Hatfield Local History Society No. 60 NEWSLETTER March 2006 SECRETARY: Mrs. C. Martindale EDITOR: Mr. F.J.Cox the plaque have been identi- fied. If you have any knowledge Frank Clayton of Dagmar and/or Alexandra Editorial House Schools I would be pleased to include it in the final version. Specifically I would like In February Welwyn Hatfield to hear of local day boys and Council launched a new look girls. website. Included in this is a page leading to details of the Thanks to Tony Lodge for North Mymms Local History So- the interesting article on Great ciety. To access this I visited Nast Hyde House and his re- www.welhat.gov.uk then clicked search into the property. Make on Site Map > Leisure and Cul- sure that you have booked your ture > Events > Talks and Meet- ticket for our visit on the 14th of ings > North Mymms Local May as there is a restriction on History Society > Full Details > the number available. Further Details > Brookmans It was with deep regret that Park Newsletter > Local History, we were informed of the The interest shown regard- and there you have 20 complete death of Frank Clayton after ing the old chalk mines has books and 40 Historical Fea- suffering from his injury on created a lot of comments and tures. There is a quicker way, by Remembrance Sunday last if you have any further knowl- accessing www.brookmans.com year. edge of this let us know to add but that bypasses all the Welwyn to the archive. Hatfield site. Would we have Elected onto the committee of this Society in 1992, anyone able and prepared to A number of visitors and input news and articles about Frank had served continual- researchers have already used ly and supportively until his Hatfield Local History? What a the comprehensive store of ar- accident. bonus that could prove for our chive photographs, local history Society. information files, family tree re- sources and research library He will be sadly missed by At our January committee available in the resources room his many friends and ac- meeting the matter of refresh- at Mill Green Museum. This quaintances. ments at Friendship House was free service is available on a raised. It was agreed to open the drop-in basis on Thursday doors half an hour earlier for mornings between 10am and members to come in before the 12 noon when a local history start of the meeting for tea and society member will help you socialising. find what you need. Alternative- ly you can make an appoint- ment for another day by calling The research into Dagmar 01707 271362. In addition to House School is progressing the regular Thursday sessions very well. The genealogical story the museum staff and volun- of the founder and principals to- teers are holding Behind the gether with lists of boarding pu- Scenes demonstrations on 7 pils is virtually completed and 19 May, 12 August and 16 Sep- of the 21 ex-pupils recorded on tember (Heritage Open Day) Children at risk in mine collapse scare Fears that a collapsing mine chalk mine when the houses were he believed it was an underground could endanger children forced first built in Briars Lane in the river that could only be heard when the closure of a Hertfordshire 1930s. Peggy told her mother and there had been a lot of rain. He had school this week. father she wouldn’t want to live in found the place when he had Engineers warned Welwyn & the area because the houses played there himself as a boy, I Hatfield district council that parts would fall down! guess about the time of the first of the New Briars Primary World War as he was born in 1907. School's car park and playing field risked falling into collapsing From Pauline Hannigan I have for many years lived in underground mine workings (neé Gower) Shropshire, mostly in the Iron- within the next 10 years. bridge Gorge where the Industrial The Briars Lane area of Hatfield Having read the December copy Revolution began. For over half a has suffered subsidence since of the Hatfield Local History Society century the area has suffered sub- the 1960s and investigations that Newsletter I was most interested in sidence with many cottages and began in 2001 revealed the area the article 'Hatfield's Old Chalk gardens slipping and large holes was on top of a former chalk mine. Mines'. I had no idea that such opening up at the sites of very old A detailed risk assessment re- mines existed but wonder if perhaps bell shaped coal pits and primitive leased by geotechnical engi- a childhood memory I have has any adits carved into the hillsides. neers at Hyder Consulting last connection. Most of the excavations have nev- week reveals that 11 properties, er been mapped and cause worry Around 