80-513: North Watford is an area in the town of Watford , Hertfordshire , in the United Kingdom. It is now primarily a residential area which developed as a result of expansion from the town during the 19th century. North Watford is situated between Watford town centre and Garston . The area of North Watford is not officially defined, but is generally understood as the area north of Watford Junction railway station . North Watford roughly corresponds to
160-431: A local board of health was established for the town. The local board district covered part of the parish of Watford and part of the neighbouring parish of Bushey . The Watford Local Board District came into effect on 15 August 1850, and the first board was elected the following month. The local board was responsible for building the town's waterworks and sewers. For a time the board held its meetings at an upper room of
240-523: A community centre, cricket squares, football pitches and Woodside Leisure Centre. Woodside Stadium is home to Watford Harriers Athletics Club and hosts national level events such as the British Milers Club Grand Prix. There are 92 nationally listed buildings in Watford. These include St Mary's Church , which dates to the 12th century, and Holy Rood Church which dates to 1890. St Mary's
320-468: A dedicated high-speed print works. Odhams also expanded into book publishing, for example publishing Winston Churchill 's Painting as a Pastime (1965), Rupert Gunnis 's Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851 (1953), and an edition of the complete works of William Shakespeare . In 1954, Odhams Press Hall was built in Watford , designed by Yates, Cook and Derbyshire. The building was later protected by
400-599: A fire broke out at Dr. Tibbles' factory, consuming the building in the largest fire that had ever occurred in Watford. The factory was closed and rebuilt. Trading as The Watford Manufacturing Company, the company produced supplies for frontline troops in World War I , but after expanding the premises after the war, the company went bankrupt in 1922. In 1951, the British furniture manufacturer Hille moved from its premises in Hainault to
480-532: A larger Muslim and Hindu population than the average. Watford has two tiers of local government, at district (borough) and county level: Watford Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council . Watford is one of only 15 authorities in England and Wales headed by a directly elected mayor . Dorothy Thornhill was the first directly elected mayor of Watford , elected in May 2002 and re-elected in May 2006 and May 2010. She
560-760: A new, energetic comics weekly. Baxendale's Wham! debuted on 20 June 1964, breaking the mould of traditional British humour strips with its use of bizarre humour, outrageous puns, and surreal plots. With the success of Wham! , the next title in the new line, Smash! , debuted on 5 February 1966. With Odhams acquiring the Marvel Comics license in early 1966, The Hulk became the first Marvel superhero to show up in an Odhams title when he debuted in Smash! #16 (21 May 1966). The popularity of that strip led to Wham! adding Fantastic Four reprints beginning 6 August 1966. In late 1966, with two Odhams' titles featuring superheroes (and
640-407: A new, larger station at Watford Junction approximately 200 metres (220 yd) further south-east. The old station house still stands today; it is a Grade-II-listed building, now in the middle of a high density housing development, it and was for many years a second-hand car dealership. Watford Junction railway station is situated to the north east of the town centre. These developments gave
720-602: A result of this, and of IPC's desire to rationalise its titles and eliminate duplication, the comics published by the Odhams Press imprint were closed or transferred to IPC Magazines Ltd , another IPC subsidiary. This contained the losses on the Power Comics range within Odhams, which was a limited company with separate liability, but, in consequence, Odhams became financially unviable. On 1 January 1969 it effectively ceased to exist as
800-456: A single parish called Watford. Watford became a municipal borough on 18 October 1922 when it was granted a charter of incorporation. The council was granted a coat of arms on 16 October 1922, two days before it became a borough. Upton House at 14 High Street continued to serve as the meeting place and offices for Watford Urban District Council and then Watford Borough Council until 1940. In 1938 work began on building Watford Town Hall at
880-464: A small halt on the suburban St Albans Branch Line between St Albans Abbey and Watford. The station was originally opened in 1910 as Callowland station , and was renamed Watford North in 1927. West Midlands Trains operates a local train service on this route today, operating as London Northwestern Railway . The North Watford area is also served at its southern end by Watford Junction railway station , which provides local and InterCity rail links on
