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Lemsford
Lemsford maps
Historic maps of Lemsford and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Lemsford maps
Lemsford area books
Displaying 1 of 8 books about Lemsford and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Lemsford
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Lemsford.
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or of a photo of Lemsford.
The Sun
The building on the left is the Sun pub, which we used to visit when in the sixth form at Stanborough school in the 1970s . Our teachers used it too as it wasn't far from our school so we used to go there more on weekend evenings... We drank Courage Best and Directors at 34p a pint and got accepted provided we acted responsibly.
In those days 'responsible' behaviour included sitting on the bridge, paddling in the river and having fights in it. On at least one occasion we pushed each other off the bridge into the water. Afterwards we all went home peacefully. Fortunately there weren't ASBOs in my day.... but then we didn't wear hoods, just flares and long hair
Hertfordshire memories
The Place I Was Born
I was born in Ayot St Peter - March 22nd 1932. My father was farm bailiff at the Frith estate. My mother told me she would take me for walks in my pram and would ofter meet George Bernard Shaw out for his walk, and they would chat for a minute or two. I am proud to have the name of Ayot St Peter on my birth certificate and my passport, it has created many interesting conversations.
I now live in Florida and have done so for the last 28 years.
Richard G Gaunt.
My Favourite Place as A Kid
I spent most of the summers of the mid 60's in this pool and learnt to dive off the platform board in 1967. I swam all of my major medal and cetificate swims in this pool. The fountain was a place to play when not swimming.
WGC Station Memories
Having left London to live in WGC in 1957, our family often went back to visit relatives so that was one of our most regular excursions. In the fifties and sixties we did not have a car and nor did many of our neighbours. We relied on the green double-decker 324 bus service to get us to the station. As it was a circular service, we could cross the road and go one way or wait at the bus stop on our side of Howlands and go via Hollybush. The building in the picture was demolished to make way for the Howard centre. As you entered the station, the ticket office was on the left-hand side and the newsagents was on the right hand side. At that time, steam trains were gradually being phased out and, especially in Kings Cross, there was sometimes a choice of train home. I preferred the modern trains having no nostalgia for the age of steam with its hot and dirty engines. Thanks to locomotive... Read more
Memories of Stone Hills.
This picture was taken from the corner of the Co-operative shop and features the Cherry Tree public house before it was turned into Waitrose. In about 1965, my friend’s mother remarried and my family was invited to the reception in the restaurant there. The single storey building nearest the Cherry Tree was a shop called Munts, which was a kind of Aladdin’s cave with bicycles and prams being amongst the many items on sale. The road in front of the Cherry Tree was a T-junction but this disappeared along with the single storey buildings when the sunken roundabout was built. The other buildings do not seem to have changed much
More Memories of Stonehills
Just out of the picture to the left, was the location of the old police station, before it moved to its new home off of the campus, behind the council buildings. Now it's just an open space providing the walkway between Debenhams and John Lewis (formally the Co-Op and Welwyn Department Stores).
To the left of The Cherry Tree (Waitrose ), used to be the old Fire Station.
I used to live in Longcroft Lane and remember walking into the town and along this route (aged 5 at the time).
Stonehills 1958.
I lived next door to the police station which is just to the left of this photo from 1952 until 1959 when my father (the local police station sergeant) retired. This photo is very evocative of memories I had as a young child living in the town centre. I well remember the buildings opposite my home including Munts cycle shop (they sold good fireworks!), Broadwater Press (kept my mother awake at night when the presses were working) and Williams Bros discount store. I well remember in the dead of night hearing the expresses racing through the railway station to and from Kings Cross (steam hauled of course) - this began my lifelong interest in railways. The Cherry Tree public house was well known in the area (not frequented by me I might add!). The fire station always sounded its siren on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. - very loud if you were close to it.
My primary school was Templewood which I see still gets good reports from Ofsted. Other... Read more
