Watford
Watford maps (2 available)
Map of Hertfordshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Personalised maps
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Watford books (9 available)
- 5 photos on Watford appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Watford
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Watford and Hertfordshire
Watford memories
Read and share memories of Watford and Hertfordshire inspired by Frith photos
linking a family member to a place
My great grandfather was in the met police force in his day. His name Walter Lewis Cox.He lived in a big house 43 capel road. I would like to know if the address still stands and what is the dwelling. Walter lived in that house for over 50yrs his serviving daughter at the time of his death in 1966 sold the property some yrs later her name was Edith Cox she sometimes got Marjorie did anyone know this lady and are there any photograghs of Capel road old or new. I would be most greatful
Contributed by Karen Surtees
Fig Tree - St Mary's Church Yard, Watford
I remember seeing this tree in St. Mary's churchyard. It was growing out of a grave, and the story was that the tree was growing out of the buried person's body.
Contributed by Jane Santler
Fig Tree
It was always my understanding that the person buried had asked for a fig to be put in one hand and a plum stone in the other and if there were a God, the fig would grow!
Contributed by Su Knight
The weekly trip to Watford
I was not born when the photo was taken in 1906 but I do well remember our weekly shopping trips to the Watford market just after world war two.
There would always be time to visit the top end of the high street to admire the large golden fish in the pond. I found later that they were Golden Orf.
On one of our visits there was quite a large gathering of people at the pond, bunting flags and ballons festooned the railings around the pond and quite a few very large model war ships were sailing. I think the celebration was in aid of our victory at sea, but if anyone can offer some information, please do.
Contributed by Leon Moore
My first walk from Croxley to Watford
I would have been aged seven years when I first remember walking with my family from Croxley over the golf-links and Grand Union into Cassiobury Park.
The park was so beautiful with flower beds and a paddling pool and further along was a bandstand, people out for a walk were dressed finely and all was peaceful.
At the exit from the park was the wonderful stone gatehouse with iron gates that formed an impression in my mind of elegance. As I grew older and started to travel frequently to and from Watford along the Rickmansworth Road I would often glance over at the gates with fond memories.
Contributed by Leon Moore
Vanishing Watford
My family moved to Watford in 1953 to a large house in Rosslyn Road, a side road within a few yards of the Rickmansworth Road right opposite the Town Hall concert hall entrance. I spent virtually all my childhood there plus the teen years and left when I was 20 to live in Dorset.
My enduring memories of Watford include the wonderful Mocha Bar on the Parade where we could buy real Italian Espresso Coffee. The fabulous rolls and baking from Chef Corner Cafe. The toy shop next to the Cookery Nook cafe. Both Department Stores, Clements and Cawdells, the latter of these two would have a Santa Ride to see Santa and we'd go on a fake boat which ...read more here
Contributed by J Lawrence Prior
Vicarage Road Football Stadium and Watford Football Club
I first saw Watford play - in their old blue and white colours - at the end of the 1955-56 season and the ground looked pretty much like this photograph taken in 1932! The only cover was the so called "Main Stand" at the top of the picture and on the opposite touchline the "Shrodells Stand" named after the adjacent Shrodells Hospital (now Watford General Hospital). I would stand behind the goal on the left of this picture as the terrace was steep with plenty of barriers to lean on and high enough to give a view of the whole pitch. Halfway through the second half, newspaper sellers would walk around the terraces selling the Evening News or the Evening Standard ...read more here
Contributed by John Howard Norfolk
Watford Fields Infants School
I remember walking in deep snow in Watford in January 1982. I had to carry my son David Norfolk on my back through the snow to reach Field Infants School. When we got there I discovered that the school had tried to close for the day by phoning parents to warn them. The message failed to reach our family as we had very recently moved into Oxhey Village from Northwood so our David (coming up for his fifth birthday) spent the day in the school's nursery accompanied by a handful of other children and supervised by most of the teachers and the dinner ladies who had nothing else to do except play and try to keep warm! When I collected him ...read more here
Contributed by John Howard Norfolk
bulls escape
Around 1954 my Mother took me to Watford shopping and the market. We lived at the time in South Oxhey, we would catch the train from Carpenders Park Station and get off at Watford High St station which was the lower part of the high street. This particular day I remember walking up the high street holding my mothers hand and I remember a lot of people running and panicking. My mum held me tight and rushed me into a shop front and all of a sudden there was a herd of cattle {black} coming very fast down the high street, stampeding past us. Of course I was petrified like my mum. I remember someone saying they had escaped the slaughter ...read more here
Contributed by babs earley
Cawdells arcade
We moved to Watford when I was 8 and I remember our regular trip from St Johns Road to the market behind Cawdells where we bought our dog Jally. There were so many stalls selling good quality goods, I still have the china teaset my mother bought - "Blue Chelsea". I spent my formative years in Watford and was dragged kicking and screaming away when I was 16.
