used, although the part was used as a siding. The bridges across Watling Street have been demolished but the embankment remains, covered with bushes and trees. The former railway embankments make important wildlife habitats
School buildings. In 1831 Francis Wigg took over two buildings south of the White Horse Inn and established a school. It was originally Park Street Church of England School and it affiliated to the National Society in 1835. There was also a school house which was demolished by the Midland Railway Company in 1866. In 1873 the Wigg family gave the school to the Parish and it was enlarged. As the premises at the junction of Branch Road became too small for the growing numbers of children a new school was built in Branch Road and opened in 1900 the new school building
105 Ver Cottage. Carr Wigg built part of Ver Cottage as teacher’s accommodation for the school.
The Red Lion. Closed in 2009. During the Great War the stables behind the pub were used for army horses and mules
Park Street Lane
Park Street Recreation Ground
Railway Bridge. A skew bridge which carries a single track branch railway line to St Albans Abbey Station over Park Street Lane. It has a yellow and black edging as a warning of the limited clearance for large vehicles.
131 Late 18th house in red brick, possibly older inside
Penn Road
Park Street Baptist Church. Built in 1938
Spooners Lane
How Wood Primary School
Sources
Hertfordshire Churches
London Transport. Country Walks
St. Albans City Council. Web site
St.Albans Nostalgia. Web site
The Ver flows south east and south west, and then south east again
Post to the north Park Street
Post to the east Radlett Aerodrome
Post to the south Smug Oak Lane
Branch Road
The road is between River Ver and the branch line of 1868 which ran at the backs of the houses on the north side of the road. It is almost entirely 19th houses the earliest of which date from the 1860’s. They are mainly red brick with some Luton greys and some yellow gault.
1 Old School House - a new school house built in 1878
Park Street Baptist Chapel – this appears to have been at no.1. in the mid-20th
2-4 A coffee tavern, built in 1884 as part of the temperance movement. It was later converted into two houses
Park Street Primary School. This was originally Park Street Church of England School established in 1831 in premises at the junction with Watling Street - now the Old School House. In 1900 a school and a school master’s house was built on a new site was selected at the north-western end of Branch Road.
Watling Engineers. Caravan and motorhome servicing.
Burydell Lane
Terrace of four cottages on the south side
Hyde Lane
How Wood Station. Opened in 1988 between Park Street and Bricket Wood on London Overground Line to Euston via Watford Junction. It was opened when then line was electrified. It appears possible that it was built on the site of the original Park Street Station.
Park Street Station. Opened in 1858 by the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway as the station for Frogmore. It opened with the line then closed within a few months. A building there could be the original station master’s house.
Park Street
War Memorial. This memorial was unveiled in 1920 by the Earl of Cavan, recording 42 men who were lost
Bar Room Bar. Park Mill. Water Mill – 18th mill with low race and undershot wheel, in red brick and weather boarded. This is now a pub. “Le Parkmulle” was first referred to in the 12th and it was repaired and rebuilt by successive abbots. As well as grinding flour, the miller was required to supply the abbey with eels from the mill ponds. During the early 19th it was rebuilt by the Beament family. It stopped grinding flour in 1920, and became a glue factory, then a scrap metal store. It was converted into offices in the 1980s. The mill house was demolished for road widening in the early 1960’s.
72 The Falcon. Said to be on the site of a "Pilgrim's Rest", which was somewhere to house pilgrims to St Alban's shrine in the 1600s.
86 The Overdraft. This was previously called the White Horse.
Bridge Abutments. In order to connect the LNWR line to the Midland Company’s line at Napsbury, a second line was constructed, crossing the Watling Street and River Ver on an embankment. It was never used, although the part was used as a siding. The bridges across Watling Street have been demolished but the embankment remains, covered with bushes and trees. The former railway embankments make important wildlife habitats
School buildings. In 1831 Francis Wigg took over two buildings south of the White Horse Inn and established a school. It was originally Park Street Church of England School and it affiliated to the National Society in 1835. There was also a school house which was demolished by the Midland Railway Company in 1866. In 1873 the Wigg family gave the school to the Parish and it was enlarged. As the premises at the junction of Branch Road became too small for the growing numbers of children a new school was built in Branch Road and opened in 1900 the new school building
105 Ver Cottage. Carr Wigg built part of Ver Cottage as teacher’s accommodation for the school.
The Red Lion. Closed in 2009. During the Great War the stables behind the pub were used for army horses and mules
Park Street Lane
Park Street Recreation Ground
Railway Bridge. A skew bridge which carries a single track branch railway line to St Albans Abbey Station over Park Street Lane. It has a yellow and black edging as a warning of the limited clearance for large vehicles.
131 Late 18th house in red brick, possibly older inside
Penn Road
Park Street Baptist Church. Built in 1938
Spooners Lane
How Wood Primary School
Sources
Hertfordshire Churches
London Transport. Country Walks
St. Albans City Council. Web site
St.Albans Nostalgia. Web site
Comments