Oaklands Blossom

 1919, and there were only occasional signs of activity between the former little triangular  entrance to Winches Farm via its track and its cherry trees, and the corner exit from Colney Heath Lane.  At the latter until recently the sounds of clattering booted soldiers walking to and from the little Hill End station as men came to or from long periods of leave.  Their training ground had been at the expansive grounds of Oaklands House.  Owner Sarah Fish and her daughters, having removed themselves to St Albans at the beginning of the war and were the last of Oaklands' domestic occupants.  Oaklands had been requisitioned for war purposes.

Nineteenth century Oaklands Mansion and its grounds when in private residential hands, and 
beyond the eastern limits of St Albans.

Two major events occurred in 1920, and one a decade later, which would forever alter the streetscape between Oakwood Drive and Colney Heath Lane.  Hertfordshire County Council made the decision to acquire the Oaklands Mansion, together with its grounds and the surrounding farm for the purpose of opening an agricultural institute; it is this event we will return to shortly.

This is the understated entrance view of Oaklands at the South Lodge and opposite to the
junction with Colney Heath Lane. Busy in the First War by soldiers, and busy today from 
the comings and goings of the College's students.

In the mid 1890s a land holding had been acquired for creating a mental asylum.  Part of this holding included Hill End Farm, but the Asylum authority prepared to dispose those parts of the farm they had no further use for.  The intention was to sell for development the land in the main  bordering Hatfield Road from near Ashley Road and Colney Heath Lane.  A small number of new homes appeared in the formative new district called Oaklands before the next event occurred c1925 with the sale of two fields belonging to Winches diminutive farm unit.

Since the thirties the Wynchlands shops have served an increasingly busy community.

The result became the homes of Wynchlands Crescent and, along the main road's northern frontage, a terrace of  shops and a range of semi-detached homes. By the end of the decade the number of incoming residents had created a busy little residential area which also crept along Colney Heath Lane, and in the 1930s, the beginnings of Longacres close to a recently gutted brickworks.

The third event was the sale of the remainder of Beaumonts Farm in 1929, leading to housing from Oaklands down to Beaumont Avenue and back along a number of residential roads creeping towards Sandpit Lane.  But even as these roads were being laid out the County Education Department was negotiating with developer Watford Land for the creation of two new senior schools which opened in 1938.

Meanwhile, the Agricultural Institute padded on, developing its courses with comparatively little external funding, adding as much as they could in the way of student accommodation, lecture rooms and labs, animal housing and agricultural buildings as could be afforded during a period of forty years or so.

From the beginning the former Agricultural Institute made what they could of the old farm's
buildings and facilities.
COURTESY OAKLANDS COLLEGE

And so we reach the next milestone to affect this corner of the eastern districts, when a fresh approach to tertiary education was introduced to the colleges of further education (CFE) and the agricultural college in St Albans, and further CFEs in Welwyn-Hatfield and Dacorum.  An unlikely new hub was proposed and accepted for the grouping of the existing satellites under a new brand called Oaklands, located at – well, Oaklands!

So begun further new and upgraded building work, and gradual closing over a number of years of the campus at 29 Hatfield Road; an adventurous new development programme had begun.  However, the planned national funding failed to fully materialise, and to compensate the College was left to find a way by using one of its fields for the building of the Raptors estate (Oaklands Grange) which opened onto Sandpit Lane.

News just released jointly by Oaklands College and Taylor Wimpey – which seems to give away which will be building the next tranche of houses on another of Oaklands' fields, formerly part of the Institute's orchards and fruit gardens.  The development will have the overarching title Oaklands Blossom; who could imagine a more delightful location to live!  However, I suspect the new homes will be named after Richard Blossom, the College's fourth Principal (1979 to 1992). Consultations having taken place over the past twelve months, planning consents have now been submitted to St Albans District Council.

A new leaflet shows the focus for proposed new works; Oaklands Blossom housing (top
left) and new college accommodations (centre).