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#1732852720123960-456: A wide berth to the Cassiobury and Grove estates. Consequently, although the road and canal follow the easier valley route, the railway company was forced to build an expensive tunnel under Leavesden to the north of the town. Watford's original railway station opened in 1837 on the west side of St Albans Road, a small, single-storey red-brick building. It closed in 1858 when it was replaced by
1040-601: A wide variety of retail and leisure outlets. These include: newsagents, public houses, restaurants and a post office. Watford Holy Rood Church , Watford ( / ˈ w ɒ t f ər d / ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire , England, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Central London , on the banks of the River Colne . Initially a small market town , the Grand Junction Canal encouraged
1120-692: Is Grade II listed and was built in the 1830s by the London and Birmingham Railway. It crosses a traffic island at the bottom of the Lower High Street. A short distance north-west, the Colne Viaduct crosses the river on the outskirts of town, after which the railway enters Watford Tunnel ; the south face of the original tunnels is ornately decorated and a listed building. There are ten conservation areas in Watford; one Grade II Listed Park, and 240 locally listed buildings. Odhams Press Odhams Press
1200-515: Is believed to be the combination of 'caeg', a person's name, and 'hoe', meaning a spur of land. When the land was granted to Sir Richard Morrison in the 16th century, it was called 'Cayshobury', with 'bury' indicating a manor. Cassiobury Park was formed from the grounds of Cassiobury House and consists of 190 acres (0.77 km ) of open space. The house was demolished in 1927 and the Cassiobury Gates in 1970, for road widening. In July 2007,
1280-638: Is noted for its interior which was renovated in 1850 by the architect George Gilbert Scott and includes fine oak pews decorated in the Gothic Revival style. It also contains the Essex Chapel, which served at the burial place of the nobility of the Cassiobury Estate, including the Earls of Essex . The chapel contains a number of large, ornate marble tombs and memorials dating from the 16th century and later, and
1360-479: Is separated from Greater London to the south by Three Rivers District . Watford Borough Council is the local authority with the Mayor of Watford as its head – one of only 18 directly elected mayors in England and Wales . There is evidence of some limited prehistoric occupation around the Watford area, with a few Celtic and Roman finds, though there is no evidence of a settlement until much later. Watford stands where
1440-437: Is the work of the noted architect Ernő Goldfinger and an example of Brutalist architecture . The front of the building features a cantilevered concrete box glazed with brightly coloured glass, a signature of Goldfinger's design and the first of his buildings to have this feature. Behind this stands the former Wells Brewery (1890–1901). This was the premises of Wells Watford Brewery Ltd, a local beer brewing company. The brewery
1520-597: The Daily Herald in 1930 (by that point, Odhams was already publishing The Sunday People ). A promotion campaign ensued, and in 1933, the Herald became the world's best-selling daily newspaper, with certified net sales of 2 million. This accomplishment set off a war with more conservative London papers, such as the Daily Express . By 1937 Odhams had founded the first colour weekly, Woman , for which it set up and operated
1600-733: The Amalgamated Press ). Odhams' board found this too attractive to refuse and, in 1961, Odhams was taken over by Fleetway. In 1963 its holdings were amalgamated with those of Fleetway and others to form the International Publishing Corporation (known as IPC). Between 1964 and 1968 Odhams operated as a subsidiary of IPC. Odhams' "juveniles" (i.e., children's comics) competed for readers with DC Thomson , publisher of such popular titles as The Beano , The Dandy , and Commando . Alf Wallace, who had found success at Fleetway with his line of War Picture Library comics,
1680-469: The Crossrail line could be extended via Watford Junction in future. The main bus routes which serve Watford and the surrounding area all pass down St Albans Road to get to the town centre from Garston bus garage . This means the area has very good bus links, including those from other towns such as St Albans by the 724 , 321, 621, 622 and 320. There are also local bus routes 1, 8, 10 and bus W19 which serves
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#17328527201231760-518: The Grand Junction Canal (now Grand Union Canal ) from 1798 and the London and Birmingham Railway from 1837, both located here for the same reasons the road had followed centuries before, seeking an easy gradient over the Chiltern Hills. The land-owning interests permitted the canal to follow closely by the river Gade, but the prospect of smoke-emitting steam trains drove them to ensure the railway gave
1840-468: The London and Birmingham Railway began to construct its new long-distance railway line through Watford which opened in 1838 between London Euston and Boxmoor . The advent of the railway improved links to London and other cities and made Watford attractive to industry; as a result, the need for more housing increased and the land usage in North Watford was given over to house building. In 1881 Callowland
