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Park Street
Park Street maps
Historic maps of Park Street and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Park Street maps
Park Street area books
Displaying 1 of 8 books about Park Street and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Park Street
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Park Street.
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Spooner's Corner
Living in Park Street Lane from 1940 to 1961 I passed this corner every day to go under the railway bridge to the recreation ground and school or on to the village. The branches of the Horse Chestnut tree in the foreground gave a copious supply of the very best 'conkers' to us local children. Many's the time it also sheltered us from the rain and the road would become slippery with the large wet leaves and crushed horse chestnuts.
There was a building (a coach-house I think) with a clock on top on the opposite corner to the house, behind the tree. I can remember a yearly 'garden party' event held at the house. I believe members of the family were involved in springboard diving and during the afternoon diving displays were given from the high board over the swimming pool by members of a well known swimming club. Quite a big village event back then in the 1940's.
In the field to... Read more
Hertfordshire memories
Brogan Dedicating my Life to Frogmore.
It has now been little more than three moons since glorious Frederick Francis, arrived home; eyes shining; hair wild (per usual), to tell me of a small village he had encountered.
The spirit of the place had completely encaptured him, I too felt a rush of desire as tales of green fields as far as the eye could see, & wild men.
I LOVE FROGMORE TO BE CONTINUED
Frogmore; The Land of Dreams
Upon passing frogmore recently the other day, I, Fred Whatmore, saw a small sign directing me to what I would later come to call Frogmore; home; the land of my dreams
The luscious green fields spread before my eyes, and fromore mausoleum doors wide open welcomed me in. . . ? I sat for a while with Willy the keeper of the Mausoleum grounds, we ate Frogmore stew and discussed the village politics, apparently Mrs Weatherby's Daughter has had a baby out of marriage and everyone is rather concerned.
This love and common knowledge of all residents of Frogmore warmed the cockels of my heart (possibly helped by the tasty stew, prepared by handsome old Willy, the generous source of all my Frogmore knowledge). There was an understanding; a loving atmosphere; a kindness seconded by no village I had ever had the fortune to run across.
On the journey home, my mind wandered back to the Frogmorian way of life. Decided,... Read more
St Albans Summer Holidays in The 1950s
A child from Thanet taking annual last week of August holidays with an adored great aunt at Chiswell Green, travelling by train to Victoria Station, London, taking the Greenline to Watford Junction, bus no 321 to the Three Hammers, Chiswell Green south of St Albans. Regular trips each year were to Cottonmill Swimming Pool, Whipsnade Zoo, Dunstable Downs, St Albans town, Abbey and grounds. Now entirely built up, 'the bungalow' belonging to my great aunt had fields and woods surrounding it, a snake allegedly living under a huge log always dared to climb onto, foxes allegedly in the woods. My great aunt just retiring from running House and Williams Secretarial College in the town since 1920, one large room was turned into a classroom for private students. The joy of being allowed to sit at huge oak desks, use Victorian writing sets with ink and pens - and to use, very gently, the 1920s manual typewriters!
Swimming on A Hot Summer Evening
My family lived in Stanmore, Middlesex and on a hot summer evening (yes there were some!) my dad would pile mum and I into his little 1932 Austin 7 and off we would go to the 'swimming bath' at London Colney. I loved it, occasionally dad would swim with me but most of the time he and mum would sit and watch me having the most glorious time. I remember there were horses in the field behind the pool and I enjoyed watching them too, but that pool was the prize, I never wanted to come out and would still be swimming in the dusk... I used to BEG to go there whenever it was warm and was always so thrilled when it paid off! I was born in 1944, so all this would have taken place in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
Whitethorn Morris Dance at St Albans "Folk at The Festival"
One of the highlights of the Festival is the Festival parade and Day of Dance which traditionally takes place on the Saturday of each year's Festival.
The procession was led through the City Centre by the Abbey puppets and traditional local morris dancers, plus Trachtengruppe Kussnacht from Rigi, Switzerland. The climax of the parade was a massed display of dancing in the High Street watched by thousands and thousands of city centre spectators and market stallholders.
The dancing continued all day in front of the Alban Arena, in the Maltings and Christopher Place shopping centres, outside the Abbey and - as shpwn in this view -by the Clock Tower and Market Cross. The local police had thoughtfully closed off the streets so that the crowds of festival goers could walk safely in the roads!
One of the teams of dancers was locally based Whitethorn Morris from Harrow who looked splendid in their scarlet and blue kit, shiny black clogs and energetic dancing to... Read more
Whitethorn Morris Dance in Front of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks
Although this ancient inn is protected and little changed over the years, the surrounding landscape is now attractive with paving, seats and trees by the edge of the millstream which flows into the lake at the bottom of Fishpool Street. The new landscaping provides a good area for displays of morris dancing so it always features in the programme for St Albans annual Festival parade and Day of Dance each June.
The 2008 procession was led through the City Centre by the Abbey puppets and traditional local morris dancers, plus Trachtengruppe Kussnacht from Rigi, Switzerland. The climax of the parade was a massed display of dancing in the High Street watched by thousands and thousands of city centre spectators and market stallholders.
The dancing continued all day in front of the Alban Arena, in the Maltings and Christopher Place shopping centres, by the Clock Tower and Market Cross, and later in the afternoon on the lovely paving in front of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks.
