Development of the modern town (19th and 20th century) Berkhamsted

1 development of modern town (19th , 20th century)

1.1 19th century urban growth
1.2 19th century industry , utilities
1.3 provision destitute
1.4 land dispute battle of berkhamsted common
1.5 first world war
1.6 20th century urban developments

development of modern town (19th , 20th century)
19th century urban growth

in 17th , 18th-centuries hemel hempstead thriving market, eclipsed berkhamsted major town in area. georgian berkhamsted barely extended beyond medieval triangle , high street. coming of industrial age, berkhamsted placed @ gateway through chilterns, between markets of london , industrial midlands. town became link in growing network of roads, canals , railways. these developments led berkhamsted s population once again expand. in 1801, population of st peter s parish had been 1,690 , in 1831, had risen 2,369 (484 houses). 1835 description of town found houses of brick, , irregularly built, interspersed fair proportion of handsome residences . town s population increased hundreds of men arrived build railway line , needed lodging ; 1851, population 3,395, 1850 large estates around berkhamsted sold, allowing housing expansion. in 1851 pilkington manor estate, east of castle street, sold, , land developed both industrial area , artisans’ dwellings. in 1868 streets of middle-class villas began appear on hill south of high street lower kings road built public subscription in 1885 join kings road , high street station. in 1887, john bartholomew s gazetteer of british isles recorded population @ 4,485.

19th century industry , utilities

former buildings of cooper & nephews on ravens lane, berkhamsted

industries in 19th century included:

· timber: in mid-18th century, berkhamsted had been noted turned wood products. based on extensive woodland resources of area (principally alder , beech), milling , turning of wood town s prominent industry in 19th century. crimean war contracts supplying army lance poles , tent pegs led major expansion. largest manufacturer east & sons.
· brush making: offshoot of timber industry. largest employers goss brushworks @ west end of high street (closed 1930s) , t.h. nash in george street (closed 1920s).
· canal trade provided considerable economic stimulus town, enabling development of industries involved bulk transport of materials. these included timber , malt.
· boat building: berkhamsted became centre construction of barges needed canal trades. yard building canal barges , other boats between castle street , raven s lane wharves, 1 of 3 important boatyards in hertfordshire. owned john hatton until 1880 , william costin until 1910 when taken on key s, timber merchants in 1969 bought timber merchant j. alsford before being redeveloped flats in 1994. located @ site, adjacent canal berkhamsted canadian totem pole.
· watercress: construction of canal had helped drain marshy areas along valley of river bulbourne. in 1883, berkhamsted times congratulated mr bedford on having converted remaining dirty ditches , offensive marshes watercress beds.
· chemical: cooper s sheep-dip works; william cooper animal doctor arrived in berkhamsted in 1840s , experimented in treatments scab in sheep. formulated innovative arsenic , sulphur sheep-dip. cooper family firm later inherited nephew, sir richard cooper, 1st baronet.
· nurserymen: henry lane s nurseryman business, founded in 1777, became 1 of largest employers in town in 19th century. extensive nurseries shown on 1878 os 25 inch plan, @ western end of town.
· iron working: wood s ironworks set in 1826 james wood.

utilities in 19th century included:

· gasworks: great berkhamsted gas, light & coke co., @ junction of water lane , wilderness, set provide street lighting in 1849. in 1906, berkhamsted gas works moved billet lane; closed in 1959.
· water , sewage: great berkhamsted waterworks company set in 1864 on high street (on present site of w.h. smith , boots). mains drainage first supplied in 1898–99, when effective sewerage installed.

provision destitute

the 19th century soup kitchen built inside berkhamsted castle (part used castle visitor centre) located @ entrance next cottage within castle s bailey.

