River Gade - Croxley Green
River Gade
The Gade flows south westwards
TQ 08784 95869
A once industrial area along the canal with sites now being taken for housing.
Post to the north Rousebarn
Post to the west Croxley
Baldwin’s Lane
Named for the Baldwin family who were 16th land holders in the area.
Beechcroft Avenue
Part of a 1930s development on Caius College land.
Beggars Bush Lane
The lane once provided access from the east to Croxley Mills.
Cassio Wharf. Residential narrow boats are moored on the canal. The wharf dates from the early 1830s and was used for the transhipment of bricks and general cargoes.
Blackmoor Lane
Office and trading area parallel with the south side of the canal.
Byewaters
New housing on the site of the Croxley Mills.
Croxley Mills. Built by John Dickinson in 1826 purchasing the site from Caius College Cambridge which needed a private act of Parliament. A mill head was built to the Gade at Cassio Bridge and a mill tail to join the canal below the mills. The mill was given an ‘Egyptian front’ to meet objections from Lord Ebury. Work at the mill began in 1829 and in 1835 it was producing 14 tons of paper a week. It was the first paper mill in the world to take in raw material at one end, and send it out ready for sale at the other. The mill later had its own gas works. By 1894 it had eight Foudrinier machines plus much other equipment including a new triple expansion engine and a dynamo house. In the 1920s a new storage building and offices was built and by the time of the mill’s centenary in 1929 the works was all electric with machinery to produce 100 tons of paper a week. ‘Croxley’ was the brand name for writing paper as well as Three Candles manuscript paper, and Basildon Bond paper and much else. The mill closed in 1980 following company takeovers and losing jobs for 900 people. ‘Croxley’ remains a brand name for the Sappi group
Rail sidings. The mills were linked to Watford by the rail sidings in 1899 and had their own locomotive. In the 1920s the line went directly into the warehouse area. The line entered the site from the south east along the line of what is now Ebury Way.
Woodland covering the area of a large sheet of water south of the mill
Claremont Crescent
Part of a 1930s development on the Parrots Farm Estate. It was completed after the Second World War.
Common Moor
Site of Special Scientific Interest, it stretches to the south east of this area. There was a miniature rifle range on this part of it.
Croxley Business Park
Developed in the 1980s on part of the site of Croxley Mills
Sun Ink Factory. This was separate from the Sun Print Works but supplied ink to them.
Dorrofield Close
Named after a local family, some of whom grew watercress in this area
Ebury Way
Foot and cycle path on the line of the old railway between Watford Junction and Rickmansworth
Grand Union Canal
Cassio Bridge
Cassio Bridge Bridge
Beggars Bridge Footbridge. This footbridge over the canal was on the line of the closed railway from Watford West
Common Moor Lock. Coal was delivered here by barge to Croxley Mills and a stock pile of coal was kept to be delivered to the mill by a conveyor belt which ran continually
Croxley Green Bridge
Hatters Lane
Private road built to serve Croxley Business Park
Malvern Way
Malvern Way Junior and Nursery School. This was built in 1949, designed by David Mett and replaced a temporary school set up in a local church for evacuee children in the Second World War.
Mayfare
This road and the estate round it was built in the 1970s by Huntingate Homes on the site of the LMS goods yard; which had later been the site of the Lynwood Joinery Works. The housing courtyards were named after squares in the west end of London.
Nuttfield Close
On the site of Nuttfield House. This was built in 1891 for the Manager of Croxley Mills. It was sold in the 1930s as development land to Croxley Estates.
Watford Road
This was a turnpike road between Hatfield and Reading
Cassio Bridge
Croxley Green Station. This was the terminal station of a branch off of the London Midland and Scottish railway from Watford Junction to Rickmansworth by 1912 and never extended. It was burnt down, perhaps by suffragettes in 1913. There was an electric service from 1922. The platform was of wood and high on an embankment over the canal. There was a brick street level building on the area which is now the roundabout and a covered staircase between the two. Rolling stock on the line was eventually tube line stock serving Broad Street and Euston. The station was first closed illegally in 1963 but services revived with the opening of Watford Stadium station to the east on the line. By the 1980s the platform was too dangerous to use and was demolished in 1989. A new stairway to the platform was demolished but has now gone and the temporary platform was also removed. In 1996 the station was closed to allow for the building of Ascott Road and a bus service replaced it. The line has never reopened but the there are plans to include it in a new line linking it to the Metropolitan Line currently going to Watford station. There are some remains – in particular the Network South East sign on the roundabout indicating a station now hidden in the undergrowth.
Goods Yard. Opened in 1912 with two sidings but there were later extensions and buildings. Closed in 1966 but one private siding remained open for longer.
TS Renown. Rickmansworth and Watford Sea Scouts
Halfway House. This pub predated the canal and was on the south side of Watford Road. It was eventually used as a local depot and wharf by Benskins Brewery and was demolished for road widening in the 1950s.
Harvester pub. The real name of this pub was Two Bridges. It dates from 1956s and is on the site of two cottages purchased by Benskins in order to transfer the licence from the Halfway House. It was designed by R.G.Muir.
British Legion.
Croxley Green Scout Hut
Woodshots Meadow
Trading and industrial area.
Sources
Croxley Green. Wikipedia Web site.
Croxley Green Parish Council. We site
Croxley Green Station. Wikipedia Web site
Disused stations. Web site
Evans. The Endless Web
Greenman. Croxley Green through its Street Names
Hertfordshire County Council. Web site
Malvern Way School. Web site
Rickmansworth and Watford Sea Scout. Web site
Roots Web. Web site.
St.Oswald Church. Web site
Three Rivers Council. Web site
West Watford History Group. Web site.
