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Watford
Watford maps
Historic maps of Watford and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Watford maps
Watford area books
Displaying 1 of 8 books about Watford and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Watford
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Watford.
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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 later we would meet and pool our money to get into the Jazz Club at halftime if the bouncer was willing to sell us interval tickets. We met Johnny Duncan and his Blue Grass Boys, Acker Bilk, Ken Colyer. We would then walk home with bare feet as we... Read more
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. The only cover was the so called "Main Stand" 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 with the half time scores from other grounds and sometimes even a short match report for the first few minutes of other games! The Watford ground staff would hang numbers on hooks at the edge of the greyhound track with half time scores too. The code letters for the other games were printed in the programme. I went to most home games and sometimes even reserve games... Read more
Childhood
I was 4 when we moved to Watford. They were just nearing completion of the subway which ran from the top end of the town to the Town Hall, and where the library is now situated, and we had 3 cinemas then, the Odeon, which had moved to the centre, next door to Le Caprise, wich was a nice little restaurant, the Empire, which was next door to the Palace Theatre, and the Carlton, which was down Market Street. They had also enlarged the pond area with waterfalls. As I grew up, I worked for the Co-op, Gade House, which I lovd, and we sold a range of table mats which had Francis Frith pictures of old Watford on them. My one regret is that I never got to see the park gates before they were demolished.
Disco Days
I was 6 I think, I and my sister would go to Saturday morning pictures, then, about 11.30, go to Top Rank and would disco dance the Saturdays away. I remember I would either have a cold glass of milk, because the milk machine was lit up, and you could see it in the dark of the disco, or a Panda Pops, 'It's frothy man', great advert. Then about 12.30 go up to the swimming baths that were up the top end of town, that's gone now, why do so many things have to change? And we would dive in because we were so hot from all the dancing we had done, God, I miss those days.
Cross Street Watford
Carol Collins, nee Bass. We often had the cows come in our back garden in the 1950s, they used to walk them to market.
Watford/Bushey
We moved to Bushey in the early 1960s. My love of Top Rank came as I grew up with Waford being a big town. My dad worked on the new M1 Cox's corner, which now I understand is not there. Tthere were fields all around. We used to play in them, something "Park Avenue" was the big road, a pub called the Otter's Inn. I went to a school called "High Wood" and then on to a school that the George Michael attended - how posh am I? I remember watching Alma Coghan's funeral, the Jewish cemetery was not far away from Coldharbour Lane, Bushey.... we were asked to stand up and pay our respects. I loved every minute of my time at that school, my love of English and History is forever in my mind, and oh boy I will not forget my English teacher Mr Arthur and History Mrs Mather, thank you both. Uou inspired me....xx
Top Rank Dance Hall
I remember the Odeon being redeveloped as the Top Rank Dance Hall about 1964. We used to come over from Borehamwood during 1965 on a Thursday night which was over 18's only and Saturday nights as well. Had some great times there. Good music and atmosphere.
Wartime
I was taken by my parents to the Odeon Cinema in December 1939 and heard the song 'There'll always be an England' sung for the first time. Whenever I hear this song today, it takes me back to the Odeon - I was 13 at the time. I was born in Watford in 1926 and have many many memories of Watford during the peace years of the 1930s and the war years from 1939-1945. I had an office overlooking the Pond from 1958-1983 and remember the day the High Street was closed to traffic for the start of the one-way system. I also remeber Harold Macmillan making a political speech at the old Conservative club by the Pond in, I think, 1959. Richard Hughes
