Outside the boundary

 In the previous post we had reached the western boundary of the Hatfield Road Cemetery on our walk towards The Crown.  St Albans had remained fairly constrained until the arrival of the Midland Railway when development produced estates which took advantage of the new mode of transport.  The boundary of the town was stretched to land at Cavendish Road in 1879, although there is no sign of the boundary marker today, possibly removed when the 1880s Cavendish estate was created.  Houses on the estate strode over the new "edge" no sooner than the boundary had been plotted on the town's maps.

The Lucern Field and Nine Field which made up Ninedells nursery, bounded by Hatfield Road (top), Camp Road (left) and branch railway (bottom right corner).  The nursery drives appear to have
become repurposed as Cavendish Road and Albion Road.
COURTESY HALS

The pair of fields which lost its green functions first lay between the former Kinder field, by 1880 being prepared for use as a civic cemetery, and Camp Road.  The tithe map of 1840 names them as Lucerne Field and Nine Field and together they had extended to the Camp Fields (now Campfield Road) until the branch railway arrived and sliced away the lower end.

Ordnance Survey map 1897 shows Sander's nursery below Cecil Road and fully occupied. 
The housing estate, begin in the early 1880s is shown significantly fully built.
COURTESY HALS

Until the 1870s these fields were used by John Watson as a nursery, mainly for the propagation of shrubs and trees.  They were acquired by Frederick Sander in 1878 for his expansion of the orchid business he ran from premises in George Street.  Sander created his specialised orchid nursery on the lower section between Cecil Road ad the railway – he probably wished he had reserved rather more space given the success of the operation!  The remaining portion between Cecil and Hatfield roads was developed for housing, the profit from which was used to help pay for the nursery.  Cecil Road connected two parallel streets, Cavendish and Albion roads, and although the layout was intended for houses a few commercial premises found their way here, especially along Albion Road.

Rose Cottage with its name tablet just visible to the right of the upstairs bay window.  The
cemetery is to the left.  The photo was taken in 2012.

Our focus is along Hatfield Road, with space for four premises between the cemetery hedge and the newly laid Cavendish Road: Rose Cottage and the three Horndean Villas, now numbered 176 to 170.  The name Rose Cottage was appropriate in the early days, for until around 1904 it was a modest house on the very edge of countryside, with a larger first floor to allow for the passage of carts or small carriages into space at the rear, occupied by a stable and cow house.  Upstairs were four bedrooms with a parlour, scullery and kitchen on the ground floor.

After twenty years the opportunity was seized by Edwin Seymour who acquired the cottage and converted it into a monumental mason's business.  Since the 1950s it has variously been Fireplace Services, a machine tools business and Radio Rentals, before returning to domestic occupation.

The three Horndean Villas pictured in 2012, designed with attic accommodation.

Here is just beyond the easternmost boundary of St Albans c1912 and in a few years after the 
Horndean Villas were completed (far right) right on the edge of the expanding urban area,
Fleetville has spread all the way to Beaumont Avenue.  The narrow road continues into the
distance and would not be widened beyond Rose Cottage, with the removal of the trees,
until the 1930s.
COURTESY HALS

The hill descending to The Crown junction, still in its unwidened state.

Next are the three Horndean Villas, on land purchased by and built on by John Gurney from London Colney.  Although at various times owners had carried on business such as a house agent, insurance agent, decorator and furrier, the villas have remained splendidly unconverted.

Because of its early development it has remained the section of Hatfield Road impossible to widen as Fleetville grew.  Inexplicably, in spite of the volume of traffic parking is still permitted, and this on the approach to a complex light-controlled junction.

Aerial photo of the Cavendish estate today.  The cemetery is on the left; The Crown PH
is the large building behind the grassed frontage on the extreme right.
COURTESY GOOGLE EARTH

Next time we will follow the changes which have taken place between Cavendish and Albion road.