Benington
Benington maps (2 available)
Map of Hertfordshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
See this old map of Hertfordshire
Personalised maps
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Benington books (12 available)
St Albans Town Walk Guide
Paperback
- 2 photos on Benington appear in 2 Frith books - View photos of Benington
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Benington and Hertfordshire
Benington memories
Read and share memories of Benington and Hertfordshire inspired by Frith photos
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Hertfordshire memories
Childhood Memories
I remember when I was just a young teenager... you could roam around the village and just about everyone knew you.
I loved to wander down to Mill Stream Lane with my jam jar and fishing net and walk along the stream searching for stickle backs and anything else I could catch. The fields behind us would whisper in the breeze and the sunlight would filter through the trees and glisten on the water below. Life was not so demanding, not worried too much about stranger danger and you knew that you was nestled in a village that looked after its own.
I remember old "Snowy" who had worked for years in the local butchers shop.
I remember Mr ...read more here
A memory of Watton At Stone contributed by JOY ABBATO
Goldings
Thousands of teenage boys would have spent their formative years at William Baker Technical School which was housed in the historic mansion of Goldings in the village of Waterford. In 1922 around 240 boys and staff marched from Stepney Causeway where Barnodos had their training workshops to the station where they travelled by train to Hertford. Forming up behind their band they marched past the newly errected war memorial laying a wreath in memory of Barnodo Boys who had lost their lives in the Great War, and onto their new home at Goldings in Waterford. Within the 110 acres a number of good sporting facilities were created for football and ...read more here
A memory of Waterford contributed by J Parsons
The Bell Hotel, Hare Street, Buntingford
I have recently discovered that my Great Grandfather John Main originally from Devon (a shoe maker) and then in Brixton, London as a Dairy Manager owned the Bell Hotel in Hare Street around 1905.
My Grandmother lived there as a little girl and would often tell us stories as children about how it was haunted and about secret panels etc and of an old huntsman who would sit on the garden wall!
I have several old postcards of it and the Street. He was still there in 1916 when my Grandmother married and I think on into the 1920s.
I just wondered if The Bell was still there?
A memory of Buntingford contributed by Judith Irwin
The Picketts of Standon
The majority of my father's family lived in and around Standon from 1600 onwards and one of them was the Sexton of St. Mary's and another was the innkeeper of The Three Horseshoes at Farnham in 1881. My Grandfather was born in the Three Horsehoes. Does anyone have any connections with the Pickett family?
A memory of Standon contributed by Angela Kenny
Extracts From Benington & Hertfordshire books
Records suggest that a church stood on this site in the early 9th century. This present building dates from the 13th century. One of the tombs inside the church commemorates the Caesar family, whose most famous member, Julius Caesar, once held the Great Seal of England. He was born Caesar Aldemar, and Queen Mary allowed the family to adopt the name Julius in perpetuity. A fine carving on the tower appears to depict Josef Stalin, but it is actually the likeness of David Warner, one-time sexton.
An extract from from"North and East Hertfordshire Photographic Memories".
It is recorded that the site of the present St Peter’s Church was used as a place of worship as early as the 9th century at the time of King Bertulph of Mercia. After the Norman Conquest, the manor was held by Peter de Valoignes, and it was from him that the church took its dedication. The building has been restored on number of occasions, and when the tower was renovated in the early part of the last century, some of the stone heads were re-carved to represent the workmen. One particular head resembles Josef Stalin wearing his renowned cap - however, in fact it represents David Warner, the sexton. It is believed that he negotiated a deal with the mason. ‘Give me a price of a mug of ale’, the mason is said to have told him, ‘and I’ll put your mug on the tower!’
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".
In 1901, Hermitage Road was a pleasant, open avenue. The building on the left in view
46642, left, is the Hermitage, home of Frederick Seebohm; very little of it still remains.
Windmill Hill is just visible in the background.
An extract from from"Hitchin Town and City Memories".
A view of St Marys church in 1931, with the War Memorial in the foreground. In 1752, the Rewd William Cole wrote that the tower was `one of the most clumsy and heavy ones I ever saw`. Perhaps `solid` is a kinder description.
An extract from from"Hitchin Town and City Memories".
In the 1960s, the Sun Hotel’s yard did not include
fire escapes from the upstairs rooms, as it does now.
Otherwise, there is little but the parked cars to give
a clue to the date of this photograph. The timber-
framed buildings, on the left, are believed to date
from the 16th century.
An extract from from"Hitchin Town and City Memories".