Whitwell
Whitwell maps (2 available)
Map of Hertfordshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Whitwell books (9 available)
- 2 photos on Whitwell appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Whitwell
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Whitwell and Hertfordshire
Whitwell memories
Read and share memories of Whitwell and Hertfordshire inspired by Frith photos
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You can also read memories of nearby places in Hertfordshire below.
Hertfordshire memories
Cottages in Lower Road
My dad used to live in the end cottage up until the early 1950s (the one next to the car). Both my grandparents lived there until about 1965.
The cottage was very small, with no running water and an old earth closet toilet. The water had to be collected in pails from standpipes every day.
These were dotted around the village next to the older cottages that did not have any internal running water, and this was the norm right up untill the late 1960s, when a lot of the houses were modernised. From memory, the water appeared to be not charged or metered as during the summer holidays you always could get a free drink and play around by ...read more here
A memory of Breachwood Green contributed by kevan peters
Colemans Road
When I was small my mother used to help out in the farm run by Mr Coleson, which was behind the photographer. His son Tommy still lives there I think.
I remember collecting eggs and Mr Coleson drinking milk that was still warm from the cows he had.
The house at the bottom is now called the Old Queen's Head after its original use as a pub. I remember part of it being used for the doctors surgery, the doctor being either a Mr Probyn or a Dr Crill.
A memory of Breachwood Green contributed by kevan peters
The Silk Farm
A delightful place to work if only for six months. We would lunch at the Brocket Arms or take a picnic into the grounds by the swimming pool. We did work as well; caring for the silk worms in the mornings and showing visitors around in the afternoons. My favourite task would be to walk the grounds collecting flowers and foliage for the arrangement in the hall. The downside was the 5 mile bike ride each way in all weathers.
A memory of Ayot St Lawrence contributed by Glenda Hawley
How things don't change!
Oh my goodness. I was bought up in Wheathampstead and I can still see it now, the newsagents on the High Street and the then "Old fashioned" chemist called Busbys at the end!
A memory of Wheathampstead contributed by Belinda Devine
Extracts From Whitwell & Hertfordshire books
The tranquil village of Whitwell lies directly under the flightpath of aircraft landing at Luton Airport. The earliest mention of the Bull public house, on the left, is in 1675, although the building is much earlier. In the 1830s, the Bull's sign spanned the High Street, but this was removed after a number of accidents in other parts of the county. The Bull provided food and accommodation as well as beer. In 1808 a diarist wrote that he attended an expensive dinner where twenty people consumed beef, chicken, ham, goose, duck and pie for 15s per head. An attractive village, Whitwell was home to Alan Sillitoe, the novelist, Robert Newton, the actor and Sir Francis Camps, the forensic pathologist.
An extract from from"North and East Hertfordshire Photographic Memories".
Whitwell was home to two special industries - straw plaiting and watercress production. The Plaiting School in the village employed village ladies and children who supplemented the low agricultural wages by weaving strips of straw, called plait, to the hat-making trade in Luton. To the west of the village are the Nine Wells, the source of the River Mimram. The wetlands provide ideal conditions for growing watercress; Whitwell watercress was in great demand in London, where it was sold for 1/2d per bunch. Horn Hill leads from Whitwell south-westwards to Kimpton.
An extract from from"North and East Hertfordshire Photographic 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".