Edith's Streets

River Colne The Colne flows southwards Post to the north Bricket Wood Post to the south Wall Hall Bricket Wood Bricket Wood Common , an area of wood and common land covered by thickets of gorse, fern and trees as well as wild flowers.   Lord Knutsford of the Munden estate is Lord of the Manor. Peartree Wood Crab Wood Four Acre Plantation Common Meadow Lane River Lodge Crab Lane Ford School Lane Munden Estate . Owned by the Holland-Hibbert family. It is west of a large meander of   the River Colne. There are two farms and 118 acres of woodland.   Munden House is an 18th house which has been the home of the Viscount Knutsfords since 1874. It was built 1787-95 for R.S.Parker, and remodelled in 1828 for G.Hibbert. It is red brick, with stone dressings. There is a service wing and inside 19th features. Outside is a formal garden.       Little Munden Farm . Little Munden has been farmed by the McClelland family since Robert ...

River Colne The Colne flows south west and south TL 13212 01854 Urban commuter housing surrounded by woods and fields. The railway line from Kings Cross runs through the area as does the M1. The M25 is a short distance to the north, Post to the east Drop Lane Post to the south Munden Estate Post to the north Bricket Wood Bricket Wood Common The Common is an important example of lowland heath. It has a range of habitats including ancient semi-natural woodland , hornbeam coppice woodland, wet lowland heath/acid grassland, ponds and seasonal streams. It supports an array of wildlife including great crested newts, butterflies, heather, fungi, blue bells and Heath Spotted Orchids. It is managed by St Albans City and District Council. The Common has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1953. This was because the boulder clay soil and a history of grazing, wood cutting and burning had produced areas of lowland heath. The Earl of Essex used it for hunting and there is a ...

River Colne The Colne flows westward and is met by the River Ver from the north The River Ver flows south wards and is met by the Hanstead Brook from the north west The Hanstead Brook flows southwards Rural area with big houses and utilities Post to the east Netherwylde Post to the north Smug Oak Lane Post to the west Bricket Wood Drop Lane Gravel extraction along the riverside area has altered the area and some of the length of the Ver is now canalised. Hanstead Livery Stables . Lower Stud. The Hanstead Brook, flowing from Hanstead Park meets the Ver here. Riverside Stables Drop Lane Pumping Station . This is described as one of the ‘Clay Lane Group’ of ground water pumping stations which pump from the chalk aquifer in the Colne Valley. They supply drinking water to Watford and some of North West W. London. This building is a in a barn-like style because Lady Yule wanted it to fit into the rural landscape. Pumping Station. South of the road of a utilitarian design For...

River Ver The Ver flows southwards TL 15706 02178 Interesting area in a village south of St. Albans.  There is the site of an early aircraft factory, water mill remains and some Second World War defence structures Post to the west Smug Oak Lane Post to the north Radlett Aerodrome Post to the south Netherwylde Post to the east Springfield Farm Handley Page Way Named after the factory which was on site M25 Moor Mill Lane The Lane is now divided into two by the M25 with the southern section now a private road to the Premier Inn. The northern section leads to areas used for processing aggregate. This includes some hard standing Moor Mill . The mill site is probably that listed at Domesday and to which there are 13 th references. Moor Mill House and Mill. These are in a single range together. The mill house dates from around 1700 and the mill is 19 th . Mill has a painted brick ground floor and weather boarded upper floor and 4 stable doors. There is a sack hoist ab...

