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Walkers • • • • • Cyclists • passing. • • • Alban Way Walk the Train Along Alban Way Your very own guide to the former railway route between Hatfield Station and St Albans Abbey Station, and the landscapes and buildings close to the line. This brochure is published by the Smallford Group: “Bringing the History of Smallford Station to Life” October 2015 2nd Edition 2016 www.smallford.org 1 Hatfield Station to Cavendish Way ST ALBANS ABBEY To St Albans Abbey Station Over to the right, beyond the houses, are the huge structures of the J Galleria Shopping Centre. Ahead, the original Cavendish Way rail Cavendish Way H 7 bridge was only constructed in 1957, after passenger trains had ceased. It has since been replaced. J London Road 6 Salvation There is no evidence today of a bridge across St Albans Road West Army St Albans Road West, and little of the I I embankment. There is even construction across the track bed, hence the short diversion. This road used to continue to meet 5 Comet Way behind the bus – The Galleria Looking north, Fiddlebridge siding on now prevents that. From Smallford, the road the left. The industrial estate partly curved its way towards Hatfield Town Centre occupies what was the main line, while and The Ryde as St Albans Road West, and Alban Way users walk on part of the 4 then St Albans Road East. It was a very busy H FIDDLEBRIDGE SIDING former siding. main road. Hill End E The last station to open, in 1942, F was Lemford Road, as G Lemsford Road demonstrated by the concrete 3 sections which were typical of the time. It was intended F LEMSFORD ROAD HALT specifically for the employees of de Havilland Aircraft Company, which was along Comet Way. Over 3,000 DH98 Mosquitos Just two bridges along Alban Way have were built here, and hundreds of been replaced specifically for users: here Smallford others of varied types. across Wellfield Road, and further south at Camp Road. View of the steps G leading to the E Walkers leave the route here for platform at Wellfield Road D easy access to the Town Centre Lemsford Road, via Wellfield Road. taken from the B Nast Hyde bridge deck. Only D the bridge abutment, the steps and C platform now remain. 2 C A 1953 view of The footbridge replaced a road Ground Lane/Homestead Road A bridge (Wrestlers) in 1966 when Hatfield Station, Lemsford Road where St Albans that collapsed. It carried Great North Road traffic over the Great Diversion passengers had There was an occupation bridge here their own platform, Northern Main Line. To the left of this view you look downhill to the Remainder of which gave access to the former 1 now used for Birchwood Farm (hence Homestead other trains. To now- truncated Great North Road B line not towards Tesco, which many locals accessible Road). We are walking from left to right reach the branch from the station, walk north along still remember as Jack Olding’s under the former bridge. The house in Great North Road, and cross the footbridge. Join the Corner. the photo can be seen on your left, on route almost ahead. A HATFIELD STATION the south side of Ground Lane. HATFIELD 2 Cavendish Way to Smallford Station ST ALBANS ABBEY To St Albans Abbey Station H G 7 SMALLFORD STATION Further information on Section 3 London Road Station Road 6 Salvation Across the field to the right Army is a large house known as F H Great Nast Hyde, followed G westwards by the tiny Wilkins Green hamlet. 5 To the left along Smallford Road is the Here was one of three community of Sleapshyde. Old Just before reaching the Station Road bridge at Smallford, a row of former forges (pictured). A Sleapshyde is centred around a tiny separate walk along Wilkins green, its chapel (above) and farm. The agricultural workers houses can be seen on the right, lining Wilkins Green Lane. Green Lane will also reveal 4 newer houses are nearer Smallford Little Nast Hyde Farm and Lane and the bypass (A414). A shortage of habitable dwellings for farm workers ensured these were built Wilkins Green Farm. Hill End in the early 20th century. Blackberry Arch sculpture F (see front cover) A gated crossing was National Cycle Network E needed here as Ellen- D mile post 3 brook Lane was a through road to Roe Hyde. A crossing gate keeper was employed; and he lived in the E NAST HYDE HALT house which still Smallford stands beside the line. D Nast Hyde Halt was opened in 1910, for the Ellenbrook Lane benefit of a new housing estate at Nast Hyde C and Ellenbrook, which was not fully realised. The Ellenbrook Stream rises The houses built lining the north side of a short distance northwards, B Hatfield Road were eventually demolished and passes under the railway for aerodrome development. en-route to the River Colne. It flows beside Ellenbrook Nast Hyde Lane. The Lane connected directly with College Lane and the Technical College, A now the University, before the A1(M) was constructed. B Comet Way A1(M) 2 C When a relief road, jointly the Lemsford Road A1 and Barnet Bypass (A414), was constructed in 1927, a Hatfield Tunnel commandeered the former bridge was necessary to carry A railway trackbed; hence the diversion. 