Contributed by Su Knight
The Odeon
I was a member of the Odeon choir and it was around this time that we were taken to I think it was the Festival Hall, to compete against choirs across England and I got a bronze medal, I think it was the Star Festival. Unfortunately my medal has been mislaid over the years but I remember that we were later taken to a recording studio in London - Tothill Street - where we recorded for an early television programme. Unfortunately, not having a TV I never got to hear the recording. The Odeon was part of our childhood with 6d seats downstairs and 9d seats upstairs. Opposite the Odeon was the Three Kays coffee bar where two or three years ...read more here
Contributed by Su Knight
Miniature Train Rides in the park
Close to the Grand Union Canal which runs through Cassiobury Park is a splendid miniature railway. It loops through woodland, has level crossings over footpaths and criss-crosses several lines before returning to the terminus beside the canal. I remember going on this as a child myself, and then taking my son David in the 1980s.
More recently I took my niece for a train ride in 2002 one hot summer's day. We needed ice creams to cool down afterwards! That same summer I saw a grass snake swimming across the canal from the busy towpath side to the sanctuary of the quiet reedbank on the opposite side.
Cassiobury Park is a magnificent asset for Watford residents with ...read more here
Contributed by John Howard Norfolk
Extracts From Watford & Hertfordshire books
Here we see two horse-drawn narrow boats, the ‘Linnet’ and the ‘Evelyn’, belonging to George Garside, at the attractively sited lock in Cassiobury Park, Watford. The horse on the left is waiting to haul the boats, which are ‘breasted up’ together in the lock. This was just one lock in the long climb from the west edge of London up the Chilterns: there were 25 miles and 42 locks on the Grand Junction Canal (later to become part of the Grand Union), the original main transport artery between London and Birmingham.
An extract from from"50 Classics - Canals".
Daniel Defoe wrote: ‘Watford - the town is very long having but one street’. A few roads had been added during the following three hundred years, but the main High Street is still very long and busy. On the left, standing proudly above the other roofs, is Fisher’s butchers shop. In 1881, Francis Fisher had the cottages on the site demolished and erected this imposing new shop. Further on stands the Rose and Crown and the Compasses public houses. Opposite is Cawdells’ department store with its imposing 1930s frontage; demonstrating the commercial success and wealth of Watford are branches of the National Provincial, Barclays and Lloyds Banks.
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".
The Town Hall was designed by C Cowles-Voysey, and building was completed in 1939. The acoustics in the main assembly hall, on the left, were so good that it was used by gramophone companies for recording classical music performances. During May 1943, the Lancaster bomber which had been exhibited at Trafalgar Square as part of Wings Week was brought to Watford and displayed on the grass frontage of the Town Hall.
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".
This motor historian’s delight contains many cars and vans typical of its date. Two Standard Vanguards, a Riley 1½, a Rover 14, a fine Austin Atlantic, an Austin A30 and a Morris J2 van demonstrate the growing traffic problem in Watford town centre. The parade of shops and the Art Deco Odeon cinema (originally the Plaza) on the right were built in 1929. The next showing on the Odeon’s new wide screen of ‘Suddenly’ starring Frank Sinatra is to take place at 1pm. Rivalled and outlived by the Gaumont, which closed in 1983, the Odeon was demolished a few years later, in 1963, to make way for a supermarket.
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".
Cawdells’ department store is executing a pincer movement on Timothy Whites, the chemist (left). Beyond comes the pillared portico of the Midland Bank, followed by Lennards and the Pearl Assurance office (later Habitat). The next building is Kingham’s store, soon after the photograph was taken to be demolished and replaced by British Home Stores. In the left foreground is Lloyds Bank, originally built in 1889 for the Bucks and Oxon Bank. Today, although the front remains unaltered, the interior has been improved following major renovation in 1983 for Lloyds. Cawdells itself was demolished around 1968.
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".