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New Park Drive: From the field names Great New Park and Little New Park, as shown on Hemel Tithe map of 1843.
Newell Road: Believed to be a personal name, but we are still researching.
Newlands Road: Not known at this stage
Nidderdale: Named after a Yorkshire dale like other neary streets.
Ninian Road: Named after St Ninian, a British missionary who founded a chapel on St Ninian's Isle, Shetlands.
Northend: Named after Northend Farm which stood in the area before the houses and road were built.
Northridge Way: Named after Northridge House, pictured below ,and estate which was the home of the Micklem Family. (See Micklem Drive.)
Oakdene Road: Not known at this stage, but a dene is a narrow wooded valley. It is probable there was a small one nearby with oak trees in it.
Old House Road: From Old House Field as shown on 1840s Tithe map. The name of the field may have come from an old house that stood nearby (Hobletts Manor - see Hoblets Road)
Oliver Road: Nothing known at this stage, but we are still looking.
Pancake Lane: From Pancake Wood, an area of woodland that used to be in this area well before it was developed. (We are trying to find out how the wood got its name.)
Churchills, originally The Heath | Park Road: So named because it ran towards Heath Park. The Heath was the 19th century house with lands that was re-named Churchills and where the sports centre is today. The Heath was built at a cost of £1,800 at the time the area was developing with the coming of the railway. It was re-named Churchill and bought by the Hemel Hempstead Borough Council in 1934. It had several uses until it was demolished in the early days of the new town. A map of 1843 shows some houses in Park Road.
Peartree Road/Close: From the field Pear Tree Croft in the area as shown on Hemel Tithe map of 1840-44. Croft is another name for an area of land and it seems likely that pear trees did grow in the croft.
Peascroft Road: From the field Peas Croft shown on 1840-44 Tithe map. There was alsoan ancient lane in this area called Pease Lane.
Piccotts End Road/Lane: So called because it leads from Hemel Hempstead High Street to Piccotts End. Piccotts End is a hamlet going back to at least the 15th century. A row of cottages there house medieval murals believed to have been painted by pilgrims on their way to Ashridge in the late 1400s. Until the 1930s it had its own school. There was also a mill on the River Gade which has now been developed into homes.
Pinecroft: Mark Ellis an ex pinecroft resident has sent us this very useful information:
I lived in Pinecroft for 20 years and my mother and farther still do, their garden backs on to houses that are in Belswains Lane and there are 2 pine trees one of which must be over 80 feet tall even after it had the top cut some years ago. But my dad said that Pinecroft was build on a small holding that was a orchard with apple trees in it and thinks the name Pinecroft was suggested by someone in the building group and the pine trees my have well given this person the idea for the name. Pinecroft was a self build housing group road (built between 1963-65) Where the people buying the houses helped the build them with the help of builders they paid for (so the more work you do yourself the cheaper the build is), but you was not allowed to work on your own house as you may spend too much time on it and not help others.
Polehanger Lane: So far we've been unable to answer this name, but we're still looking.
Popes Lane: From local historian Roy Wood: it actually ran from the Nags Head Public House, which was located around the area by the Dacorum College opposite the old police station, and ran as far as what we now know as Cotterells Hill, and may even have taken in part of Cotterells itself. However, the road was lost when the Leighton Buzzard Road was built through that area.
Poynders Hill: Not known at this stage.
Pudding Lane, Gadebridge: Very old lane, mentioned in 1638 Court Rolls. Possibly refers to land having been a quagmire, 'sticky as a pudding.'
Pulleys Lane/Close: Derived from Pullies field in the area as shown on Hemel Tithe map 1840-44. Prior to the new town, all this area was farm land.
Quartermass Road & Close, Warners End. Name comes from the murder of Katharine Mabel Quartermass in on July 16th 1896, who left her home in Bods end to go to Boxted Farm. As history tells us she was brutally murdered, and never returned home. She was just twelve years old. The crime was extensively reported in The Gazette of the time, but nobody was ever convicted of her killing
Queensway: The bottom section by the fire station was originally called Saffron Lane. On Queen Victoria's visit to Luton, via Hemel Hempstead, one of her carriage horses shed a shoe and the blacksmith at Saffron Forge repaired it. After this the name was changed to Queen Street. When the new town came in the 1950s a new road was built to take in Queen Street and link the High Street to the industrial area and other estates . The new road also took in what had been Highfield Road and was re-named Queensway
Quinces Croft: Named after field of sma e name in Hemel Tithe map of 1843. It is likely there were Quince trees in the area.
