FULL HOUSE TO POST OFFICE ARMS
The Full House (Marlowes)
ANOTHER of Hemel’s newer public houses, this public house is housed in what was the Odeon Cinema, which in its later years shared the premises with a bingo club, hence the name of the public house today.
The Gade & Goose
(Galley Hill)
The Gade and Goose being built |
The George (Belswains Lane)
THE original wooden building was demolished in the 1950’s as part of the New Town development, to make way for Barnacres Road. The current building was then rebuilt on the junction of the new road and Belswains Lane.
The Golden Cockerel
(Bennetts End)
THE former name of the now Greenacres Tavern opposite the Bennetts End shops. The pub opened in 1954.
The Halfway House
(Marlowes)
FORMER public house in Marlowes, especially popular, apparently, with the American servicemen during the Second World War. The pub stood roughly where the Halifax Building Society is today, and would have been demolished during the New Town development. A former licensee was one Herbert Mead, a former captain of Apsley Football Club, who it seems also played for St Albans Football Club.
The Heath Park Hotel
(Cotterells)
The original Heath Park Hotel |
The earliest reference is in 1869, when it advertised itself as fitted with every appliance for the comfort and convenience of gentlemen and families. It is also within reach of a pack of hounds (a great selling point in those days) and being close to Boxmoor Station, no difficulty is experienced in providing ready transit to any part.
Under its later guise of the Heath Park Hotel in the early 1900’s, the hotel displayed a notice stating it was the headquarters of the Cyclists Touring Club, and offered good accommodation for cyclists and automobilists.
The Henry VIII Public House (Marlowes)
The Henry Vlll |
Hogshead (Marlowes)
ANOTHER of Hemel Hempstead’s trendy new public houses. The Hogshead occupies the site of the once Electricity Board showrooms in Marlowes.
The Hop Garland
(Herbert Street)
FORMER public house of the Old Town area, which stood on the corner of Herbert Street and St Mary’s Road.
The Horn (Corner Hall)
A LITTLE known public house that once stood in Corner Hall, the one way street where the entrance of B&Q is today.
There may be, even today, some locals who will recall the trap doors that led to the cellars, standing open out in the roadway.
The Jolly Dragon (Bury Hill)
FORMER inn standing at the top of Bury Hill. One Frederick Griggs, in his book on Hertfordshire, circa 1912, tells of the view from the Jolly Dragon, looking eastwards from the town, where the fields are covered in corn. This is born out by a photograph taken from a postcard of the time
The Leather Bottle
(Leverstock Green Road)
The Leather Bottle in the early 20th century |
The Marchmont Arms (Piccotts End)
FORMERLY Marchmont House, built by Hugh, Lord Polwarth of Polwarth the third and last Earl of Marchmonth. It was built between 1771 and 1772 and is a good example of an English country house, built in the neo-classical style featuring a recessed porch with Doric columns. Perhaps the most important occupant was none other than Sir Astley Paston Cooper, eminent surgeon, who founded the first cottage hospital in Piccotts End.
The Masons Arms
(Masons Road)
A FORMER public house of Adeyfield, it used to stand where the pedestrian way ran by the side of Arundel Close. As the name would suggest, the name is derived from Masons Road, which today still runs to the left into Wood Lane End.
The Mayflower Inn
(Midland Road)
Hemel Hempstead's long-gone Midland Station with The Midland Hotel behind it |
As the Midland Hotel, there is a charming story is associated with this part of the history. In November, 1900 a Mr F. Lawrence, the landlord reported that one of his guests had left him £1 with which to buy bottles of stout for the inmates of the Hemel Hempstead Workhouse. This was a gift that was gratefully accepted and said to have been very much appreciated at Christmas.
A full licence was granted to the hotel, in August 1900 following the surrender of the Red Lion’s licence in the High Street, and its closure.
The Nag’s Head
(Bury Road)
Nags Head regulars prepare for an outing |
The New Venture
(Queens Square)
FORMER name of The Venture as it is known today. The pub was opened on Christmas Eve, 1952. Its name was carefully chosen to reflect the pioneering spirit of the New Town’s early days.
The original inn sign showed an Elizabethan ship venturing out into the New World, giving perhaps some credence to the train of thought that says that the pub was so named because it was the first public house of the New Town of Hemel Hempstead.
The Oddfellows Arms
(London Road)
The Oddfellowes in the early 20th century |
The Papermakers Arms
(London Road)
FORMER inn of London Road. Its name obviously derived from the paper-making activities of the local area. The pub itself stood on the site of what is now Pillings Garage.
The Patch (Puller Road)
LOCAL name of the Post Office Arms in Puller Road in Boxmoor. Where the name came from is unsure, but locals say it derives from the fact that the then landlords could not afford curtains, and hung patchwork quilts at the windows instead.
There is also a theory that it may refer to the stamps (or patches as they were called) put on letters in the early days of the penny post.
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