In case you are wondering - ‘tis me!          

©2020 Norman Cutting - 78 Rectory Road,Wanlip, LE7 4PL

More of Mr Hortons Photos this time mainly from the 1970’s |(in no particular order) Feb 1971

Looking towards the High Street up Holliday Street from ‘foggy bottom’ Feb 1972

Hemel Hempstead police station beside Gazette printing works at bottom of Bury Hill. Gadebridge Park on the left. May 1972

Hemel Hempstead High Street looking north. The railing on the left hide the ‘Pie in the Sky’ restaurant (with Edwards in iron mongers opposite) Gadebridge Park behind row of shops. (Just to give a relationship are where is what) May 1976

Back to Berkhamsted and Canal tow path with boat yard on the left. Castle Street bridge over the canal and Crystal Palace pub far right. June 1976

Ravens Lane lock with view above in distance. This is the bridge where Ravens Lane turns into Gravel Path, where I remember cattle being driven down the hill down to ‘Eastwoods’ butchers for slaughter. For some reason Gravel Path had George Street post office/newsagent (run by two sisters) one house up from ‘Eastwoods’ June 1976.

Hope you are all taking notice as I will be asking questions later as there are more to come from both of us!

After the ‘refurbishment’ of the High Street in the 60’s Berkhamsted Town Hall only one of two building remaining, between the Court and Lower Kings Road. Designed by Edward Buckton Lamb in 1859, a Trust was formed to protect it. To the left was a coffee bar where we all hanged out and naturally on the left was a pub (now Boots which had to move when the likes of Mayos, Timothy Whites and Taylors were made to ‘disappear’ . There should be a copy of the original drawing hanging somewhere in the Town Hall as I have one in my Hall!   

Lower Kings Road, leading to the canal, open air pool (now a car park and grassed - like the paddling pool on the moor), main post office, telephone exchange and sorting office. On the left was De-Lisles the jewellers (remember the clock on the roof?), a newsagent for train users next to the express dairy shop (hi Gillian) and PRP records at the bottom (see photo below). Just before the Bulbourne was Berkhamsted Photographic and the entrance to the mantle factory etc. Over the Canal bridge was the flour mill on the right, a Garage on the left with petrol pumps alongside the Canal opposite. Station masters house was next to the rebuilt station - originally a the foot of Castle Street with just two tracks and moved when the other two tracks laid and nicked the outer moat of the castle.You really ought to read my walks around town!   

PRP (left) and Express Dairy to the right. The depot was down Castle Street opposite Berkhamsted School (know Charley Ross, Antony Hopkins or even Richard Maby? - just some of the poor souls who attended)

Just to finish off this page, these two shops were between the Civic Centre and W H Smiths (who had a library in the back) separated by the ‘lane’ to dwrights yard and next to the oldest shop in the country. Oh, I forgot Norman Clark electrical owned it then sold to Lewis and Clark who moved it to the Rex Parade where it was taken over by Chris smith and his brother who shifted the business across the road to the bakers when the REX was allowed to degenerate but that’s another story!!

I really get some order into my photo library! Found some!