Today's County in the Spotlight:Part 2

[Rp0thejester]

I'm gunna guess..... Luton Airport but wrong county. So I'm thinking cars and old town near Hatfield... Stevenage! The home of AC wheelchairs then the Cobra....and the 70mph speed limit.

[NewcastleFalcon]

The one on the right is Hatfield Airport, and the de haviland factory.

https://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/p ... etrail.pdf

From this Flickr image info

Personnel Block, Hatfield Aerodrome, Hertfordshire
Geoffrey de Havilland started his aircraft manufacturing company in Edgware in 1920. In 1930 he moved to Hatfield, Herts because the his existing site at Stag Lane, Edgware was being encroached upon by expanding housing developments in the London suburbs. Flying commenced in 1930, but the clubhouse buildings and adjacent recreational facilities, fuel pumps and sheds were not completed until 1933.

In 1934 significant works were undertaken at the site and a large factory and imposing Art Deco administration buildings were constructed together with a flying school building which also housed flying control. Later, an experimental block was added to the north of the factory. Production of aircraft, moved from Stag Lane and during this time principly consisted of a range of small biplanes such as the Moth family, DH.84 Dragon, DH.86 Express and DH.89 Dragon Rapide.

During the Second World War, de Havilland was most noted for its Mosquito fighter bomber, the famous 'Wooden wonder'. This was developed privately at Salisbury Hall, outside of Hatfield to avoid being targeted by German bombers. The Hatfield site itself was camouflaged but was bombed on 3 October 1940 by a Junkers Ju 88. Four bombs hit the '94 shop' building, killing 21, injuring 70 and disrupting work on the Mosquito.

A hard runway was laid in 1947. Expansion of the facilities was called for by rapid development of military and civil jet aircraft such as the Vampire and Comet. The factory was enlarged and a new flight test hangar and control tower was constructed. Additionally, a large design block was constructed alongside the administration buildings.

In 1992, due to severe financial problems, British Aerospace announced the cessation of aircraft production at Hatfield in 1993. The airfield closed but was used as a film set for first Saving Private Ryan and later the television series Band of Brothers.

The redevelopment of the main airfield site commenced in the late 1990s. Only the listed flight test hangar and administration buildings were retained, all other buildings, taxiways and runway were removed to make way for new offices, businesses and homes. Today the flight test hangar survives as a leisure centre, whilst the rest of the site is divided between the University of Hertfordshire, housing and a business park.

REgards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Come on Hertfordshire chaps,

This is what the pic on the left is...

The famous Jack Olding Tower in Hatfield



Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

That was demolished before I'd been to Hatfield, all the story is here.

[mickthemaverick]

Did you track that with a google image search Neil?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Did you track that with a google image search Neil?

Yes. Came up with a facebook image and a page about it which needed a login to see the page properly.

https://www.facebook.com/jackoldingsldo ... okaside=1
Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

So double no chance for me then, DDG failed completely but I have got the social media sites on my blacklist so I don't look at any results on them. A cross I choose to bear!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Hertfordshire in extra time on its day-ish in the spotlight, give it another hour for last minute contributions, join in if you can.

I'll just get this in before it gets moved on. Seeing as Hatfield for some reason has become my focus of attention, I have dug out a bit of British Pathe footage of the Comet.







REgards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

There is loads to find on Hatfield and De Haviland,

This 5 minutes covers the story nicely from the point of view of the son of De Haviland's chief designer, who considers Hatfield to have had in its time, the most innovative group of aircraft designers anywhere in the world.



Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Seeing as Hatfield for some reason has become my focus of attention,

REgards Neil

I think you are subconsciously trying to balance my over indulgence in Hertford yesterday

This post is entirely TOH on my phone while lazing in bed so please forgive any big finger typos or memory quirks!!

Watford does of course deserve a mention as it had Hertfordshire's only professional football club in the English Football League/Premier League until the recent rise of Stevenage. Thanks to Sir Elton John and Graham Taylor The Hornets were dragged out of the football slums amd taken all the way to runners up in the old First Division. A feat on a smaller scale not dissimilar to that achieved at Manchester City and Chelsea in this century.

Watford can also boast one of the prettiest public parks in the country, Cassiobury Park, not to mention Woodside Playing Fields with its 4 cricket squares in the summer anf 7 football pitches in winter. Nowadays the Woodside Leisure Centre has taken up some of the space but offers the facilities you'd expect at a modern centre. From a climbing wall to a fitness centre you will find it all there!

Back in the day Watford also claimed one of the best traditional high street shopping areas in the county. With Woolworths, Marks & Spencer, Littlewoods, British Home Stores, W.H.Smiths, Boots, Timothy Whites, John Collier, Burtons leading the way and supplemented by numerous small local businesses and Watford's own THREE department stores, Clements, Cawdells and Trewins all swallowed up now by other businesses like Jon Lewis, TKMax and Matalan etc. They built the super new shopping centre 'The Harlequin' which morphed into the 'Intu' centre and has sinced changed again but I cannot remember the latest incarnation!

There are many pages on the internet covering Watford's long and varied history including the Benskins brewery as mentioned earlier and the mills on the canal, the Rivers Gade and Colne and its history as a printing town with Odhams Press. Greycaines Print and The Sun Printers being the three major players. My father worked at Greycaines when we first moved to Watford and then moved around a few companies gaining salary and status and finishing his career at Farleigh Press where he printed more up market publications like the programmes for the annual Royal Command Performance and the Royal Ballet etc.

I have waffled enough and my morning cuppa is waiting so I'll leave you to explore further under your own steam should you so desire!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

I think Hertfordshire's done with a token personal mention of Winnie and Billy, who moved darn sarth in the 60's, and have much of their wing of the family living in and around Hertfordshire, Brenda and Harry, Steven, Heather and Helen, and their families and old school friend Clive Carole and Craig and Louise.

____________Hertfordshire Done ___________

Next random number 26
Next County Londonderry

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Have we any contributors from Northern Ireland.....join in

I may well have set foot in Londonderry in Coleraine to be precise on a day trip to the Giants Causeway.

Iam McFaul the Newcastle Goalkeeper in the late 60's early 70's and subsequently manager of Newcastle for a period came from Coleraine. Saved a penalty against Rangers in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup semi-final, the last trophy apart from the Texaco Cup to adorn the pretty much All bare trophy cabinet at St James Park.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

The County of Londonderry's wikishire page is here
https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/County_Londonderry

An interactive zoomable map of the county is here
https://wikishire.co.uk/map/#County%20L ... 932/zoom=9

County Londonderry's main settlements are
City Londonderry (county town)
Towns Coleraine, Limavady, Magherafelt, Portstewart
Larger villages Culmore, Dungiven, Eglinton, Maghera, Newbuildings

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

......adorn the pretty much All bare trophy cabinet at St James Park.

Regards Neil

Pretty similar to the Carlsberg Complaints Office I would imagine?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Yes the trophy cabinet at St James park is officially named after our Belgian international defender who took the michael out of Peter Schmeichel in the Kevin Keegan era when Newcastle beat Manchester United 5-0.

Try a bit of Geordie for the first syllable and French for the second Al (arl) Bert (bare)



REgards Neil