1920-537: The London and Birmingham Railway in 1837 resulted in Watford's rapid growth, with paper-making mills such as John Dickinson at Croxley, influencing the development of printing in the town. Two brewers, Benskins and Sedgwicks , amalgamated and flourished in the town until their closure in the late 20th century. Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford to be a major sub-regional centre. Several head offices are based in Watford. International conferences and sporting events have also taken place in Watford, including
2000-534: The River Colne could be crossed on an ancient trackway from the southeast to the northwest. Watford's High Street follows the line of part of this route. The town was located on the first dry ground above the marshy edges of the River Colne. The name Watford may have arisen from the Old English for "waet" (full of water – the area was marshy), or "wath" (hunting), and ford . St Albans Abbey claimed rights to
2080-649: The Watford Borough Council because of the innovative clock tower , which houses a water tank for use in printing. In the 1950s, Odhams was one of London's three leading magazine publishers – along with Newnes / Pearson and the Hulton Press . Throughout the 1960s, Odhams Books Ltd (likewise founded by Odhams Press) operated the Companion Book Club (CBC). This published a large series of hardcover novels. Odhams published Mickey Mouse Weekly from
2160-604: The West Coast Main Line including a frequent service into London Euston . Mainline train services are operated by Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains. The station is also served by London Overground services on the Watford DC Line and Southern services on the cross-London route to Clapham Junction and East Croydon . London Underground Metropolitan line services are due to commence operation out of Watford Junction in 2018/9. It has also been proposed that
2240-503: The manor of Casio (then called "Albanestou"), which included Watford, dating from a grant by King Offa in AD 793. The name Watford is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 1007, where "Watforda" is one of the places marking the boundary of "Oxanhaege". It is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, when this area was part of St Albans Abbey's manor of Cashio. In the 12th century
2320-459: The polypropylene stacking chair , now recognised as a classic of modern design. Although Hille left the area in 1983, the listed Goldfinger building still stands on St Albans Road. Mod culture found expression through clubs such as the Ace of Herts in the 1960s. The de Havilland factory at Leavesden was responsible for the manufacture of the aircraft engines and later became Leavesden Aerodrome, to
2400-547: The romance comics Mirabelle and Marty , and the Picture Stories and Picture Library series. In 1959–1960, Odhams acquired Hulton Press , renaming it Longacre Press , thus taking over publication of the children's comics Eagle , Girl , Swift , and Robin . In 1960 Cecil Harmsworth King , chairman of the Daily Mirror newspaper, made an approach to Odhams on behalf of Fleetway Publications (formerly
2480-412: The 12th century, a charter was granted allowing a market, and the building of St Mary's Church began. The town grew partly due to travellers going to Berkhamsted Castle and the royal palace at Kings Langley . A mansion was built at Cassiobury in the 16th century. This was partly rebuilt in the 17th century and another country house was built at The Grove . The Grand Junction Canal in 1798 and
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2560-470: The 1870s he started the business known as William Odhams . Originally a jobbing printer and newspaper publisher, William Odhams sold the business to his two sons, John Lynch Odhams and William James Baird Odhams, in 1892. The business, then a small printing firm in Hart Street employing about 20 people, became known as Odhams Bros. Odhams Limited was created in 1898. Julius Elias , who left school at
2640-551: The 1930s (acquiring it from Willbank Publications ), which featured American reprints as well as original British Disney comics material, including a number of non-Disney-related strips. Odhams lost the rights to Disney characters in 1957, and almost immediately launched the weekly comic Zip , which inherited the non-Disney strips from Mickey Mouse Weekly . In 1959, Odhams purchased George Newnes Ltd as well as its imprint C. Arthur Pearson Ltd . Notable comics titles originally published by Pearson and continued by Odhams included
2720-522: The 1980s after market reforms allowed it to do so. In 1925, the Metropolitan Railway Company built a branch to Watford, opening a station close to Cassiobury Park . In the 1950s and 1960s, Watford was the home of the British designer furniture manufacturer Hille . At their premises on St Albans Road, designed by the modernist architect Ernő Goldfinger , the designer Robin Day conceived
