Gloria’s ancestors worked in the straw plaiting industry and she describes how they used to plait straw for the making of straw boaters while walking to St Albans market from Welham Green.It emancipated these women from having to do domestic… More about ‘Women and the straw plaiting industry – Gloria Morris’»
Gloria Morris has many vivid memories of what life was like on the home front during World war II. She remembers her mother having to do war work at Ryders’ Seed merchants; gas masks; the different kinds of ration books;… More about ‘Childhood memories of living in the war years – Gloria Morris’»
Noel Godman lived in St Julians Road as a child and recalls playing in the Cottonmill Lane area. He has vivid memories of the gasworks and of the trains coming in and out from the Abbey station and the shunting… More about ‘Childhood memories – Noel Godman’»
Noel Godman and his father, uncles and brother were talented engineers. His father worked at Mercers Chronometers where he was supervisor, and one of his roles was to check the master clocks on some of the famous ships of the… More about ‘Working as a precision engineer – Noel Godman’»
Russ Bowman’s father worked in the retail trade as a pork butcher working mainly for Sainsbury’s and Saxby’s. Russ was also offered an apprenticeship as a pork butcher but declined in favour of working in the GPO as an engineer.… More about ‘Working life in St Albans – Russ Bowman’»
Bill Mackenzie recalls the trains from Watford and Hatfield coming into the Abbey station. He describes the procedure for making sure the trains did not collide. He talks about a cattle food storage yard at the City station and the… More about ‘Steam train memories – Bill Mackenzie’»
Bill Mackenzie, born 1939, lived in Cottonmill Crescent. He recalls some the shops situated in the Old London area: Caleys grocers and off-licence, Mr Sedgely greengrocer and Mrs Hooper’s second-hand clothes. Interview date: 23 April 2010. Interviewer: Sandy Norman … More about ‘Old London Road shops – Bill Mackenzie’»
In 1865, a six mile single-track branch line from St Albans to Hatfield originally run by the Hatfield and St Albans Railway Company was opened. The line terminated at London Road and was first called St Albans GNR and then… More about ‘London Road station – Valerie Robertson’»
Sopwell cottages belonged to the farm at New Barnes which is now part of Sopwell House. Beryl Whitney (nee Parrott) writes: “In 1927, my parents were able to take up the tenancy of one of the Sopwell Cottages as my… More about ‘Sopwell Cottages’»
Jack and Sarah Stratton were the grandparents of Beryl Whitney. Flint Cottages were owned by Hedges Farm where, Beryl says, Jack was head cattleman for over twenty years. He and his family lived at 1 Flint Cottages from the 1920s… More about ‘Flint Cottages, Hedges Farm’»