The benefits to Oaklands College include the much needed heritage restoration and upgrade of the Mansion, supportive facilities for animal care, sports facilities upgrades, a new High Needs Centre for SEND provision, new recreation facilities for students and the wider community, and new facilities to support the county's film and television industry.  It will probably amount to the largest single programme of expansion and development in the history of the site since 1920.

But there is much more to this 2025 + future which promises as much for the community as for the college.  In addition to a mix of types totalling over four hundred homes, of which 40% are expected to be affordable.  Eighty additional houses will be for older and supported living and a local centre and community hub of shops and services "for existing and new residents" by which we assume this means residents living in any of the existing Oaklands roads would be included.  Open spaces and play areas are included, with new habitats and landscaping, and "a net biodiversity gain of 10%".  Finally, a site close to the new housing has been reserved for a future primary school.

Once the planning documents have gone live on the Council's website  we all have the opportunity to comment on one or more segments of the proposed programme.  There appears to be something for everyone in and around Oaklands.

Street Plates 11

 This month's selection of east end streets is as varied as any so far in this series; we have six to ponder over in November.

There are many roads which honour the countryside, particularly trees.  However, there is only one area where an entire development was devoted to trees; one, Woodland Drive, named after the variety of trees to be found on and around the former Beaumonts Farm before houses replaced them. An entire gather of street plates came to be planted. Beechwood, Elm, Hazelwood, Oakwood, Oakdene, Chestnut, Willow, Linden, Ashley, Pinewood, Redwood.  The latter two are softwoods historically to be found in the part of the farm south of Hatfield Road and near Colney Heath Lane.

Although there are many traditional 1930s houses in Oakwood Drive there are also a range of 
bungalows.

Oakwood Drive had been intended to link Hatfield Road and Sandpit Lane. a twin of Beechwood Avenue.  However, its length was shortened before the post-war continuation of building.  It was the only road in the series which contained a number of bungalows (although there are three in Hazelwood Drive) and Beaumont School which occupies land to one side of the road has only recently transferred its main access from the road to Austen Way where the facilities are much improved.  Interestingly it is one road where there are no street trees along any part.  And a 1958 primary school was appropriately named Oakwood. 

While Oakwood Drive was first named in 1930, a parallel residential road did not materialise at all, as the County Council negotiated with developers Watford Land to acquire the site for Beaumont School, and a whole swathe of land for playing fields between Hatfield Road and Sandpit Lane.  However, that missing road finally came to life in the 21st century as new homes have been constructed on the school's Hatfield Road playing field, the school having acquired replacement and much improved land, from part of Oaklands College, formerly Oaklands Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture.  

Recently built on part of the school's lower front field, which was a later addition to the
playing field area in the late 1940s, and the location of a small aircraft crash site.  Before
becoming a school site Watford Land had intended to build houses along the Hatfield Road
frontage; and before the school was planned an extension to Elm Drive had been intended.
But houses ended up here anyway!

In fact, three new roads have come into being: Shakespeare Close, Austen Way and Bronte Close, giving an appropriately named trio of literary connections with the school itself.

The Hatfield Road frontage of St Peter's Farm once extended from Lemsford Road as far as the western boundary of the current Fleetville Recreation Ground.  The rear boundary accommodated the track which later became Brampton Road.  A significant event for owner William Cotton was the acquisition of a swathe of his land for the Midland Railway.  The farm was later acquired by Earl Spencer, owner of an extensive acreage nearby.  Shortly before the turn of the 20th century Spencer sold a section of St Peter's Farm for housing (Lemsford Road) and for the park. Finally, residential housing developed along the rest of the farm along Hatfield Road.

The field adjacent to the farm homestead was acquired by Joshua Reynolds and in recognition of land owner Spencer and his family he named the road on which he built expensive homes "near the park and the railway station" Blandford Road.  The Marquis of Blandford, a subsidiary title of the Duke of Marlborough – a title of the Spencer Churchill family was honoured by Reynolds in the naming of his road linking Hatfield Road and Brampton Road.

