River Colne - Watford Junction

River Colne
The Colne flows south westwards

Post to the north Watford North
Post to the south Watford

Brixton Road
Wells Brewery site. This lay south of the road and fronted onto St. Albans Road with the main site west of this square. In the 1930s a bowling green lay by the junction of Brixton and Bradshaw Roads.
Paget Plate works. This lay south of the brewery site. Paget Plate was a process for producing colour photographs.
Cassiobury Saw Mills. This lay south of the photographic plate works. Run by the Turner family

Colonial Way
Industrial and trading area

Ellenbrook Close
Bakery - Built on the site of a bakery

Imperial Way
Industrial and trading area.
Penfold Estate on the site of the Imperial Works.  Penfold Fencing and Engineering Ltd. Manufacturers and erectors of chain-link fencing.

Keele Close
Reeds Chapel. Chapel of former London Orphan Asylum. Built 1871 by Henry Dawson. Polychrome brick Gothic chapel

Orphanage Road
The London Orphan Asylum was originally Reeds School set up in east London in 1813 and in Clapton from the 1829s. It moved to Watford in the late 1860s for more space. The Asylum was designed in 1871 by Henry Dawson in brick and terracotta but with No plaster to save on maintenance. There is a central administration block, with the Headmasters House on one side and separate quadrangles for boys and girls. There is another boys' quadrangle behind. There is a tower with a clock and spire. The school was evacuated in the Second World War and the centre was used as the Ministry of Labour and National Service and Ministry of Works. The school moved to Cobham in 1946 and the buildings continued in government use until they were converted into housing in the 1980s
BT Engineering Dept. This is on the site of the Orphan School playing fields.
Nat-Rol works. Watsons Water Softeners, 1940s

Radlett Road
B.A.O British American Optical Company. The factory made spectacle frames, and moved some work to Kidwelly in the 1950s.
Knutsford Recreation Ground
Radlett Road Playing Fields
Watford Rugby Club. This was formed in 1973 following the demise of West Herts RFC and Sun Postal Rugby Club.

Raphael Drive
Centre Point House. Community Centre

Reeds Crescent
Wetherspoon House. Head office of the pub chain set up in 1979
Maple House. Hilton Hotels International Operations Centre.
Garden with seats around a pond

St Johns Road
Estcourt Arms, also called Lynch’s.  Some Benskins Brewery signs still in place.

Woodford Road
Bus station
Watford Junction Station.  The station opened in 1858. It is the terminus for trains from Watford High Street on London Overground and from Watford North on the Abbey Line. From Euston it is on National Rail First Scot Rail Trains next stop at Crewe or Carlisle and London Midland trains to Milton Keynes. Virgin Trains from Euston next stop at Milton Keynes Coventry or Rugby.  On the West Coast Mainline it is between Bushey and Kings Langley. It is between Hemel Hempstead and Harrow and Wealdstone on Southern. On the Bakerloo Line it is the terminus from Watford High Street and also the rail branches on the Croxley Green and Rickmansworth Lines. Watford Junction was the second station opened in what and originated as with the line to St Albans and joined it to the existing main line to Birmingham south of St Albans Road, in 1858. It was rebuilt in 1909, and in 1984 some buildings were demolished and a new travel centre and office block built.  In 1987 19th waiting rooms were demolished. In 1862 a branch was opened to Rickmansworth, by the Watford & Rickmansworth Railway. It was electrified in 1927 but it failed to attract traffic and closed to passengers in 1952. The section to Bushey is used as part of the local service to Euston. The Bakerloo Tube Line was extended here in 1917, and mainline electric trains ran from both Euston and Broad Street. There are Traincrew Depots here and stabled trains around the station. Sidings are in use for storing units as well as freight. A large network of sidings is now converted to road based trading estates.
London Concrete Sidings
2 Wellington Arms Hotel.
The Watford Club. Trades Hall. Watford Trades and Labour Club

Sources
Beer in the Evening. Web site
British Listed Buildings. Web site
Bygone Lines. Web site.
Herefordshire Churches
Hilton Hotels. Web site
Grace’s Guide. Web site
London Orphan Asylum. Wikipedia Web site
Peaty. Brewery Railways
Watford Council. Web site
Watford Junction Station. Wikipedia Web site
Watford Rugby Club. Web site
Wellington Arms. Web site
Wetherspoons Web site

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