RESCUE MISSION 6

Obstacles in the Road

On any one day, even in the earlier days of photography going back to the period before the First World War, anyone living in any district of the city, might have decided to take their own camera on an exploratory walk to record what, to them, would have been an intriguing scene they come across – especially in their own locale.  There are lightly to have been countless numbers of those occasions; but were they worth capturing?

Fleetville rec has spent decades looking and feeling rather empty, although in more recent years
special events, such as Larks in the Parks (here in 2014) produced buoyant, colourful
and musical events.  But its main staple was always football for children and
young people.

At Royal Road a building plot was abandoned through the death of its owner, Thomas Smith.  Shortly afterwards a well-known local benefactor acquired the field and knowing how little public land was available for the growing population of Fleetville, he bequeathed it to the people of that district.  His name was Charles Woollam.  Did anyone take a photograph of this rather untidy square of land in 1913?  Shortly after a team of people from the council arrived, turned the land into a newly grassed playing park for children, installed one set of swings, and enclosed the space with metal railings all the way round.  Surely, in the weeks they were there a resident or visitor may   have experimented with their camera.

An endless number of casual games of football with equally casual goalmouths, and wondrous scores, mixed teams of boys (obviously for the time),  from the school would have delighted passers by.

Traces of an earlier use can still be found from parch marks in the dried grass; here
the emergency exits from underground tunnels in use during World War Two.

In 1938 men (again) and machines arrived to dig trenches in parts of the recreation ground; and more were added in 1939.  Camera operators (photographers) would have been attracted to these machines and workmen.  Or were these acquirers of photo gadgets only interested in their own families in their own gardens or in their own travels?

Because it was a recreation ground and because Fleetville was busy, the city council agreed to pay for a public toilet (Beech Tree Cafe today) to be built.  Another interesting task for 1938.

The orange rectangle highlights the top of street shelters along Royal Road,  thought to be
six in total.  Photographed in the 1946 RAF Aerial survey over Fleetville.  Also
spotted are the emergency water tanks bottom left and a well-used goalmouth or two.
COURTESY HISTORIC ENGLAND

1940?  More men arrived to create a neat row of obstacles along part of Royal Road – yes, actually in the roadway.  Not a drama seen every day, surely.  Public brick shelters in the middle of the road.  And the earlier trenches had tops added. And then lorries arrived in 1942 to erect a temporary structure called a nursery. The structure is still there! Being portable, the Hatfield Road end was offloaded first and put into use; and then the northern half was added.  All on top of the trenches and right next to the road and the school.  Even a built-in game for the children: three concrete ramps led from the edge of the pavement down a slope towards steel doorways and into the underground tunnels.  From then on, the steel doors became targets for boy footballers.  Householders complained naturally, but where were the photographers?

Of course the contractors demolished the shelters in the middle of the road, but the county council still needed the nursery, so the building stayed – for now.  Some locals thought that they might lose their recreation ground – Hatfield Road had become busy and more than a little dangerous because the road was, well, bendy.  Councils tend to do things if someone is counted in an accident tally, or even  killed.  So the bend was made less bendy.

To the left of Royal Road is the roof of today's Fleetville Community Centre,  which first arrived
from its manufacturing site at Hoddesdon in 1942, when it started life as a full-time
nursery for the mothers working in nearby factories.  Today's car parking spaces also
included ramps leading down to parallel tunnels (with the nursery dropped on top).
Locked steel doors kept people out – including the author later kicking his football down
to see how loud a noise the ball made against the doors.  Great fun!

Even the weekly Saturday evening ritual when a council employee cycled from wherever he lived, to padlock the swings together, because, you see, the council rather objected to children enjoying themselves on council land, even a recreation ground, on Sundays.  So you couldn't until it was Monday again.  They were the rules.

In all of this century and a quarter, you might have thought photographs would have been snapped on a few occasions.  Maybe not the Press, but surely, a casual with a new camera, members of an amateur photography club – there were such groups even in the 1930s.

So here is something to look out for"

Street shelters in the roadway of Royal Road (1940 to 1945);

Dug-out trenches on the recreation ground (1938 to 1941);

Arrival of a portable building – the new nursery building – in 1942;

Building of a public toilet and nearby wardens post (1938 to 1939);

Informal games of football in goalmouth areas (at any time);

Long rectangular metal tanks for emergency supplies of water – where the zip wire is today (1939 to 1944);

Railings being installed or removed, or anyone walking through gateways at Hatfield Road and/or Royal Road.

Children playing on the swings near the corner of Royal Road (at any time).

Ramps and steel doors under the nursery (from 1942 to c1960).

Happy hunting through shoe boxes and albums!