2800-568: The 1990s, opened officially in June 1992. The owners of the shopping centre, Capital Shopping Centres, changed their name to Intu , resulting in The Harlequin changing name to "intu Watford" from May 2013. Carrying forward £4.5 billion of debt into 2020, the company was not able to survive the retail downturn due to the COVID-19 crisis , and went into administration in June 2020. The council owns part of
2880-525: The 2006 World Golf Championship and the 2013 Bilderberg Conference , took place at The Grove hotel . The town was home to the Scammell Lorries factory from 1922 until 1988. The site is now a residential area. Tandon Motorcycles , founded by Devdutt Tandon, were manufactured in Colne Way from 1947 until 1959. The name Cassiobury has had various spellings over time. It is derived from 'Caegshoe', which
2960-461: The 2006 World Golf Championship , the 2013 Bilderberg Conference and the 2019 NATO summit which all took place at The Grove . Watford became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894 and a municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922. The borough, which had 102,246 inhabitants in the 2021 census (up from 90,301 inhabitants at the 2011 census, an increase of 13.23%),
3040-554: The A41 North Western Avenue with its prominent clock tower overlooking the Dome Roundabout and it is still in use today as a print works. Its prominent clock tower houses a tank for holding water used during the printing process. Another locally listed building in North Watford is Christ Church, an Anglican church on St Albans Road. This distinctive red brick structure was designed in a semi-Italian Romanesque style by
3120-563: The Abbey was granted a charter allowing it to hold a market here, and the building of St Mary's Church began. The settlement's location helped it to grow, since as well as trade along this north–south through route it possessed good communications into the vale of St Albans to the east and into the Chiltern Hills along the valley of the River Chess to the west. The town grew modestly, assisted by travellers passing through to Berkhamsted Castle and
3200-535: The Croxley brand of fine quality paper. There had been brewing in Watford from the 17th century and, by the 19th century, two industrial scale brewers Benskins and Sedgwicks were located in the town. The parish church of St Mary's was extensively restored in 1871. The town expanded slightly during this time. In 1851 a new street off the High Street was opened, King Street, followed by Queens Road and Clarendon Road in
3280-593: The Dome Roundabout which links Watford to the A41 towards Hemel Hempstead , the North Orbital Road ( A405 ) towards St Albans , and to the M1 and M25 motorways . National Cycle Route 6 runs along the eastern boundary of North Watford, partly along the banks of the River Colne. This long-distance cycle path provides connections to Watford town centre, Rickmansworth , St Albans and beyond. St Albans Road and its environs house
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3360-503: The Rickmansworth and Croxley branches closed. Watford's population had risen to 17,063 by 1891 to become very cramped. Local landowners sold land for the development of the town and it was bought up by commercial interests. Various factories and other works sprung up in Watford, mostly breweries and prints, but also engineering works, a steam laundry, a cold storage company and a cocoa processing plant. The town expanded rapidly, most of
3440-509: The St Albans Road, Hille House. The most prominent landmark building in North Watford is the former printworks of Odhams Press , a large brick and concrete structure which was built in 1954 to the designs of Yates, Cook & Darbyshire architects and modelled on the design of Stockholm City Hall . This building was an extension to an older printworks which had been built in 1937 by Sir Owen Williams . This locally listed building stands on
3520-479: The age of 13 before going to work as an office boy at Odhams Bros, worked his way up to become managing director and eventually chairman of the firm, which after a merger with John Bull in 1920 took the name Odhams Press Ltd . That same year, the company also founded Ideal Home and acquired the equestrian magazine Horse & Hound . Odhams acquired a 51% share in the Trades Union Congress paper
3600-480: The architects John Hudson and John Hunt and is noted for its semicircular brick apse . The foundation stone for the Church was laid in 1904 by Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein , fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert . Opposite this church, at 124-132 St Albans Road, stands Hille House, the former offices of the furniture design firm Hille . This 1959 concrete office block has been locally listed as it
3680-452: The area was part of the three seat constituency of Hertfordshire . The council have made twinning links with five towns. The first was Mainz , Germany, in 1956, and the most recent is Pesaro , Italy, in 1988; the others are Nanterre , Novgorod , and Wilmington, Delaware . The council award an honorary status of Freedom of the Borough to certain individuals "who have in the opinion of
