Morrisons, Warner Bros and David Tennant among Watford archive stories

TEN YEARS AGO

Morrisons West Watford development plan unveiled

Residents caught their first glimpse of what the West Watford Morrisons development, which promises to bring 300 new jobs to the area, could look like today.

The supermarket chain revealed its designs to turn the vacant Ascot Road Royal Mail Depot into a superstore with offices, houses, a hotel and a potential new school.

The vacant Ascot Road Royal Mail depot

The proposals showed the supermarket on the southern end of the site, with the 450-space car park on the western side behind it.

North of the supermarket are two blocks of new houses and flats with a new school on the north western side of the site.

Hollywood comes to Hertfordshire thanks to Warner Bros. Leavesden

Hollywood has come to Hertfordshire after Warner Bros officially opened its UK studios in Leavesden.

The movie studio giant has invested £100 million into redeveloping the 200-acre site, a sure sign, said Warner Bros. studios representative Dan Dark, of its faith in the British film industry.

With a rich history of blockbusters having already been filmed at the site - the Bond, Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises to name a few, the company is hoping to entice even more celebrity filmmakers to shoot their pictures in Leavesden.

David Tennant filming on St Albans Road

David Tennant films BBC drama in Watford

Former Doctor Who star David Tennant is not known for being camera shy but did his best to keep his head down while filming in Watford on Friday.

The 41-year-old Scot was spotted outside Christ Church on St Albans Road filming scenes for his latest project – a three-part BBC drama series.

Tennant, wearing a dark suit and a white shirt, sat in an Audi saloon car before running for cover the moment filming was completed.

The drama, titled The Politician’s Husband, is expected to air on BBC 2 in 2013.

FIVE YEARS AGO

Blue Plaque for venue where The Who, Elton John and Robbie Williams performed

Watford Colosseum is to receive a blue plaque.

The plaque will be awarded as part of BBC Music Day celebrations, which recognises historic music venues and their contribution to our cultural heritage.

Watford Colosseum to receive blue plaque for its world renowned acoustics

Acts who have graced the stage include The Who, Elton John and Robbie Williams, and the arena has been used to record soundtracks of blockbusters such as the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars trilogies.

The music venue and theatre was nominated by BBC Three Counties listeners before going through two rounds of selection by expert and national panels.

Harwoods Adventurous Playground

A sneak peek at Watford's newest adventure playground

A new adventure playground will open to the sound of a steel band this weekend.

Harwoods Adventure Playground, which is the result of a £1.4m investment from Watford Borough Council, contains a double zip wire, play tower with mid-air tunnel, wobbly bridge, slide and climbing wall.

The family fun day, marking its opening, will also include a barbecue and Apex Sports inflatable play activities along with demonstrations at the nearby Harwoods outdoor gym.

Much of the equipment is also designed to create a sensory experience for young people using special panels to reflect light and other which produce music and sound effects.

Brewster

'We will miss him terribly as he was a huge part of our lives': Police dog dies after 10 years of service

A long-serving police dog who assisted in more than 50 arrests has died.

Spaniel Brewster was the oldest dog in the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Dog Unit.

He died of a short illness aged 15.

The brave police dog retired last year after ten eventful years in the job, which saw him help seize drugs, cash and weapons from around the county.