The Gade flows south westwards
TQ 08784 95869
A once industrial area along the canal with sites now being taken for housing.
Post to the north Rousebarn
Post to the west Croxley
Baldwin’s Lane
Named for the Baldwin family who were 16th land holders in the area.
Beechcroft Avenue
Part of a 1930s development on Caius College land.
Beggars Bush Lane
The lane once provided access from the east to Croxley Mills.
Cassio Wharf. Residential narrow boats are moored on the canal. The wharf dates from the early 1830s and was used for the transhipment of bricks and general cargoes.
Blackmoor Lane
Office and trading area parallel with the south side of the canal.
Byewaters
New housing on the site of the Croxley Mills.
Croxley Mills. Built by John Dickinson in 1826 purchasing the site from Caius College Cambridge which needed a private act of Parliament. A mill head was built to the Gade at Cassio Bridge and a mill tail to join the canal below the mills. The mill was given an ‘Egyptian front’ to meet objections from Lord Ebury. Work at the mill began in 1829 and in 1835 it was producing 14 tons of paper a week. It was the first paper mill in the world to take in raw material at one end, and send it out ready for sale at the other. The mill later had its own gas works. By 1894 it had eight Foudrinier machines plus much other equipment including a new triple expansion engine and a dynamo house. In the 1920s a new storage building and offices was built and by the time of the mill’s centenary in 1929 the works was all electric with machinery to produce 100 tons of paper a week. ‘Croxley’ was the brand name for writing paper as well as Three Candles manuscript paper, and Basildon Bond paper and much else. The mill closed in 1980 following company takeovers and losing jobs for 900 people. ‘Croxley’ remains a brand name for the Sappi group
Rail sidings. The mills were linked to Watford by the rail sidings in 1899 and had their own locomotive. In the 1920s the line went directly into the warehouse area. The line entered the site from the south east along the line of what is now Ebury Way.
Woodland covering the area of a large sheet of water south of the mill
Claremont Crescent
Part of a 1930s development on the Parrots Farm Estate. It was completed after the Second World War.
Common Moor
Site of Special Scientific Interest, it stretches to the south east of this area. There was a miniature rifle range on this part of it.
Croxley Business Park
Developed in the 1980s on part of the site of Croxley Mills
Sun Ink Factory. This was separate from the Sun Print Works but supplied ink to them.
Dorrofield Close
Named after a local family, some of whom grew watercress in this area
Ebury Way
Foot and cycle path on the line of the old railway between Watford Junction and Rickmansworth
Grand Union Canal
Cassio Bridge
Cassio Bridge Bridge
Beggars Bridge Footbridge. This footbridge over the canal was on the line of the closed railway from Watford West
Common Moor Lock. Coal was delivered here by barge to Croxley Mills and a stock pile of coal was kept to be delivered to the mill by a conveyor belt which ran continually
Croxley Green Bridge
Hatters Lane
Private road built to serve Croxley Business Park
Malvern Way
Malvern Way Junior and Nursery School. This was built in 1949, designed by David Mett and replaced a temporary school set up in a local church for evacuee children in the Second World War.
Mayfare
This road and the estate round it was built in the 1970s by Huntingate Homes on the site of the LMS goods yard; which had later been the site of the Lynwood Joinery Works. The housing courtyards were named after squares in the west end of London.
Nuttfield Close
On the site of Nuttfield House. This was built in 1891 for the Manager of Croxley Mills. It was sold in the 1930s as development land to Croxley Estates.
Watford Road
This was a turnpike road between Hatfield and Reading
Cassio Bridge
Croxley Green Station. This was the terminal station of a branch off of the London Midland and Scottish railway from Watford Junction to Rickmansworth by 1912 and never extended. It was burnt down, perhaps by suffragettes in 1913. There was an electric service from 1922. The platform was of wood and high on an embankment over the canal. There was a brick street level building on the area which is now the roundabout and a covered staircase between the two. Rolling stock on the line was eventually tube line stock serving Broad Street and Euston. The station was first closed illegally in 1963 but services revived with the opening of Watford Stadium station to the east on the line. By the 1980s the platform was too dangerous to use and was demolished in 1989. A new stairway to the platform was demolished but has now gone and the temporary platform was also removed. In 1996 the station was closed to allow for the building of Ascott Road and a bus service replaced it. The line has never reopened but the there are plans to include it in a new line linking it to the Metropolitan Line currently going to Watford station. There are some remains – in particular the Network South East sign on the roundabout indicating a station now hidden in the undergrowth.
Goods Yard. Opened in 1912 with two sidings but there were later extensions and buildings. Closed in 1966 but one private siding remained open for longer.
TS Renown. Rickmansworth and Watford Sea Scouts
Halfway House. This pub predated the canal and was on the south side of Watford Road. It was eventually used as a local depot and wharf by Benskins Brewery and was demolished for road widening in the 1950s.
Harvester pub. The real name of this pub was Two Bridges. It dates from 1956s and is on the site of two cottages purchased by Benskins in order to transfer the licence from the Halfway House. It was designed by R.G.Muir.
British Legion.
Croxley Green Scout Hut
Woodshots Meadow
Trading and industrial area.
Sources
Croxley Green. Wikipedia Web site.
Croxley Green Parish Council. We site
Croxley Green Station. Wikipedia Web site
Disused stations. Web site
Evans. The Endless Web
Greenman. Croxley Green through its Street Names
Hertfordshire County Council. Web site
Malvern Way School. Web site
Rickmansworth and Watford Sea Scout. Web site
Roots Web. Web site.
St.Oswald Church. Web site
Three Rivers Council. Web site
West Watford History Group. Web site.
Comments
Thanks, this is lovely.
n.b. In all the years I lived hereabouts, Baldwins Lane never had an apostrophe.