3760-560: The beginning of the railway age. In the short period when the Dowager Queen Adelaide was resident at Cassiobury House (c. 1846–49), this station was remodelled to provide her with a royal waiting room. It was also reportedly used by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on a trip to visit Sir Robert Peel in November 1843, when they travelled by road from Windsor Castle to take a train from Watford to Tamworth . It closed in 1858 when it
3840-424: The boundaries of three electoral wards in Watford, Leggatts, Callowland and Tudor Wards. Together, they form a triangular area bounded to the south west by the West Coast Main Line , to the north by the A41 road (North Western Avenue) and to the south east by the River Colne , with the southern edge running along Colne Way and across the industrial areas north of Watford Junction station. The earliest record for
3920-408: The construction of paper-making mills, print works, and breweries . While industry has declined in Watford, its location near London and transport links have attracted several companies to site their headquarters in the town. Cassiobury Park is a public park that was once the manor estate of the Earls of Essex . The town developed next to the River Colne on land belonging to St Albans Abbey . In
4000-399: The council, rendered eminent services to the borough"; as of 2020 there are three freemen: Elton John , and two local councillors involved in the twinning process. The ancient parish of Watford was included in the hundred of Cashio . In 1835, Watford became the centre of a poor law union , and a workhouse was built in 1836–1837 at 60 Vicarage Road (then called Hagden Lane). In 1850
4080-467: The early 1860s. During this time, Watford had a population of around 6,500 The railways also continued to expand from Watford during this period; the Watford and Rickmansworth Railway opened in 1862 as a short branch line via Watford High Street to Rickmansworth (Church Street) , and another branch was added to Croxley Green in 1912. The original plan was to extend the Rickmansworth line south connecting Watford to Uxbridge ; this scheme failed and both
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#17328527201234160-481: The former Wells Brewery building. The company, founded in 1906 in the East End of London by a Russian immigrant, Salamon Hille, specialised in modern design furniture, most notably the polypropylene stacking chair designed by Robin Day while he worked at Hille in Watford. The Polyprop went on to become the world's best-selling chair. The company's success grew and in 1961 it opened a new showroom and office building on
4240-561: The freehold the site, and feels that as the shopping centre is very popular (it was one of top 20 places to shop in the UK in 2019), it will remain open and viable. The town contains the head offices of a number of national companies such as J D Wetherspoon , Camelot Group , Bathstore , and Caversham Finance (BrightHouse). Watford is also the UK base of various multi-nationals including Hilton Worldwide , TotalEnergies , TK Maxx , Costco , JJ Kavanagh and Sons , Vinci , Beko and TeleAdapt . Both
4320-466: The industries setting up in the area was Wells Watford Brewery Ltd. Founded in 1890 by Lincolnshire farmer Ralph Thorpe, the brewery built up a large operation on St Albans Road with its premises linked to the St Albans branch line via a short railway line for transporting beer into London. The company was taken over in 1951 by another Watford brewery, Benskins Brewery and eventually wound up in 1955. Thorpe
4400-406: The junction of Rickmansworth Road and Hempstead Road, and the building officially opened on 5 January 1940. Upton House was subsequently demolished in 1961 and Gade House built on the site. Under the Local Government Act 1972 Watford kept the same boundaries, but changed from being a municipal borough to a non-metropolitan district with borough status . Watford is a major regional centre in
4480-487: The local housing estate. There is also the R8, 319 and R16 buses which serve Asda and Sainsbury's superstore. All this will change in 2018 when Garston bus garage closes down to make way for development. Watford's links to the motorway network run through North Watford. The main thoroughfare through North Watford is the St Albans Road ( A412 ) which runs northwards through the area from Watford town centre. At its northern end it joins
4560-531: The new inhabitants moving in from London. At the start of the 20th century the town was growing fast. New roads were laid out in Callowland, North Watford, and in West Watford on farmland. Many continued to live in the cramped and unsanitary houses in the yards and alley-ways opening off the High Street. Some of these people were among those who rioted in 1902 when the celebration for King Edward VII 's coronation
4640-522: The north of Watford. No longer operational, it was converted into Leavesden Film Studios , now famously the home of the Harry Potter films . Watford developed on the River Colne in southern Hertfordshire, England, 16 miles (26 km) northwest of central London . Ethnicity is 61.9% white British, 2.3% Irish, 0.1% Gypsy or Irish traveller, 7.7% other white, 17.9% Asian/Asian British, 5.8% black or black British. The borough had 102,246 inhabitants at
