The Crown that Moved

 When the Cavendish estate was first built there was a pair of shops west of Albion Road, although by the time they had opened most of the nearby homes were occupied; so too were the villas of Stanhope Road, soon to be followed by the homes of Clarence Park Road.

The photos below show the two shops in their early days; both were owned by Edward Hanley whose home was in Lemsford Road.  On the corner was Aberdeen House, a butchery managed by various specialists, including Mr Steabben, followed by Harry Patience of Popefield Farm.  At the foot of Cavendish Road was a small abattoir which if the building had still extant would be within the curtilage of Ss Alban & Stephen Junior School.

The name of Harry Patience only appeared above the door of Aberdeen House for a very short time,
in the early 1920s.  It is presumed Mr Patience is one of the two gentlemen at the door.
OWNER OF PHOTO UNKNOWN

Next door was the Park Stores owned by E Hanley.  Both shops had projecting display windows
in the early period.  The picture below shows the early interior of the Park Stores.
OWNER OF PHOTO UNKNOWN

Next to Aberdeen House was Park Stores, which had the name E Hanley above the door.  But that did not mean that he put in a full shift behind the counter.  Mr Hanley owned several shops, including three in Fleetville, and installed a manager for each one, while he organised the ordering of stock.  Where a manager did not require the upstairs flat, Edward Hanley rented that out.  In the period before shops arrived on the north side of Hatfield Road, Mr Hanley's shops very much complemented those at the lower end of Stanhope Road, even though they had opened rather later.

If you have passed by this part of Hatfield Road recently you may have noticed that the former Hanley's Stores is now a shop no longer and the conversion to domestic accommodation has been achieved sympathetically.  Menspire and the refurbished house and its railings frontage has created a welcome improvement to this corner.

Above: the pair of shops in around 1910

Below: the current street presentation of these two properties COURTESY GOOGLE STRRETVIEW

The street view of the above pair of shops in 1964, the pair of Charlton Villas, and the former 
coachman's accommodation of the Crown Hotel converted into Martell's coal business.
COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS

Next along the road is a pair of homes called Charlton Villas, erected at the same time as the adjacent shops, for Samuel Collins.  Both number 150 and 148 have always been residential, although for fifty years Arthur Evans ran his plumbing and decorating business from number 148. 

A recent view of the Crown Public House, although the two gabled sections are now paint washed
over the bricks.

The Crown Hotel c1914 with the roundabout in front and surviving tree from the site's nursery days.
COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS

The remainder of the block as far as Camp Road is taken up by the substantial buildings of The Crown Hotel and public house.  The licensing of this house was made possible by the acquisition of the license of the Rose & Crown in Holywell Hill; today the Abbey Flats are on that site.  In fact there was an occasional slip-up in reporting which referred to the new Hatfield Road establishment as the Rose & Crown.  The business was taken on by Luton Ampthill company Morris & Company, and rather helpfully its name has been added to the 1912 revision of the Ordnance Survey map.  However, it seems that the plot had first been acquired by John Green of Bedford.

The 1872 Ordnance Survey shows the bend near St Peter's Farm and Camp Lane meeting it
from the bottom of the map and passing the tiny toll house – the small pink building – with Ninedells Nursery to its right.
COURTESY NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND

To understand the placement of the Hotel in relation to the road layout we need to refer to the 1872 Ordnance Survey.  As we walk past the hotel's former stables and groom's quarters – later converted into Martell's Coal Sales and now private accommodation – the footpath deviates to line up with Stanhope Road ahead.  Such a property boundary dates from the sale of the former Ninedells Nursery and the sale of Hatfield Road Field for the development of Stanhope Road.  Before that time, as shown on the 1872 map, Hatfield Road's notorious bend to the right had the junction with Camp Lane shortly after the turnpike chain toll point.  This is the small pink building near the letters TP on the map.  Until the nursery was sold its boundary met the Hatfield road at the bend.  It is likely that the large tree shown in front of the c1914 photograph is a boundary survivor of that nursery.  To enable vehicles travelling westwards to access Stanhope Road a slip lane was made in front of the hotel.  In effect this created a roundabout.  Although it is not clear when this was closed off it was probably with the growth of motor traffic in the 1920s.  

Along with this great photograph it is worth pondering on two further points.  Unfortunately hidden by the tree, the original hotel name was displayed above the ridge tiling and between chimney stacks.  Such a position demonstrated the prominence of the hotel's position along the main road.  Secondly, on the edge of the roundabout is a cabinet with the city crest on the front.  Place there c1908 it was an early electrical connection box from the supply cable laid from the generation works in Campfield Road.

Now the Crown Public House, we can rest with a pint in the beer garden, and join regulars on televised football evenings.  It is the last pub eastwards along this road until the Rats' Castle.

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.