Ranelagh Road: Together with Vauxhall Road was built in the 1930s for workers at nearby Brocks Fireworks which came to Hemel Hempstead in 1933. The names refer to two gardens in London where spectacular firework displays were held by Brocks. Brocks occupied a 207 acre site on what is now Woodhall Farm, but moved from the town in the 1960s. Henry Brock died in 1938 and is buried at Holy Trinity Church, Leverstock Green.
Rant Meadow: Named after Runt Meadow, a field shown 0n19th century tithe map of the area. Rantsounded much better when the name was picked in the new town days!!
Ravensdell, Warners End. Nothing conclusive yet, but it is believed that amongst the farm fields in this area there was a dell with trees where ravens nested. Still investigating.
Raybarn Road: Derivation of Rag Barn, a field shown on Hemel Tithe map of 1840-44. Could have been mis-read on old map when road was named, or someone didn't like the word 'rag!.'
Redbourn Road. Clearly so named because it runs to Redbourn. Originally, little more than a track, it ran from the edge of then Hemel town centre (now the Old Town). Up to the building of the new town, it joined Queen Street (now Queensway) by the old St Paul's Hospital. This section has now been re-named Allandale, The name Redbourn is derived from reedy stream from the days when reeds grew in abundance along the banks of the River Ver.
Ribblesdale, Highfield: Named after one of the Yorkshire Dales as are other streets in the area.
Ridge Lea: A Hemeltoday reader has supplied this answer, which seems very likely the reason for the name." I used to travel to Chaulden Junior school, in the 1950s, down Northridge Way, from Warners End. The land at the top of Northridge Way, on the right as you go down, after the Park, was elevated, like a small cliff, or Ridge, several feet high. I distinctly remember the romantic old horse drawn gipsy caravans set up there, at one time, above road level. Houses have now been built over the ridge, in Northridge Way and, of course, in Ridge Lea but it was originally a raised field, which is also known as a Lea. Could it possibly have been called Ridge Lea, because of that? "
Ritcroft Street/Drive/Close: Derived from Pitcroft Field as shown on Hemel Tithe map 1843. Probably a mis-reading of the old name at the time the road was built as part of the new town.
Robbs Close: Unknown at this stage.
Robe End: Robe End was the name given to this part of Hemel in the 18th/19th century, when itwas all farmland. There were many 'ends' in the area. We can't find out more at the moment.
Rossgate, Gadebridge: Another to come from a field name in the area (Tithe Map 1840s.)
Roughdown Road: From Roughdown (or Rowdown Common) part of the Box Moor Trust Lands goping back over 400 years.
Rowcroft: From Row Croft field as shown on Hemel Tithe map of 1840-44.
Royal Court: Unknown at this stage, there is no Royal connection with the area.
Rumballs Road, Bennetts End: Not known at this stage.
Runham Road: Walter Runham came to Apsley in 1886 and opened a draper and haberdasher's shopon the Parade. He served 31 years on the Hemel Borough Council and was elected Mayor in 1920. He served on several committees and was a governor of Hemel Hempstead Grammar School when it opened in the 1930s. He gave a lot of time to Apsley Village Club. It is said his first love was St Mary's Church, Apsley End of which he was a member for 40 years and served as churchwarden for 25 years.
Sanders Road/Close, Bennetts End: Not known at this stage.
Sanfoin End: From Sanfoin Field as shown on Hemel Tithe map 1843.
Sawyers Way: From Hither Sawyers (Further Sawyers) field as shown on Hemel Tithe map of 1843.
Seaton Road, Hemel Hempstead. Named after Alfred Edward Seaton who lived in the area at a house called Lawn Park in the early 20th Century.
Sebright Road: Named after Sir Thomas Sebright who gave money to build a hospital in Hemel Hempstead - became Cheere House now in the grounds of the present hospital. The Sebright family's ancestral home was at Beechwood in Markyate. The imposing house is now an independent school.
