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Broxbourne
Broxbourne maps
Historic maps of Broxbourne and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Broxbourne maps
Broxbourne area books
Displaying 1 of 8 books about Broxbourne and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Broxbourne
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Broxbourne.
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As it Was
Before the houses were built, I remember this area as an open field with blackberry bushes.
Visits to Bourne Close
Mr grandmother lived in Bourne Close and my mother was born there in 1923. She met my father in the late 40s when he was the minister of Hoddesdon Baptist Church. In the late 50s I regularly made the trip to Broxbourne with my mother from Surrey. We would leave home on a very early train and arrive in Broxbourne in time for breakfast. Later on my grandmother came to live with us, first in Godalming in Surrey and then in Hove, but my grandfather, who was a member of the church choir at St Augustine's is buried in the churchyard there, having died in 1950.
Hertfordshire memories
Turnford - A Peaceful Place
I was born and grew up in a happy, peaceful village where everyone knew everyone else. My memories are of long walks in a beautiful countryside which could have been a million miles from London instead of an hour on a greenline bus. Of thick fogs in November when traffic crawled at walking pace; indeed, one night my grandfather was leading the crocodile of vehicles and they all followed him up his drive and there was great difficulty in turning everyone around and getting them back onto the road. I remember my father saying he was going mushrooming one morning as there were some beauties at the end of the field which would be just ready at daybreak. The mushrooms grew just below the railway and when my father arrived at 6am a train had stopped, and the driver was picking the mushrooms! I remember many happy Saturday and Sunday afternoons watching cricket and the excitement of being allowed to score for the Rochford's 2nd... Read more
Glen Faba
Oh what lovely memories come flooding back, my mum and I would walk the winding river towpath from Glen Faba, where we lived, to Dobbs Weir, fish and minnow watching as we went along our way. In the summer my mum would get a hire row boat out from the man in the Fish and Eels pub garden, oh it was always sooo exciting - being so careful not to fall in the water, as we climbed into the boat, and then we were off, taking it in turns to row and not hit or get hit by the bigger boats along the river. We would row all the way to the lock at Glen Faba, near the power station, and back again, taking in all the sights and smells along the way. The fish, so clearly visable beside the boat, although my hands were never fast enough to catch one! And the wonderful array of fowl, moorhens, mallards, and of course the majestic swans, the reeds, the bullrushes and... Read more
The Flicks
This is the first cinema I ever went to! I even went to see 'The Circus of Horrors' X-rated film here, I was smuggled in by my mum and her friend Long Lil (Lillian Smith), it's ok, I''ve had no real side effects from it, ha ha. I think I was between 6-8 years old. I remember I had to hide under Lil's coat (it had a flare type bottom) and Mum and Lil walked in from the ticket booth arm in arm, into the darkened cinema. How funny it must have been, you couldn;t get away with it now. Ahhh, the good ol' days. I would love to live from anyone who lived or stayed at the Glen Faba or Riverside.
Glen Faber, Rye House Chalet Park
Does anyone at all remember the small island called Glen Faber at Rye House which had dozens of old chalets, caravans and odd assortments of old bungalows near the river lea lock. There was also a provisions shop made out of wood selling sweets and other foods, I think it was called, or at least the lady was called Mrs Kew. The shop was very near the bridge crossing the weir. It was a holiday place really with lots of families with children and we all used to swim in the lock. It all began to disapear around 1963 with the start of a huge park and lakes being built, now nothing at all remains of this place save for an empty field
Glen Faber
Hi there, I lived there from 1960 to 1968. I remember it well. I am still in touch with three of my friends who lived there as well. I went to Roydon School. I remember walking down that bumpy old road to catch the bus and walking up Low Hill when I missed the bus. I had a great childhood there. My mate Alby Smith lived on the island and I lived in the old boat house for a while, I think I lived in about three or four different places. I would love to see some photos, that would be great.
