Castle Street Crawl (2021)
1 Castle Street, Hertfordshire, HP4 2BQ
Castle Street used to be the grand main thoroughfare to the Castle, but when Henry grew up there, he recalled that the cottages were more or less in a state of dilapidation.
During the nineteenth century, the street regained its stature and became the principal connection between the High Street and the canal, railway station, the Common, and the Ashridge estate beyond. ‘Modern buildings of a better class’ began to appear, a number serving to quench the thirst and hunger of its inhabitants and passing trade.
Henry’s memories will help to re-create a street teeming with life - the local inhabitants popping into its shops for groceries, fish, fruit and the like, the workforce employed in local factories and on the wharves populating the pubs at lunchtime, schoolboys buying sweets from the confectioners, cows sauntering to the dairy, church and chapel-goers looking for spiritual nourishment, commuters and travellers stopping on their way home at one the hostelries.
We might even get a chance to peep inside some of these places to get a sense of the Castle Street ’scene’ at that time.
Timings & Tours
Available anytime
Location & directions
1 Castle Street, Hertfordshire, HP4 2BQ
- Contact on day:
- Dr James Moir
- Telephone number:
- Dr James Moir
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
The Castle Street of today is a busy street with the usual hazards of bollards and kerbs. Although the tour is predominantly outside, there may be occasions to go inside certain Castle Street properties, hence no dogs (except assistance dogs) or pushchairs regretfully.
