Community Centre Future Plans

On Friday 15th May proposals were unveiled about plans to replace the current building used for the Fleetville Community Centre.  A large gathering of past and present user groups and their members heard for the first time that the Trust which runs the Centre is to make a serious upgrade to the facilities on its Royal Road site.

A presentation given to guests revealed that it had been 102 years since Charles Woollam donated the land which became 'The Rec' for the people of Fleetville; 73 years since the low-height temporary building on one side of the park arrived as a wartime emergency nursery; and 33 years since Fleetville Community Centre first opened its doors in a flurry of local excitement.

Fleetville Community Centre in 1992

So, three birthdays were being celebrated, and the Mayor of St Albans and District was present to cut the cake.

For over one hundred years children have been able to play to their hearts' content on Fleetville Recreation Ground, and today it is busier than ever, with the welcoming little Beech Tree Cafe acting as a honeypot for the recently upgraded playpark.

It also rang with the sounds of little children from 1942 when the nursery was perched on its concrete platform above the underground shelters, while their mothers worked in the munitions factories, especially at Ballito Hosiery Works, where Morrison's is today.

Mayor Geoff Harrison with some members of the Community Centre
Trust and Friends at the event.

Recently, the Centre's Trustees have decided that the popular building will need to be replaced by a structure offering a higher standard of accommodation, more space and a significantly lower energy footprint.  The Trustees are in discussion with St Albans City and District Council about their plans.  The existing centre is owned by the Council and let to the Trust on a lease which expires at the end of next year.

Guests at the celebration obtained their first glimpse into the future – a glimpse which they themselves will help to forge.  They were given the opportunity to offer and discuss their own ideas for a new building.  At present there is very little to see, except examples of other recently-completed centres, and of course, a picture of a daunting but exciting process to go through.

Accompanying the presentation was an exhibition, It All began In 1913,  which can be seen again at Larks in the Parks on June 28th.

A drop-in facility is open at the Centre on Tuesday and Thursday mornings until the end of June to find out more about the new building project and to talk over ideas which users and others may have for the proposed new building.

A few old school ties

School photographs are often of two generic types.  One is the individual head-and-shoulders 'mug' shots, usually via a photographic company who gives you a sample and offers a pack of larger prints to your parents at a price.  The school usually retains a contact print to attach to a school record card.  At least that is the way it used to be, but records are often digital today.

The second is the class photo, or even, if Head Teachers are brave enough to organise it, a whole-school picture which usually has to be stored in a roll because it is too difficult to display without the living room wall giving an impression, by the time we are in our final year, of a panelled common room wall at a historic school premises.

Fortunately, there are opportunists who occasionally have a camera handy and are able to snap a few less formal shots: sports activities, special projects, performances and concerts, and school visits.

The photos which appear with this article were all taken when Marshalswick Boys' School (now named Sandringham School) was in its infancy – the early 1960s.  There are several in the collection.  On another occasion I will post a few of the teacher pics.  Meanwhile, here are classroom views and the occasional rehearsal.

You may recognise your younger self and your younger friends.  Today you may still live in St Albans, perhaps even in Marshalswick itself.  But you may have migrated as far as Hatfield, or one of our northern powerhouse cities, even abroad.

It would be great to hear from former pupils of these studious classrooms.

A Healthy Hatfield Road?

In 1974 members of Woodville Women's Club, Fleetville, expressed serious concern about the changing nature of the businesses along Hatfield Road, worrying that "Fleetville is gradually becoming a dying area; that there will soon be no shopping centre left, as offices and banks replace shops."

Certainly, the mid-70s was a difficult time for many suburban areas, and it is true that, as business rates for city centre premises increased quickly, firms "on the edge" of financial success moved further out in an attempt to lower their overheads.  At the same time many family businesses were struggling to survive a lack of street parking, as well as the rise of larger shops in better locations accessible by car.

The mid 70s was also the final period grocery and fresh food shopping could put on a show without the intrusion of supermarkets.  But was Woodville Club right, with hindsight, to express such concern?

Both in 1960 and 1975, between Beaumont Avenue and The Crown Hotel (but not including Stanhope Road shops) there were 89 business premises which could be called shops; whether occupied as such is another matter.  Today five more premises exist which, previously, were  other kinds of premises.  Although Morrison's has been counted as one retail unit, it is functioning as a newspaper shop, cleaning shop, cafe and flower shop as well as a source of food.  The only premises not included in the survey were filling stations, of which there were up to five at the peak, though only one exists today, and factories and workshops.

It is not easy to assess what is or is not a shop.  Laundries are included because they are trading with physical products, and often ancillary products can also be purchased; betting shops are not included, as they are dealing purely in financial transactions.

