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The Oxhey team

How to get in touch with the ‘Our Oxhey’ team

A handful of archive, library staff and a team of dedicated volunteers are behind Our Oxhey, a community archives project for the Oxhey area.

To join the volunteer team or get your community involved contact Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies

Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies: hals.enquiries@hertfordshire.gkv.uk or 0300 123 4049 to speak to any member of staff.

This page was added on 11/06/2010.

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  • I have recently repaired an old simple pine chest of drawers and on taking the top drawer out to sand it discovered on the bottom a date 24/3/41 and the name Gledhill written in pencil .
    At the opposite end Pte R Evans 11 Crook Log (Lodge?) Bushey Herts England. and seperately Pte A Hall.
    Looking at your web page I think I understand that I read Crook Log (Lodge was?) demolished pre WW2.
    I just am interested in these soldiers no doubt long deceased but if anyone knows of them and how their presumably barrack furniture ended up in Scotland and did they survive WW2 .

    By ALASTAIR ARMITSTEAD (14/05/2020)
  • My father Bob Hooper made the cine film from which the Video and then DVD Came the Day was copied; I donated his copy to the 3 Rivers museum after he died. I remember the excitement as he went off to fly and film over the estate, though I never saw the finished film till much later. My brother and I would have been on the floats as a knight or a hula hula girl. I did the running of messages for Mrs Chapman [pre-phones] who seemed to organise the carnival committee and lived in our road. great memories.

    By Jan Plowright nee Hooper (09/04/2018)
  • I lived at 50 Ashburnham Drive, backing on to golf course, we as kids spent many a day playing in the woods, Robert Freeman, Albert Jackson, Roy Rumble,we made carts From old wheels from prams,and odd bits of wood, take them to the top of the road where the hills starts and let them roll down to the end around the corner and in to the close, and the winner was,,,its a great page certainly brings back the memories, I can’t remember any of the teachers at Little Furze, if anybody remembers me, Email me, tony.davison50@hotmail.co.uk,

    By Tony Davison (07/04/2018)
  • A great site. Can anyone remember the name of the family doctor in Prestwick Road South Oxhey?

    Answer: There were two houses used by local doctors in Prestwick Road at one time.
    Dr’s Hunter / Scott / Cledwyn Davies /Trimmer and Thompson near the junction with Kilmarnock Road and further up near Heysham Drive was Dr Lindsay.

    By Denise Rees (20/06/2017)
  • I found your website very interesting.I am not from Oxhey,but my ancestors,Ashby ,who lived Watford Heath Oxhey Lane area were.

    By Nick Ashby (27/04/2014)
  • From my first contact on 29/04/2013 the old grey matter has kicked in from my time growing up on the estate from 1949 to 1969. Firstly the lemon ice cream man was John Delemara and the circus company was John Biddle, they pitched on the corner of Prestwick road and Hayling Road. Mr Silvers was Jewish and I think he had a workshop near Watford Junction. I remember how neat and tidy the whole of the estate was, i know my dad kept the front garden very trim as he told us that the council inspected the streets and gardens on a regular basis and a letter would be sent to any house not being looked after, how times have changed but good standards. !!! I have painful memories of the church being built opposite where we lived (80) as i broke my arm playing on the site, when it was built. There was a bell installed, it did peel for a while but for some reason was never heard again, Sundays and the road was always packed. The small hall next to it originaly was the church but as the estate grew so did the congregation. Our neighbours were just great, Stevensons, Blackwells, Smiths, Jacksons, Mcnamaras in our block of six (Mum and Dads great friends the Blackwells moved to Harewood road and Martha and Dan Walsh moved in who were comedian Bradley Walshes grandparents) Nortons and Roberts across the road Rankins, Groves in Ainsdale road to name but a few. Facing Otley way which now has flats was a field which had cement bases and had remains of nissen huts. I was told that it was a POW camp anyway we made full use of it by playing war games. !! Half way down was an apple orchard with a high fence, once over you were commited in filling your pockets before “Paddy” who looked after the place chased you off, it was like cat and mouse. Next to it was a large white house surounded by large trees, mum used to take my brother and i to be checked out as i think this was a clinic as we used to carry the tins of National dried milk and pure orange in, somone mentioned the shops that once was there, the pub was i think the greyhound when first opened,us lads used to frequent the “dick” the “grapes” and the jet. I will send more as i remember.

    By Ron Oliver (30/04/2013)
  • Just browsing and came across your site, looking at the photos brought back happy memories as I lived on the estate from 1949 in Oxhey Drive(opposite St Josephs church)the first road built, I was two and my brother Derek was one, we both went to Warren Dell infants and the junior school next to it and then on to Clarendon, I still have form pictures and the large 1960 panoramic, I also went to the farewell party at the school the weekend prior to its demolition and about a week later with old school chums which we took many photos of this sad site. I can remember almost living up the Oxhey Woods with my mates, knowing every path, the white house at the top with the newt pond near it, meeting the girls at the golf course rec !!! the plane that came down on it, the circus a couple of times a year, attending cubs and later scouts at the hall in Oxhey Drive, I had a paper round on Saturday evenings biking round the”posh side” of the railway line selling the pink football results shouting for customers (I bet they loved that from the common side !!!) I also had a job delivering paraffin on an old bakers bike for Goodrich hardwear shop that was on the parade, that was hard work !! Other things are Barkers mobile grocers, built from a single decker coach, the corona drinks van, italian ice cream van that had real bits of lemon peel, winkles, shrimps van on Sunday afternoons, Mr Silvers, who sold to our parents clothes on the “never-never” very scratchy and ill fitting. I could go on and on but please feel free to contact me as I have just turned 66, live in Northampton but I can still remember the happy times spent on the estate. Ron Oliver.

    By Ron Oliver (27/04/2013)
  • It’s great work your doing it will give people in the future something to work on from all our yesterday’s. We moved from Hammersmith to South Oxhey in 1948/9. Most of us came from London. This is a rich History of mass movement of working class people, very few would have gone on to 3rd level eduction of course there was plenty of work in Watford. The question I must ask for what reason did the powers to be build such large estates in green fields. I would be pleased to add more if you wished. All the best john.

    By John Nagle (19/04/2012)