60 (or maybe more) the main road and the school when a garden disappears! In years ago, my father took me for a were at. risk. 1952 and again in 1983 large land walk. The weather had previously movement prompted evacuation in been very wet but was dry and bright this village when ancient mine NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 15/29 DECEMBER as we went along Briars Lane. At the workings were flooded by natural 2005 top of the hill we climbed over a stile springs and water courses filling and set off across the field on the the tunnels and causing the under- Comment from Jim Page right. After walking some distance I lying clay to slide. Hopefully, Briars December 2005 was told to lie down and put my ear Lane will not suffer the same fate. to the ground at a certain place. I The tragedy of it all is that there heard a tremendous roar coming I will follow any further news were people in Hatfield (Peggy from below. It seemed to be a long about the chalk mines with great Skeggs’ grandmother for one) way off but was certainly quite as- interest. who knew of the existence of the tonishing to me. My father told me David Jones’ mother re- members the chalk being burnt in Briars Lane at the entrance to the mines to convert it into lime. This photograph (dated 1999) shows the location of the original tunnel en- trance. Hyde 100 years ago. This was to be an GREAT NAST HYDE HOUSE exclusive estate of ‘country homes’ rather Wilkins Green Lane, Hatfield than a suburb of semi-detached houses. Tony Lodge The architects were Webb & Neilson of (north) entrance, which has only two ga- Enfield and the builders were C.Miskin & We are fortunate to still have in Hatfield bles. As to that last feature, some sourc- Co. of St.Albans. They were large houses, this fine 400-year-old House, variously es claim that the house is now not quite up to a Lutyens, Voysey or Bail- described as Elizabethan, Jacobean, a ‘back-to-front’, the original ‘front’ having lie-Scott quality of design but good ‘manor’ house, a farmhouse or a man- been the south front, the change having enough. The plans included a new roads sion. As we look forward to the Society’s something not quite understandable to do network, one of these running west from arranged visit to Great Nast Hyde with deluding Cromwell’s soldiers as to Ellenbrook Lane through the middle of the (Sunday 14th May, 2.00 p.m.) some ran- the way in ! - Cromwellian soldiers, Nast Hyde lands (and where Bramble dom information about the House might wishing to gain entry, would surely have Road now is) and named ‘Nast Hyde be of interest to those not already familiar done so via both front and back ! In any Road’ on the layout plan. Fortunately for with it. Much reliable information is avail- case, the south façade looks immediately Great Nast Hyde (though not for the able about the present House and it is onto Wilkins Green Lane, which up to the shareholders) the company, Nast Hyde believed that some sort of dwelling exist- 20th century was little more than a farm Estate, went bankrupt in 1912 having built ed on the site from the 14th century. track and hardly a front entrance ap- only 4 houses in Ellenbrook Lane – this Everyone with an interest in Hatfield and proach. was before Ellenbrook Crescent was built. a concern for its history and heritage One hopes the builders were paid before continues to rejoice that this old House For those wanting more detail, there is an this happened ! Only one of those houses has come again into private and caring interesting file or two of information at survives and is now in use as a Care ownership and is once more a family Hatfield Library, in the Local History sec- Home – this is ‘Honister’ (originally named home. When it was sold by British Aero- tion. Some of this is undated or anony- ‘Wild Oak’), at the corner of Ellenbrook space about 5 years ago there was great mous (or both) but it is all interesting and Lane and Wilkins Green Lane. Interest- local concern that it might fall into informative and with very little contradic- ingly, one of the other three houses, first ‘commercial’ hands and fears for what tion. There are copies of at least two or owned by a German gentleman, was that could mean. During our May con- three printed histories of the House which named ‘Bleak House’ originally and later ducted tour our hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Bai- unfortunately bear no date or author’s re-named ‘Roseleigh’, then owned and ley, will be telling us about the history of name, nor any clue as to their prove- occupied by the Owers family from 1912 the House and about their continuing nance.