Some location detail may be helpful here.  Find yourself along St Albans Road near the centre of Sandridge.  Suggest the Green Man public house where, opposite is House Lane, of fairly standard width for a residential street.  Pass St Leonard's Crescent and turn immediately left.  This is Woodcock Hill.  For a short distance this too is notionally wide but soon after passing Sandridge Primary School we lose that generosity and are left to navigate a narrow lane of single vehicle width with an occasional passing place.  Daylight is quickly lost by extensive tree cover which grows right up to the road edge, although there is open grassland beyond.

We continue to gain height until reaching the transmitting station and associated buildings.  The entrance to Fairfolds Farm is on the left as we descend and the narrow lane passes Nashes Farm Lane on its way ever further towards Coopers Green. No habitation bar one or two dwellings find themselves on such a lonely place, although archaeology has discovered Roman evidence of sorts.

At the topmost elevation of Woodcock Hill were Roman artefacts, which
of course you won't see; and a large transmitting station, which you definitely will!
COURTESY GOOGLE STREETVIEW

Most of us will not have spotted a woodcock.  Fortunately the RSPB have super pictures.
COURTESY RSPB

So we have established the Hill part of the street plate name – and quite a hill it is.  The mix of dense woodland and nearby open space may offer a clue about the rest, the most numerous bird life is woodcock hereabouts.  Although known as a wading bird it is not shallow water which is important here.  Woodcock are ground resting and hide in dense woodland during most daylight hours.  It is camouflaged and a commonly found game bird; no doubt welcomed in earlier centuries for consumption by rural communities.  The lane's name would give newcomers a major claim to one generous source of nutrition – with the land owner's permission of course.

Commercial developers do enjoy naming roads on their estates in series.  In the case of Jersey Farm most of them are short in length and may contain even shorter branches.  We have seen in Marshalswick roads having historic links to the home ground of its developer Thomas Nash.  One of the themes over at Jersey Farm centred on squares to be found in central London.  Of course there is little comparison to be found between the scale of the little and sometimes curly semi rural housing groups of Jersey Farm and the large formal and busy squares in office or hotel land in central or west London.

I count six closes which are named after London squares, of which there were many dozens to choose from!  Portman Square (illustrated here) are joined by Regents Square, Berkley Square, Mayfair Square, Langham Square and Chancery Square.

Mature trees along the perimeter of Portman Square. A small number of frontage trees and
ornamental firs form hedging points in Portman Close.

Most squares when created were for the exclusive use of the residents whose homes were built on most, if not all, sides of the square.  As a result they were fenced off and locked to outsiders, many being more open like mini parks, rather than growing to mini woodlands as can be found today (see illustration for Portman Square).  The limited comparison with Jersey Farm seems to be restricted to access to open space nearby. Such space was part of the planning brief, reducing the size of private gardens and adding a greater amount of Public Open Space to be shared by all.  I wonder how many residents have investigated their road's London equivalent, and whether or not they approved of the alternative!

No connection with a local zoo – there are no local zoos!  But the name has much to do with aircraft.  Really?  The land which at one time was the home of de Havilland Aircraft Company is now home to student accommodation and a variety of businesses.  Over twenty access roads have names related to the aircraft company.  

DH95 Flamingo in service with RAF.
COURTESY RAF

de Havilland designed and built a surprising number of types over its extensive history – de H was not all about the Mosquito and the Comets. Those who know their type numbers will also remember DH95.  The company had designed and built its first all metal body in 1938/9, intended for military personnel transport, with seating for up to seventeen passengers.  Fourteen are known to have been built and three of them entered service with Jersey Airways, presumably with a short life for the carrier, given the island's enemy occupation from 1940.

The same marque was given to a variant known as the Hertfordshire, seating a few more passengers, although it had a short life, having crashed near Mill Hill in 1940.  No further Hertfordshires were constructed.

de Havilland was proud of its designers, and in the case of the Flamingo chief designer of the type, Ronald Bishop, is also honoured nearby in Bishop Square.