4720-539: The northern home counties . Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford and Stevenage to be its major sub-regional centres, heading its list of preferred sites for retail development. The High Street is the main focus of activity at night having a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants. The primary shopping area is the Harlequin Shopping Centre , a large purpose-built indoor mall with over 140 shops, restaurants and cafes built during
4800-460: The park won a Green Flag Award , which recognises the best green spaces in the country. There is a children's play area, which includes a paddling pool, play equipment, a bouncy castle, an ice cream van, a kiosk where one may buy food, and 10.25" gauge miniature railway. The Grand Union Canal passes through the park. Cassiobury Park is host to the weekly 5k community event parkrun . Awarded Green Flag status since 2009, Cheslyn has been open to
4880-403: The public since 1965 as a formal gardens and house. The 3.5 acre gardens comprise a formal open area to the front and a semi-natural woodland area to the rear. Henry and Daisy Colbeck originally owned the house and gardens. Mr Colbeck was a renowned local architect, and designed Cheslyn House; he and his wife created the original gardens. The Colbecks travelled extensively, and this is reflected in
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#17328527201234960-491: The range of unusual and exotic plants in the gardens. Since the space has been open to the public it has been further developed, with new features added such as the pond, rock garden, large herbaceous borders and aviary. Awarded Green Flag status since 2011, Woodside Playing Fields cover approximately 59 acres of playing fields, sports facilities and woodland. The site comprises a range of sports facilities including an eight lane synthetic track and stadium, an indoor bowls green,
5040-431: The royal palace at Kings Langley . A big house was built at Cassiobury in the 16th century. This was partly rebuilt in the 17th century and another substantial house was built nearby at The Grove . The houses were expanded and developed throughout the following centuries. Cassiobury became the family seat of the Earls of Essex , and The Grove the seat of the Earls of Clarendon . In 1762, Sparrows Herne Turnpike Road
5120-512: The third, Pow! , on the way), the Power Comics line was created. The line, which also came to include Fantastic and Terrific , was notable for its use of superhero material reprinted from Marvel, serving as an introduction of this new breed of American superheroes to UK readers. In 1968 Odhams encountered financial problems, partly due to unfavourable economic conditions in Britain. As
5200-657: The time of the 2021 census. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District . The Watford subdivision of the Greater London Urban Area , which includes much of the neighbouring districts, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census. Religion in Watford(2021 census) As of the 2021 census, Watford's religious profile roughly reflected that of England and Wales, with
5280-418: The town excellent communications and stimulated its industrial growth during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Grand Union Canal, allowed coal to be brought into the district and paved the way for industrial development. The Watford Gas and Coke Company was formed in 1834 and gas works built. The canal allowed paper-making mills to be sited at Croxley. The John Dickinson and Co. mill beside the canal manufactured
5360-412: The town of Watford documents a charter granted by King Henry I to hold a market in Watford. Until the 19th century, Watford was a small town and the area to the north Watford was little more than farmland and manorial estates, owned by the Earls of Essex and the Earls of Clarendon . Census documents from the 1880s show that much of the farmland belonged to Callowland Farm and Bushey Hall Farm. In 1833
5440-568: The waterworks on Local Board Road. In 1891 the board purchased Upton House at 14 High Street for £2,650, converting it to become their offices and meeting place, holding its first meeting in the building on 1 October 1891. Under the Local Government Act 1894 , the Watford Local Board was reconstituted as Watford Urban District Council with effect from 31 December 1894. The act also stipulated that parishes could not be partly in an urban district and partly outside it. The old parish of Watford
5520-407: The world and many advances in printing were made in Watford. During World War II the prints were taken over by the government who used them to print propaganda. After the war, the printing industry began going into decline. Union activity was common in Watford and advances in technology meant much of the industry became obsolete. Odhams Press closed down in 1978 and The Sun moved out of Watford during