in 1725 account of several workhouses , records parish workhouse in berkhamsted , parliamentary report of 1777 refers parish workhouse 34 inmates in northchurch. small wretched, straw-thatched house used house poor families in berkhamsted, on corner of park view road, until demolished in 1820s. in 1831 bequest of £1,000 revd george nugent, led new parish workhouse being set on site of workhouse, had operated in row of tenements on high street (at kitsbury road junction) known ragged row. berkhampstead poor law union formed in june 1835 covering ten parishes centring on town. union took on existing berkhamsted parish workhouse , august 1835 became sole workhouse union. workhouse had no schoolroom, in 1849, poor law board recommended pauper children sent local national school, although in 1858 school complained state of children attending workhouse. fever ward erected in 1855, , full-time nurse engaged in 1868. workhouse system officially came end in 1930, , control on workhouse given local council. nugent house, berkhamsted workhouse, closed in 1935 , function relocated hemel hemspstead. in 1841, countess of bridgewater built soup kitchen local poor within ruins of berkhamsted castle. soup kitchen used estimated 15% of population of berkhamsted (about 500 people) during winter months, until @ least 1897. building still stands connected cottage in castle grounds, why placed outside town , inside ruins of historic castle unknown.

the queen beech or harry potter tree (now fallen) pollarded tree in frithsden beeches on berkhamsted common @ least 350 years old. in 1866, @ centre of battle of berkhamsted common. noted naturalist richard mabey in book beechcombings , played whomping willow in harry potter film prisoner of azkaban.


land dispute battle of berkhamsted common

the battle of berkhamsted common played important part in preservation of common land nationally. after 1604 former ashridge priory became home of edgerton family. 1808-1814 francis egerton, 3rd duke of bridgewater, demolished old priory, , built stately home ashridge house. in 1848 estate passed earls brownlow, strand of egerton family.

in 1866, lord brownlow of ashridge house (in action similar many other large estate holders) tried enclose berkhamsted common 5-foot (2 m) steel fences (built woods of berkhamsted) in attempt claim part of estate. in order defend historic rights of public @ large use ancient common land, augustus smith mp , george shaw-lefevre organised local folk plus 120 hired men london s east end dismantle same erected steel fences , return berkhamsted common people of berkhamsted on night of 6 march, in became known nationally battle of berkhamsted common.

brownlow brought legal case against smith trespass , criminal damage, sir robert hunter (later co-founder of national trust in 1895) , commons preservation society defended action. lord justice romilly determined pulling down fence no more violent act erecting one. case, said, rested on legality of brownlow’s actions in having erected fence in first place , legal right of people use land. ruled in favour of smith, legal decision, along metropolitan commons act 1866, helped ensure protection of berkhamsted common , other open spaces nationally threatened enclosure. in 1926 common acquired national trust.

first world war

during first world war, under guidance of lt col francis errington, inns of court officer training corps trained men legal profession officers. on course of war, 12,000 men travelled berkhamsted fight on western front. training included trench digging: 8 miles (thirteen kilometres) of trenches dug across common (of 1,640 feet (500 m) remain). inns of court war memorial on common has motto salus populi suprema lex – welfare of people highest law – , states ashes of colonel errington buried nearby.

20th century urban developments

in 1909 sunnyside , later in 1935 northchurch added berkhamsted urban district. shortly after 1918 of extensive estate belonging berkhamsted hall, @ east end of high street, sold; many acres west of swing gate lane developed council housing. more council housing built @ gossoms end. development on north side of valley limited until sale of ashridge estate in 1930s after housing appeared @ each end of bridgewater road. meanwhile, on last century, many of old industrial firms in berkhamsted closed, while numbers of commuters increased.

after second world war, in july 1946, nearby town of hemel hempstead designated new town under new towns act ( new towns satellite urban developments around london relieve london s population growth , housing issues after blitz). february 1947 government purchased 5,910 acres (2,392 ha) of land , began construction, led hemel hempstead s population increased 20,000 today on 90,000, making today largest town in hertfordshire. in 1974, old hundred of dacorum became modern district of dacorum formed under local government act 1972, based in hemel hempstead.