In 1960 eighty-two premises could be classed as shops.  By 1975 this number had fallen to 57, and as Woodville Club members had observed, much of the difference was accounted for by banks, offices, betting shops and insurance companies.  Currently the number is 78.  Between 1975 and 2015 was another change not visible in the statistics given.  Many of the small independent grocery and greengrocery businesses disappeared as the supermarket era opened on what is now Morrison's site, but had begun with the Co-operative Society.  However, many new independents have arrived, some selling a wider range of goods for a wider cultural market.  Still related to food, the number of restaurants, cafes and take-away food shops has increased from four in 1975 to 14.  This includes three adjacent units near the Rats' Castle, the cafe in Morrison's, and the little Beech Tree Cafe at the Rec.  Fleetville Cafe is also included although we wait to discover its future.

Many changes in shopping habits were evident in the 1960s and 70s, as households' income improved, fridges and freezers were purchased, and cars enabled access to shopping experiences further away.  So 1975 certainly appeared to be a nadir for local shopping.  Today, Fleetville is probably thriving as much, if not more so, than in its between-wars heyday when the brand "a mile of shops" was applied to Hatfield Road.  And today, there are more shops opening for trading for longer days, and more days, than in 1975.

Hatfield Road, it seems, is as healthy a shopping district as ever, which just one disappointment – the disappearance of those corner shops which were useful in the side roads of Harlesden, Sutton and Castle.

Roll on; where are we?

We are very used to contract companies arriving nearby to carry out road repairs; especially major works.  But there was a time when most of this work was undertaken by what was known as direct labour.  The council, city or county as appropriate, effectively ran their own company to undertake the contracts required by the authority.

A variety of specialised machines are in use, including those whose sole function appears to be to lay out miles of cones, sometimes doubling up as giant, vehicle mounted, matrix signs.  The driver and mate occupy the cab as the work proceeds, only returning to their duties at the end of the blockade.

City Council road roller working somewhere in the city.
Photo courtesy ROAD LOCOMOTIVE SOCIETY.

Life was simpler in the early twentieth century.  There were no cones, but generally there was a determination to complete the task as quickly as possible, and if a hole in the road was left overnight, a night watchman was left to supervise, with a hut and brazier.

Among the specialised vehicles then was a version of machine still important today.  The council acquired road rollers, as illustrated in the photos.  It appears that these machines were rarely photographed and it was a surprise to be sent a picture, probably taken between 1913 and the early twenties, located somewhere in St Albans.  The Road Locomotive Society would very much appreciate knowing the location of the roller when "snapped".

Modern photo of the same roller
visiting its old base in Grimston Road.
Photo courtesy SANDY ROSS.

From observation, the pavement had a blue brick surface, which was near-universal within the 1879 boundary, so, at least we can ignore the more modern suburbs.  The only other clue is that work was going on at a T or X junction.  Bearing in mind that a lot can change in nearly a century, much can also remain the same.

So, if eager blog readers think they can recognise the location, do please post a comment.  The Road Locomotive Society members will not be the only people whose minds will be set at rest.  Even if the location proves not to be in the East End of St Albans, we  know that the machine would have worked there, and from 1930 onwards was based at the old prison in Grimston Road, which is at the city end of the East End.  The former prison was the Council's Highways Depot.

What does a trading centre need?

149 Hatfield Road with a gable bay. Courtesy BARCLAY'S.

It took a while to happen, but Barclay's was the first bank to open premises in the east end suburb of Fleetville.  Well, the Crown actually.  Alexandra House was constructed around 1912 on the corner of Hatfield Road and Clarence Road (not shown here).  Barclay's not only saw opportunities for hundreds of potential personal accounts nearby, but felt it could support the many businesses, including shops, along Hatfield Road.

Since then other banks followed, including Westminster (later National Westminster) and Lloyd's.  Jockeying for position, Barclay's vacated Alexandra House for a shop which had previously belonged to Mr Grimaldi and then St Albans Refrigeration.  From this position it stared the National Westminster in the face across the entrance to Sandfield Road.

Same shop converted for the bank. Courtesy BARCLAY'S

So where are these banks today?  In spite of increasing business activity the banks have retreated to their city centre hot-spots.  Although Barclay's and Lloyd's have strongholds at The Quadrant.

Recently, Barclay's opened another facility, online this time.  Not the usual website banking outlet, but an archive in which it has deposited a number of its own photos to remind us of the great days of banking.  In addition to a 1935 shot of Alexandra House, there appeared before-and-after pictures of the bank's move to 149 Hatfield Road (right), together with a peep inside at what, in the main branches at least, would be known as the banking hall.

Comparing the before-and-after shots reveals just how dramatic the changes to the building were, not only to the frontage at ground floor level, but it involved the complete removal of one of the full-height bays (today there are just two left in this block).

The banking hall at 149 Hatfield Road.  Courtesy BARCLAY'S

For those who recall the days before patrolling police officers had radios, you will be delighted to spot the pillar on the street corner which contained a telephone handset and a flashing beacon to alert attention.  Then of course there was an example of one of the city's first roads to have sodium street lighting installed in 1938, much hated at the time.  It has taken another three-quarters of a century for the softer (and more energy-efficient) LED to be recently installed.