5600-695: Was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and then IPC Magazines in 1963. In its final incarnation, Odhams was known for its Power Comics line of titles, notable for publishing reprints of American Marvel Comics superheroes. In 1834 William Odhams left Sherborne , Dorset , for London, where he initially worked for The Morning Post . In 1847, he went into partnership with William Biggar in Beaufort Buildings, Savoy , London; and in
5680-686: Was a prominent local figure who was one of the founders of Watford Football Club and served as mayor of the town 1923–25. A large chocolate factory of Dr. Tibbles' Vi-Cocoa Company opened in North Watford in 1899. The company produced a range of cocoa products, including Dr. Tibbles' Vi-Cocoa, Dr. Tibbles' Coca tablets, Dr. Tibbles' Brain Feeder and Dr. Tibbles' Child's Restorer. The company's advertising claimed that these products offered numerous health benefits and revitalising effects; as well as extracts of cocoa and kola , some also reputedly contained an amount of cocaine in their ingredients. In February 1903,
5760-452: Was brought over to oversee Odhams' comics line. He was, however, unable to reverse the declining popularity of Eagle and Swift , or succeed with Boys' World , launched in 1963. In fact, by early 1964, Swift and Boys' World had both been absorbed by Eagle , which, along with Girl , was then taken over by IPC. In desperation, Wallace recruited veteran cartoonist Leo Baxendale , who had worked for DC Thomson for many years, to create
5840-425: Was described by Pevsner as "the chief glory of Watford Church". The Roman Catholic Church, Holy Rood, is a much later structure. Built in 1890 by John Francis Bentley , the architect responsible for Westminster Cathedral in London, it is noted as a particularity fine example of Gothic Revival architecture . The ornate interior contains stained glass by the designer Nathaniel Westlake . Bushey Arches Viaduct
5920-578: Was established across the Chilterns. The toll road approximately followed the route of the original A41 road . The location of a toll house can be seen at the bottom of Chalk Hill on the Watford side of Bushey Arches; set in an old flint stone wall is a Sparrows Herne Trust plaque. In 1778, Daniel Defoe described Watford as a "genteel market town, very long, having but one street." Watford remained an agricultural community with some cottage industry for many centuries. The Industrial Revolution brought
6000-462: Was postponed. The council had a programme of slum clearance which stopped with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Building council houses resumed after the war and in the 1920s the Harebreaks estate was developed. By the 1920s, printing had become the biggest industry in Watford. The biggest printers in the town were Sun Printers Ltd and Odhams Press . Watford was the biggest printing centre in
6080-508: Was purchased by the Earl of Essex from the Master and Fellows of Merton College, Oxford , and housing development began in the 1890s. The area was given the name of Watford New Town and later took the name of Callowland , but in 1916 the area was renamed North Watford. Today, North Watford is mostly residential and is mainly characterised by red brick terraced houses of the late 19th century. Among
6160-433: Was replaced by the new station at Watford Junction and today the building is occupied by a second-hand car dealership. The railway tunnel built under North Watford in 1837 is also a significant example of railway architecture, and the neoclassical stone entrance to the original western tunnel of the London & Birmingham Railway has been awarded Grade II listing North Watford is served by Watford North railway station ,
6240-537: Was taken over by Benskins Brewery in 1951 and closed in 1955. North Watford's connection with railway history can be seen in the Grade-II-listed Old Station House at 147A St Albans Road. This small, single-storey red-brick building was built 1836-7 as the original Watford Station when the first section of the London-Birmingham railway was opened, a rare surviving example of architecture from
6320-482: Was the first female directly elected mayor in England and the Liberal Democrats ' first directly elected mayor. Since 1999 Watford has been divided into 12 wards . Each ward has three councillors who are elected for a four-year term. Watford elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, for the Watford constituency . Prior to the establishment of this constituency in 1885
6400-657: Was therefore split, with the part of the parish outside the urban district becoming the parish of Watford Rural with effect from the first parish meeting on 4 December 1894. At the same time, the parish of Bushey was split, with the part within the Watford Urban District becoming a parish called Bushey Urban, which was later renamed Oxhey in 1906. Watford Urban and Bushey Urban / Oxhey were both classed as urban parishes and so did not have parish councils of their own, but were directly administered by Watford Urban District Council. The two urban parishes merged in 1935 to form
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