Carpenders Avenue shops

St Meryls estate

By Arthur Hall

Carpenders Ave 1944-45

I have found this picture of the bottom end of Carpenders Avenue, taken from the railway bank adjacent to the old Carpenders Park Station. It shows the few houses that followed on from the bungalows towards the shops, and on the left where the bungalows end as well as the footpath, at this point you can see a footpath which runs parallel to the bungalow which ran along the edge of what was a field, this led to a concrete shelter complete with an air raid siren which was built for the A.R.P. during W.W.II.

The field on the left opposite the shops, extended into Penrose Avenue. The bushes in the bottom left hand corner is where a Petrol Station was built. The hedge hides a footpath with a bridge which crossed the Hertsbourne Stream and lead towards the ‘Cattle Tunnel’ and through to oxhey golf course the R.H. Fork took you parallel to the railway and joined Watford Heath.

The reason for sending you this picture is that it completes the Pictures of Carpenders Avenue  which I sent you and can be seen under Carpenders Park St Meryls Estate Topics. I hope that perhaps they may be of interest, and jog memories of those who may remember this area. Regards Arthur Hall

This page was added on 16/07/2013.

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  • You have jogged my memory again. I forgot about the floods which occurred quite regularly due to the small diameter of the pipe that the stream which ran from the back of Harrow Way towards the direction of Oxhey golf course, passed through. A Mr Hunter a long white bearded gentleman, who lived at No.38 Penrose Avenue had a horse and cart which he used to ferry people through the flood to and from the station. He rented a stable next to the station.

    By Arthur Hall (10/09/2013)
  • Mr and Mrs Kebbells house was called Grangewood. The bungalow was/is called The Spinney. As you say the sales office was just along from you in Carpenders Avenue. Later moved into one of the houses at the bottom of the Mead. Those shops regularly flooded in the 80’s and 90’s -I remember local kids canoeing outside them one Sunday afternoon after a huge storm – same day as York minster was hit by lightning.

    By Neil Hamilton (05/09/2013)
  • Farr’s took over from King’s. Mr Farr, Mrs Absalom’s brother worked in the room above Mr Absalom’s office in Carpenders Avenue, and Miss Farr worked in the backroom upstairs. Miss Farr lived in a bungalow inside the Grange at the Load of Hay end.Mr Kebbel and his wife Meryl Absalom had a house built next to the bungalow. It was Mr Farr’s son who ran the shop and post office.

    By Arthur Hall (03/09/2013)
  • Didn’t the Farrs – Mrs Kebbells family – have a shop along there? Albert Phillips the first posted to the area lived over one of the shops.

    By Neil Hamilton (27/08/2013)
  • The empty shop became a hardware shop the guy who owned it also opened a shop in Hallowes Crescent.

    By Bill Brown (23/08/2013)
  • The parade of shops, looking at the photograph from left to right comprised of an empty shop, Sharps the Chemist, W.G. Nix Bakers, Carter’s Grocer, King’s Newsagent and Post Office, ending with Peacock’s the Butchers. W.G. Nix also had a Bakery at Sparrows Hern, Bushey Heath.

    By Arthur Hall (02/08/2013)
  • I have a copy of this pic as well – its in the centre of a fold out sales brochure entitled ‘A place in the country’ and features pics, prices and dimensions of all of the houses and bungalows for sale at that time. I did a tour of the estate and managed to locate most of the houses featured on the brochure. Can’t remember the date of the brochure offhand but some of the shops are boarded up or still under construction

    By Neil Hamilton (17/07/2013)