River Ver – the Ver flows southwards Post to the north How Wood Post to the east Colney Street Post to the south Drop Lane Post to the west Bricket Wood M25 Smug Oak Lane Part of the road in this area was known as Vinegar Hill - because it is very sharp. Farm, with a   mounting block outside Tanker depot. now disused. Aerial

River Ver The Ver flows south east and south west Post to the east Napsbury Post to the north Hedges Farm Post to the west How Wood  Post to the south Colney Street Frogmore A straggling village, extending for some distance along Watling Street. In the early 1800’s, the Manor of Park was split into two, the Park Valley Estate and the Parkbury Lodge Estate. Frogmore House . This was built on part of what was the Park Valley Estate and incorporated part of the Park Valley farmhouse. The main part of the house was built in 1725, but it was re-fronted in the 19th by the architect Francis Wigg, for himself.   It is painted brick and 1725 is shown on the rain water head plus a lion mask. Grounds – these were laid out by Frogmore House owner, Sidney Brunton, who built an ornamental canal, diverting part of the river so that it flowed near to the house. He built a hatchery and bred trout for re-stocking the river. On the other side of the river he had an 18-hole golf cours...

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 19 th 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-20 th 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...

River Ver The Ver flows south and south west Post to the east Hedges Farm Post to the south How Wood Burydell Lane Berrydell Lane is the spelling on the 1870s OS Smithy in the lane in 1899 Berry Dell woodland Burydell Lane Allotment Site is a green space which has an active tenants group in the Burydell Allotment Association Toll Cottage . This is a 17th timber framed house which has been divided, but is now one property. On one side is built of brown and blue mixed brick with a weather boarded ground floor from the 18th. There is a chimney with a brick bake-oven which has ingle fire-place inside. The cottage is surrounded by a low flint wall Terrace of five cottages which replaced three thatched cottages in 1846. Watercress beds were established here in the late 19 th Village Green leased for watercress beds in the 1880s Park Street Park Street was part of the land given by Offa to St. Albans monastery in 793 52 18 th building which has been part of larger building...

River Ver The Ver flows south westwards Post to the north Sopwell Post to the west Park Street Post to the south Radlett Aerodrome Chalkden Wood North Orbital Road Hedges Farm . With a herd of pedigree Herefords Radlett Aerodrome This square shows the northern section of the airfield services area plus a length of the main runway. This grass airfield was opened by aircraft manufacturer Handley Page in 1929 for the production of aircraft. It was upgraded before 1939 with three hard runways for the production of bombers during the Second World War and production continued after the war. The Society of British Aircraft Constructors air shows were held here in 1946 and 1947. Handley Page went bankrupt in 1969 and the airfield closed in 1970. The site is proposed for an international rail terminal. Main runway – this ran from near the North Orbital road – a layby off the road leads to the runway which has been used as roadway to a gravel extraction site.   The runway wa...

River Ver The Ver flows south east and south Post to the north St. Albans Post to the south Hedges Farm Abbots Avenue St.Julian’s Church of England . Built in the 1950s to serve the local estate. St. Albans Christadelphians. This dates from 1952 Cottonmill Lane Sopwell House Hotel . The earliest reference to Sopwell House is in 1603, where it is referred to as newly built for Richard Sadlier. In 1670 the house was bought by Sir Harbottle Grimston, Earl of Verulam, owner of the adjacent Gorhambury estate. In 1901 it was leased by Lord Mountbatten as his family home. It is a manor house now largely of 19th appearance. It is however an early 18th manor house built round an earlier building which is not now visible. Archway . This is the entrance to Sopwell House. There is a tall round arch flanked by single storey lodges and cast iron gates. It is 19th and might have been designed by Humphrey Repton. New Barnes Mill . This was one of a number of mills on the River Ver which ...

River Ver The Ver flows south eastwards Post to the south Sopwell Post to the west St. Albans Alma Road Play School Nursery. This is in the buildings of Alma Road School. There is a plaque on the wall “St Albans School Board. Public Elementary School”. The Alma Road girls and infants school was built in 1882, and enlarged 1890. The school closed in the early 1960s and was later used as an administration centre for the county youth service. Telford Court . This tower block dates from the 1960’s and built on what was then site of a timber yard. It had previously been the site of the Alpha film studio 14 Alpha Cinematograph Works and Alpha Trading Co . This was set up in 1908 by Arthur Melbourne- Cooper one of the key figures in the early history of cinema, early animation, film and newsreel in Britain. He had set up a cinema in London Road and then this premises where the grounds of more than two acres and various ancillary buildings were used for his film making. There is a pla...