Road to Nowhere

In the 1930s, travelling between Camp Road and Hatfield Road, perhaps to benefit from the latter's shopping facilities was far from a short hop; the only two options being Ashley Road and Camp Road (Crown end).  The council, despairing of successfully negotiating with the railway company to get an improved Sutton Road, turned its attention to something new.  At the time, there remained purchasable space in Hatfield Road opposite Sandfield Road and in Camp Road where Roland Street was laid. But the proposed road would still need to cross the railway – under, over or via a crossing.  Finance and practicability eventually aborted the scheme.  Today, connectivity between Camp Road and Fleetville remains an issue.

Section of Hatfield Road in 1937.  The premises of Leon Turner (see previous post) is outlined in
red.  The access drive (green) leads to Rainbow House today.  Clifton House Garage (orange)
stood here and is now replaced by Magnet.  The blue site became Grimaldi's Garage and is now
part of the Magnet and Topps Tiles businesses.  The proposed new road would have emerged
in the green space shown above.
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To the west of the former DIY Centre of Tucketts and Leon Reed there was a block of land joining Hatfield Road and the playing field of the school behind.  When Hertfordshire Council acquired the land only the eastern portion was used initially and it took the precaution of acquiring three access points: the original pedestrian entrance to the school, the 1930s vehicular entrance nearly opposite Harlesden Road, and a wide entrance at the western end for future educational use.  A small modern unit was indeed constructed in recent times as a Family Centre. Most recently it became Rainbow House, an adoption centre.

At the end of the drive is the building for Hertfordshire County Council's Family Centre, and
is now Rainbow House.

A plain and quiet building (orange on the map) was erected during the 1930s and became an adjunct of the thriving business of J B Rollings whose premises, Clifton House, were nearby on the north side of the road.  As a wholesale confectioner and tobacconist a garage was required for the storage of its vehicles.  Its doors were rarely open and the only clue as to its function was a sign across the front: Clifton House Garages – although there was only one such building. 

On the left is the intended driveway to the school field, then fenced off.  The garage belonging
to J B Rollings, wholesale confectioner, comes next, followed by the frontage of Ernest
Grimaldi's garage.  The two floor building beyond is Papa Johns and formerly Calverstone,
a military hat manufacturer.
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The next plot (blue on the map) was an awkward, almost triangular, shape resulting from a bend in the road.  Although first purchased before the First World War the land lay empty until c1937.  During that period it was the property of Camden Brewery – no connection with the present Camden Town Brewery. 

When Ernest Grimaldi came to St Albans from Devon he was already an experienced motor engineer and obtained a position at W M Couper's car sales in Catherine Street.  Grimaldi and his two sons formed a family motor business and dealership making use of the awkward shaped plot mentioned above.  The buildings, though not extensive, were built in the modernist style of the day, and in addition to the workshops a flat was built into the first floor.

Part of the forecourt of Grimaldi's Garage showing one of the modernist style glazed pillars.  The building beyond is the former Calverstones building and then a garage belonging to Mr White.
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The forecourt dispensed petrol, and a pair of glazed decorative pillars of internally lit ribbed glass marked the entrance and exit. They were topped with Shell petrol's logo, also internally lit. The business was closed during World War Two; Ernest joined the Royal Observer Corps while the boys entered regular service.  The family partnership  after the Peace, minus Ernest's elder son who was killed in 1942.  With no space on the garage site the car showroom began in a small way on the corner of Sandfield Road but later removed to the Victoria Hall building in Victoria Street.

When the business closed the site, and that of Clifton Garages, was redeveloped into the Magnet and Topps Tiles premises.

Clifton House Garage and Grimaldi's Garage are both replaced by Magnet and Topps Tiles.

Ernest was descended from the illustrious European family of Grimaldi (Grimaldo), whose disputed seat was Monaco, and whose line extends back to the eleven hundreds.  We will shortly reach the location where Ernest was laid to rest in Hatfield Road Cemetery, but we have a political centre to call in at first.