Hatfield Hyde Gatehouse

[Rick]

Steve

That's fantastic!  Do let us know how you get on.

Rick

[Pete Keane]

Steve,

I had a look at old-maps.co.uk, there are 8 for the location, one of them (1925) is clearly marked as Holwell Hyde Crossing, and there is a building next to it.  I then went back to the 1880's map and its not marked as crossing, but the building is there - in fact, its the only building !

I had a look on google - the house you are talking about is on the left as you go up to the cul-de-sac estate?  If you look at the way that lane is orientated, it looks like it is built along the old railway line, the other side of cole green lane it is orientated along the same line.  I reckon that house could well be the gatehouse (shame google street view doent cover that lane !) for the crossing.

But, its shown as Holwell Hyde Crossing, not Hatfield Hyde....

Pete.

[WelwynGC1]

Thanks for taking the time to look Pete, the plot thickens.

This area was of course part of Hatfield in the late 1800`s and l am told that Hatfield Hyde halt was exactly there so thats what made me think of the possibility of the current building being the original gatehouse, although the lane is called Holwell Hyde.

Maybe l need to post a question asking for a local railway historian??

My Mothers great grandfather is listed in 1881 as living at Hatfield Hyde Gatehouse GNR....and worked on the Great Northern Railway or could it mean Great North Road??? This is what started the interest.

As mentioned before, my sister says she knows the person who lives there, so it may help to get the definitive info from the property deeds.
It is certainly an old building, but 130 years old??  Debatable but certainly possible.

[Pete Keane]

Steve,

I remember looking at a book on the early history of wgc, there were definitely pictures of the station at Attimore Hall -  some of the railway houses are still there, on the left as you leave the campus - I reckon a visit to the library may help !  I dont recall anything on the hatfield hyde halt, but the book was about wgc, and I dont think hatfield hyde was sucked in until the 1930's.

Also, I used to drink at the Cowper Arms - they had the usual local photo's on the wall (bound to be one of their station there), a long shot, but an excuse for a pint at least!   That was a brilliant pub in the 80's, I remember the old owners had obviously been to spain and had a spanish style wrought iron bar made when they got home !  It was 'refurbished' into a chain pub in the late 80's?

Also - The Dip - many a bad accident there!  It has under road heating so it doesnt ice up.

I dont think GNR would be an abbreviation of Great North Road, but an easy way to tell would be to find something that was on the Great North Road and see if its abbreviated.  it wouldnt make any sense, hatfield hyde wasnt on the road so I cant imagine the gatehouse was.

Pete.

[WelwynGC1]

There was an attimore hall & halt but they were near ridgeway....and there is a pub there now by the vets called Attimore Hall.
The houses near the campus would have been on the Letchworth and Dunstable line??
When l was on delivery l used to deliver to Junction Cottages, also original buildings. A visit to the library is definitely on the cards.

The Cowper is probably my local if you take the crappy Mayflower out of the equation. 10 minutes walk away. Friendly pub food not bad either.

The reference to what may possibly be a living person has been removed by moderator, in response to request by a person of that name.

[Pete Keane]

Been thinking about this today - if the halt was at the end of whats now Cole Green Lane, what was it there for?

It couldnt have been foot passengers (no-one lived nearby!), and there wasnt a platform, just a gateway.

So goods then. There were certainly a couple of decent sized farms, but there was also a wood yard (its descendant is still there off the a414 towards Hatfield), and there was a mill, Mill Green being very close if you take the track down Holwell Hyde Lane - which is shown on the 1880's map, and whilst I dont think the Mill still works....it has a Museum of Rural Life !!

I reckon thats another possible for your list of places to visit......

[WelwynGC1]

Thanks Pete, l have some time off next week and a visit to the library is definitely on the cards.....The wood merchants on the A414 is called Tylers l think, they are on one of the private roads out of the Hatfield Park estate.

Researching my family tree as l am, my 
grandparents on my Mums side were both raised in the Hertford area. One street they lived in still exists though l dont know if the houses are new (Thornton Street).

Others lived in Ash Street on the Ware Road but this no longer exists. I would like to know where it was exactly, and you having been there as a PC, l wonder if its possible that the Police buildings on the Ware Road were maybe on the original site of Ash Street, working on the assumption that something would have to have been demolished to build new? Census says Ash Street,Ware Rd.

[J.J.]

http://www.welhat.gov.uk/Internet/res/filestore/dnld_developmentplan/Appendices5

From a few years back...Mentions Gatehouse with Porters's Lodge, but not exactly sure if it is in the area you are questioning...J.J.

[J.J.]

This mentions the two cottages spoken of previously which seem to be part of the existing structure...

The gate-house, standing at the north-west of the west front, indicates the position of the north-west angle of the old west forecourt. It now faces into the High Street, and is a rectangular building of brick with an archway running through it near the north end. The porter's small room is to the north of this archway, but to the south of the entrance the gatehouse has been converted into two cottages, which have undergone much repair.

more about a fifth of the way down...details of it's location and surrounding area...

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43587