Amwell Hill
Amwell Hill 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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Amwell Hill books (11 available)
- 2 photos on Amwell Hill appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Amwell Hill
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Amwell Hill and Hertfordshire
Amwell Hill memories
Read and share memories of Amwell Hill and Hertfordshire inspired by Frith photos
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Hertfordshire memories
Nineteen years pleasurable living in Great Amell.
My family of four childen, my husband and I, moved into part of a large country house known as 'Ravenscourt', standing in 3 acres of land: we named our semi "Little Ravenscourt'. Within our back garden stood a beautiful large 'Indian Bean Tree' (catelpa), which the children loved to climb on: in the spring it was covered in small orchid-like scented flowers which attracted many bees ~ some of which would fall drunk onto the lawn. The flowers were the forerunner of long bean-like growths: hence its name. Opposite the house was a narrow lane, which led to a thickly grown bluebell wood. Near to the village Church (where one of our daughters was married) was Amwell Pool, ...read more here
A memory of Great Amwell contributed by Edith Wood-Smith
The Crown Inn
Not really a memory - rather a request for information. My grandfather, Alfred Pain, was licensee of the Crown Inn from possibly the late 1920s through to the middle 1930s. If anyone has any memories/information/photos of the public house and/or my grandfather's time there, I would be most grateful to hear them.
Incidentally, my mother, Doris Bird, used to live in Hoddesdon Road and it was through working at the Crown that she met my father. Any memories of her or her parents, Florence and Arthur Bird would also be gratefully received
A memory of Stanstead St Margarets contributed by Colin Pain
Easneye Children's Home
I have a sketchy memory of my childhood in Easneye, between the ages of around 3-5 years old. I remember my mother dropping me off and being terrified. She said I was having a holiday but never came back for me. All I can remember of my time was the dormitory, just a row of unfriendly beds, and the "farm" with the white wood swing gate that we kids got told off for climbing on. I don't remember much more than having to eat spinach because I got painful leg boils! Apparently this was common in undernourished children of that time. I still hate all vegetables to this day. Does anyone know what this building might have been called? The Mansion ...read more here
A memory of Stanstead Abbotts contributed by Jackie Macklin
What was at the top of the hill?
At the top of Cats Hill were three large houses, one was called Netherfield House and had been donated by the Booth family to the Salvation Army. My father ran the house as a residential home for 29 gentlemen, and I worked with him for several years. The house now, I believe has been converted into luxury apartments, and I would love to have some pictures of it, any of the past and some of it now. The family next door and opposite were called Prior. My father was called Harold Finney, I remember our cook and gardener, Mr and Mrs Barnes, lived in the village, and I also remember another lady who lived in a cottage in the High Street, ...read more here
A memory of Stanstead Abbotts contributed by Marlene Harris
Extracts From Amwell Hill & Hertfordshire books
Various schemes had been proposed to bring fresh water to London; it was around 1600 that Edmund Colthurst identified the springs at Chadwell and Amwell as an ideal source. Work began on the New River with funding from Hugh Myddleton in 1610, and despite a number of delays through objections by local landowners, the project was completed within a few years. The photograph shows the idyllic and peaceful scene near the source of the New River, a contrast with its southern end in the bustling capital. The memorial on the right is inscribed with John Scott’s words: ‘AMWELL! Perpetual be thy stream: Nor e’en thy spring be less: Which thousands drink who never dream: Whence flows the boon they bless’.
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".
The small Norman church at Great Amwell stands close to the New River and contains a memorial to Robert Mylne, one of the engineers to the New River Company. The tower was added to the church in the 15th century, and later this was surmounted by a spire. The village stocks still survive near the church, and so does the pigeon-house to Amwellbury. This was converted to a tasteful dwelling during the 1990s by the Hertfordshire Building Preservation Trust.
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".