1 what was then a three-lane Diversion road over the single track railway. The road links the Cavendish Way Further information on Section 1 Comet roundabout and the Roe Green Interchange. To Hatfield Station HATFIELD 3 Smallford Station to Hill End Station ST ALBANS ABBEY To St Albans Abbey Station Just before reaching Colney Heath Lane bridge, which enables traffic to climb over the former railway, I J 7 homes now line the once-rural lane on the left side. HILL END STATION The right side is home to schools and playing fields. London Road TAKE CARE: Hill End Lane BLIND ROAD 6 Salvation Once all of the useful CROSSING Army G gravel had been removed, most of the pits were filled. Unfortunately, 5 there are serious question marks about the quality of the fill, making future development uncertain. Some areas There was thick woodland here 4 were turned into angling Colney Heath Lane (hence Firwood Avenue). Along the lakes, as here. lane near Hatfeld Road stood a small Hill End turnpike toll house where payments were made to give access to the The wooded and turnpiked Hatfield Road for cart F isolated part of J owners and animal drovers. Butterwick Farm to I the north of the 3 railway became a home for factories H after WW2. Part is now retail, and there are also church A groups. Smallford G H BUTTERWICK SIDING The stream E (see D) flows towards Smallford F At Butterwick Siding a pair of Farm at the Other than at the termini, this station E tracks left the main line to serve a lower end of was the first to open, and initially named meat store and a banana ripening Nast Hyde Colney Heath Springfield, though later changed to store, near to today’s modern Lane, the Smallford. This picture shows the front Alban Point complex. original site of of the building and entrance. Beyond the hamlet. the picket fence was the coal yard. B Beyond that was a siding from the main A stream which 2 line. Tickets survive for a wide range of Many market gardening firms gave Smallford destinations starting from Smallford. C D moved to Smallford from the its name flows D The Station has also appeared in both Lower Lea Valley, the largest from north of C amateur and professional movies. It being J Nielsen. Today Glinwell Hatfield Road closed in 1951 when passenger services B plc grows salad crops here and towards the Lemsford Road ceased. at several other locations. River Colne near Colney Heath. Here it 1 A SMALLFORD STATION flows through a former sports Station Road field of Ballito Beyond the immediate landscape was Butterwick Farm Hosiery Mills. homestead, demolished when the land was worked for HATFIELD its gravel. To Hatfield Station 4 Hill End Station to Fleetville Siding ST ALBANS ABBEY To St Albans Abbey Station At the corner of Hatfield Road I and Sutton Road is the Rats’ Sutton Road 7 Castle pub. It was built on the The Castle Road estate site of an earlier and derelict FLEETVILLE SIDING (see also I) is shown here H London Road turnpike road toll house, where J incomplete. Here grew a the roof had become infested dairy and a bakery for the 6 Salvation with rats. The field was known For information see Section 5 district’s Co-operative Army locally as Rats’ Castle Field. Society, and a number of printers and textile workers for nearby Alfred Nicholson brought his coat factories lived in the 5 J business from Manchester in1901, terrace homes. purchasing a large block of land bordering the railway, for sidings and I factories. The factories never came, and Ashley Road is part G 4 even Nicholson’s has now gone. Further H of an ancient back is the Camp estate, built in two of trackway which Hill End the former Beaumonts Farm fields. linked other routes and manors across south Herts, and maybe further afield. The industrial estate was developed on a former brick making company called Owen’s. Its products C 3 were used in the construction of many of this area’s Most of the land on each side of the tracks in homes between 1900 sections 4 and 5 was part of Beaumonts Farm, and WW2.

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