Welwyn Garden City

Stonehills WGC

This view is looking north from the west side of Stonehills towards the Cherry Tree Public House. Just out of view on the left was the old Police Station (the site of which has still not been developed) whilst across the road on the right is National Provincial Bank (now Nat West Bank) . Further along from the bank is Williams Bros, then Sketchley Cleaners. Continuing towards 'The Cherry' is the Broadwater Press Ltd, founded by the late Mr Harry Cheetham who died in 1938.
Harry Cheetham was my Grandfather. I understand that Harry and his wife Emily Anne Cheetham (my late Grandmother) were both keen members of the WGC Golf Club during the late 1920s - early 1930s altho confirmation and photographs are sought.
Beyond 'The Press' was Munts Cycle Store which sold a variety of bicyles, scooters, mopeds and small motorcyles aswell as prams. Beyond Munts on the corner opposite The Cherry Tree was Dickinson & Adams Motor Garage with 752 Taxis. What remains of The Cherry Tree is now a Waitrose Food Store which is currently being enlarged. It is now being provided with a decked car park, on the site which was once the immaculate green used by the WGC Bowling Club.
In 1958 Stonehills was a through road but was closed off during the late 1960s to become a cul de sac now ruined by motor cars seeking free parking. Reopening as a one way through route for taxis only would considerably improve the area.

Welwyn Garden City, Sweet Briar

This view is from the west side of Sweet Briar looking south down the hill towards Cole Green Lane (out of view). To the left is the entrance to Heronswood School (since closed, now a modern housing area).
I understood that the area was once very wooded, borne out by the many well established trees still lining the road and verge areas. I think my parents occupied our house from new in about 1954 until leaving the area in the early 1970s.
I lived further along Sweet Briar on the west side of the road near a layby (out of view). It was a very pleasant location to grow up in with many friendly folk.
There were lots of grassed spaces to play in too. This scene has not changed greatly to date, other than the inevitable intrusion of the motor car.

Templewood school.

I attended this school from 1954/55 - 1960. This view is taken looking towards the Infants playground and entrance to their classrooms, with the main dining hall in the background.

Stonehills 1958.

I lived next door to the police station which is just to the left of this photo from 1952 until 1959 when my father (the local police station sergeant) retired. This photo is very evocative of memories I had as a young child living in the town centre. I well remember the buildings opposite my home including Munts cycle shop (they sold good fireworks!), Broadwater Press (kept my mother awake at night when the presses were working) and Williams Bros discount store. I well remember in the dead of night hearing the expresses racing through the railway station to and from Kings Cross (steam hauled of course) - this began my lifelong interest in railways. The Cherry Tree public house was well known in the area (not frequented by me I might add!). The fire station always sounded its siren on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. - very loud if you were close to it.  
My primary school was Templewood which I see still gets good reports from Ofsted. Other photos from this collection bring back many happy memories of the town.

More memories of stonehills

Just out of the picture to the left, was the location of the old police station, before it moved to its new home off of the campus, behind the council buildings. Now it's just an open space providing the walkway between Debenhams and John Lewis (formally the Co-Op and Welwyn Department Stores).

To the left of The Cherry Tree (Waitrose ), used to be the old Fire Station.

I used to live in Longcroft Lane and remember walking into the town and along this route (aged 5 at the time).

Memories of Stone Hills.

This picture was taken from the corner of the Co-operative shop and features the Cherry Tree public house before it was turned into Waitrose. In about 1965, my friend’s mother remarried and my family was invited to the reception in the restaurant there. The single storey building nearest the Cherry Tree was a shop called Munts, which was a kind of Aladdin’s cave with bicycles and prams being amongst the many items on sale. The road in front of the Cherry Tree was a T-junction but this disappeared along with the single storey buildings when the sunken roundabout was built. The other buildings do not seem to have changed much

WGC station memories

Having left London to live in WGC in 1957, our family often went back to visit relatives so that was one of our most regular excursions. In the fifties and sixties we did not have a car and nor did many of our neighbours. We relied on the green double-decker 324 bus service to get us to the station. As it was a circular service, we could cross the road and go one way or wait at the bus stop on our side of Howlands and go via Hollybush. The building in the picture was demolished to make way for the Howard centre. As you entered the station, the ticket office was on the left-hand side and the newsagents was on the right hand side. At that time, steam trains were gradually being phased out and, especially in Kings Cross, there was sometimes a choice of train home. I preferred the modern trains having no nostalgia for the age of steam with its hot and dirty engines. Thanks to locomotive smoke and domestic sources of smoke pollution, every surface in the platforms and every handrail down the stairs was covered in soot. Londoners suffered terrible smogs before the government finally brought in clean air legislation in 1956. A few years later, my father and I did watch the Flying Scotsman (the first steam train to break the 100mph barrier) on its last trip from London to Doncaster in 1963 through WGC.
A popular summer excursion from WGC station would be a trip to Hertford, where there was an open air swimming pool in Hartham Park fed by the river – the water was always cold and the floor and sides were covered in slimy green algae. On another occasion we took the train from WGC to Luton to spend the day watching the gliders on Dunstable Downs. The highlight of the day was when the train stopped at Batford and my brother and I joined the train driver for a cup of tea. Sadly both branch lines which made these trips possible were victims of the savage cuts to the rail networks in the sixties. At least both lines now serve as footpaths, one through Sherrards Woods, past the ruined platform at Batford and on to Wheathamstead, and the other to Hertford.
Many of the family holidays started from WGC station with Isle of Wight being one of our favourites. We would take the boat train to Portsmouth harbour and queue for what seemed like hours to get on the ferry. We also visited my grandparents in Surrey by train but that journey seemed like a marathon compared with the ease of getting there now on the M25.

My favourite place as a kid

I spent most of the summers of the mid 60's in this pool and learnt to dive off the platform board in 1967.  I swam all of my major medal and cetificate swims in this pool. The fountain was a place to play when not swimming.