Barclay's at The Quadrant had to wait to expand into a second unit; but just look at the curved counter in the banking hall.  Remember it anyone?

The brand-new banking hall at The Quadrant in the mid-1960s.
Courtesy BARCLAY'S.

Striking Camp

The district of Camp is alleged to have received its name from the succession of eighteenth-century military training camps held on Earl Verulam's land at Cunningham Hill.  Probably to service the needs of soldiers present, a part-time supplies shop would have been created, which, inevitably, included the sale of alcohol.  The little community which grew up around these military requirements became the early Camp Hill, which defines its geographic location perfectly.

By the late 19th century the Old Camp Beer House was still open for business, along with the adjacent shop, but Thomas Kinder, and then Adey & White, successive brewing owners, had found it a trading millstone, operating from a building which was almost impossible to improve.  So Hertford brewer McMullen's purchased the Old Camp, but its acquisition was for the license alone.  The Camp district had just begun by the turn of the 20th century, and McMullen's, with an active license, could take advantage of the opportunities a growing population offers.

Shortly before the First World War it had constructed and opened an impressive new structure further along Camp Road (on the corner of Roland Street although that road did not appear until the late 1920s).  First called the New Camp – to distinguish it from the former premises – and later the Camp, it became a highly successful establishment, with offshoot social clubs and groups.

The Camp PH has been at the heart of the district for over a century, and many of us can be forgiven for thinking it will always be there.  But it is a business, and as a business it has to make a profit.  So it will come as a blow to many locals to discover that McMullen's has decided to close the premises in May of this year.

As I understand it, not even the impressive building will remain for another use.  The flats to be constructed on the site, if granted planning consent, will be new builds.  But there is still time for plans to change, as often they do.

After May, Camp will be a dry district, which is how Fleetville was for three decades until the arrival of the Rats' Castle.  That pub will now be the nearest public house for most Camp residents, or the Crown for those living at the western end.  Perhaps one of the beneficiaries might be the Royston Club.  It does pose an interesting question though: is any other residential district in this city 'dry?'

As McMullen's strikes
camp and move out we take a look at how social the premises were in the 1920s and 30s; one of the groups – its darts team – lining up for a photo with supporters before heading off for a day out.

Musical group accompanying darts team on a charabanc outing before the
pub was upgraded.  Photo courtesy TERRY SWAIN.

Catching up

A recent blog was devoted to the Green Ring walking and cycling route around St Albans, part of it visiting Fleetville.  A more detailed plan of that part of the route between Woodstock Road South and Sutton Road – a tiny but very complicated section – has been published.

Work seems to have begun on the pedestrian crossing, which will accommodate cycles as well as pedestrians.  Rather less space than envisaged is allowed for the route on the south side, with only the bus shelter being moved back onto Morrison's land.  It appears that the footpath itself will remain the same width and will be shared with cycles.  Let's hope that works.  On the map (right) the 'blue river' is the shared path on the south side of Hatfield Road; Woodstock Road South junction is on the left; and Sutton Road is top right.

Then there's the question of road speed.  It is to be reduced from 30 to 20, which surely will not make any difference to actual speeds except in the middle of the night, given the obstacles almost always in the way.  It's not the speed of cars but the speed of cyclists which may concern pedestrians, so we'll see how that works out.  Let us hope the scheme functions as intended.

Following the blog recently about the non-yellow signage at Morrison's, this observation was picked up by the firm who sought an answer for us.  Their something-or-other department came back to state that the changeover from yellow to white – the only one of the stores with white lettering instead of yellow –  was part of a marketing experiment in 2011.   Clearly unsuccessful as no other stores have opened with the same white MORRISONS (without the apostrophe, of course) external signs.  The same department, it informs me, has clearly forgotten to restore brand yellow!

Last week's blog featured the concern of many that the embankment steps in Clarence Park might be closed permanently.  Following the Council's City Neighbourhoods Committee meeting this week we should be able to relax on that one.  The council has to include all possibilities, and the committee was quick to announce that option 1, closure of the Hatfield Road entrance, has been voted out, and a decision on the remaining four will be made later in the summer.  That just leaves the question of how the replacement will be paid for.

The question raised in the blog, of how the existing structure, only 12 years old, came to be made from such poorly-specified materials, has not yet been explained.

Many travellers along Hatfield Road at Oaklands have noticed the works proceeding just west of the Speckled Hen PH.  Now that permission has been granted, the work to swap the front playing field at Beaumont School with one behind Winches, the new school access road can proceed.  The new road cannot come soon enough for residents of Oakwood Drive, coach drivers and parents who feel the desirability of delivering their teenagers to school is more like essential.  The effect the new junction will have on Hatfield Road traffic is currently one of the district's unknowns.  But anything must be better than the risk of bulky fire engines not being able to access the existing school driveway.