Semphill Road: Named after Miss Elizabeth Semphill who was the matron of West Herts Hospital (Now Hemel Hempstead General) from 1907 to 1936.
Seymour Crescent: Another street named in connection with Hemel Hempstead's links to Henry Vlllth who granted the town its first charter. Jane Seymour was Henry's third wife. Henry was desparate for a sone and Jane obliged, giving birth to Prince Edward.Jane never fully recovered form the birth and died 12 days later.
Sharpes Lane: Named after the farming family who grew watercress in the area during 1st half of 20th century
Sheepcote Road: Believed to have a link with farmland in the area. Cote is a shed/shelter in which sheep are kept.
Shepherds Green: Unknown at this stage.
Sherpa Road: Short connection road between Leverstock Green Road and Montgomery Avenue. Follows the conquest of Everset theme (Everest way, Hilary Road, Tenzing Road). Roads were built close to conquest date and Sherpa was the name adopted by Tenzing Norgay who along with Edmund Hilary was first to the summit of Everest. The name Sherpa Road seems to have been dropped from recent maps of the town.
Sidford Close: Unknown at this stage.
Simmonds Rise: No information at this stage
Six Acres: Named after Six Acres field shown in the Hemel Tithe map of 1840-44.
Sleets End: Named after Sleets Field as shown on Hemel Tithe map of 1840-44.
Slippers HillL: Our local history expert Roy Wood says: A contrived name, quite apt though asSt Pauls Hospital once stood on this site and hospital patients wear slippers.
Small Acre, Warners End: Named after a field in the area called Small Acre and detailed in Hemel Tithe map of 1840-44.
Spencer Way: From Spencers, a field name on Hemel Tithe map 1840-44.
Spring Lane, Warners End. From a field name in the 1840s Tithe map.
St AgnellsLane: Aignells was a moated manor house owned by a family of the same name in the area of the present road. The first mention of the manor is in 1465. It had 80 acres of arable land in one piece and 52 acres in fields. In 1515 it had become Aygnellys and was owned by the Spendlowes . It retained its rights as a manor right through to the 19th century. Where the 'Saint' came from, we don't know!
St Albans Hill: Before the coming of Hemel new town in 1947 there was no St Albans Road dual carriageway.WShat is now called St Albans Hill was then St Albans Road as it was on the way to St Albans.
St Margarets Way: Unknown at this stage.
St Nicholas Mount: Named after St Nicholas Preparatory School for 'young ladies' at Green End (pictured). The school was originally founded in Stanmore by Misses Phyllis and Eliza Brown in 1923. During the Second World War, following bombing and a fire, the school was evacuated to the Hollies in Green End Road which was the former home of the well known locally Marnham Family. The school remained there from 1944 to 1968 when it moved to Abbots Hill, where it still is today as the junior section of Abbots Hill School. The Dacorum Heritage Trust has in its archives for the auction of the buildings and land in 1968. This shows the school covered five acres in all. The main house had four school-rooms and 14 bedrooms. There was also a separate classroom block which included a gym. Miss Muriel Clegg, who took over the school in 1949 and remained there until it transferred to Abbots Hill recalled in 1998 thatit catered for around 50 day pupils and boarders. It had a brown uniform. She also recalled that up to the early 1950s Green End Road came to an end at The Grapes and continued as Green End Lane between fields and the occasional house. At the top of the rise were two large houses with extensive grounds, on the right Northridge, the home of Nathanield Micklem and on the left, The Hollies which became the school and was originally called Westridge.
St Pauls Road: Named after St Pauls Church (Pictured right) which stood just off what is now Queensway. The church was demolished as part of the new town development, but the church hall remained through until 2004. It was the Conservative Party HQ, Davidson House which is now being redeveloped. A new St Pauls Church was built in nearby Highfield. St Pauls Hospital (originally the workhouse) stood nearby and this too was named after the church
Standring Rise: Unknown at this stage.
Stonlea Road: Named, we believe after Alderman Stone. (More research being done.)
Stuarts Close: Named after the Stuart kings and Queens of England, Jamesl, 11, Charles 1,ll etc.
The Sun Inn | Sunmead Road: Originally Sun Meadow.
Got it's name from the Sun Inn in the High Street which dates back to the early 17th century. It was rebuilt in the 1700s.
The Inn remained as an inn well into the 20th Century.
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