Historical pictures of Watford High Street, Cawdells and Meeting Alley

From views of the High Street, to pubs and cinemas that have long since disappeared, we hope you are continuing to enjoy these images and they keep rekindling memories.

With more than 80 now published, we thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit some of them again.

Whether you missed them first time around or would simply like to enjoy them once more, here are five scenes from the town centre together with the captions kindly provided by the museum’s volunteer archivist Christine Orchard.

High Street/Market Place c1924

High Street / Market Place c1924 (Image: Bob Nunn Collection / Watford Museum)

Christine said: “This photo is part of the Museum’s Bob Nunn Collection. It shows the Market Place in the High Street on a busy market day c1924. Although building heights are different today, the shape of the Market Place is recognisable. Market Street is to the right between the three-storey Rose and Crown hotel and two-storey Compasses pub. On the opposite of the Market Place, the façade of the tallest building is little changed and is now where Côte Brasserie is.”

Market Place

Market Place onto High Street, from the corner of Market Street looking towards Clarendon Road. (Image: Watford Museum)

Christine said: “This image was probably taken around the time of World War One because there is an odd shaped vehicle beyond the sheep pens which is an army recruiting caravan. It’s likely that the photograph was taken on a Tuesday, as this was the usual day for the town’s livestock market. The view looks across the Market Place and onto the High Street from the corner of Market Street. The size and shape of the shop buildings has changed several times since this image has been taken. But the landmark that remains is the white building with the big windows on the far left. On the right, the three-storey building with a painted wall sign was C Barton’s bakers shop and this is roughly where TGI Fridays is now.”

Meeting Alley

Meeting Alley, entrance between 57 and 59 High Street. (Image: Watford Museum)

Christine said: “This completely vanished part of Watford is Meeting Alley. This narrow little lane ran from the High Street (almost opposite Market Street) through to Estcourt Road – roughly where the pedestrian crossing is at the back of Beechen Grove Church. The scene seems so rural but was right in the middle of the town. Despite its central position many houses in this alley had little front gardens. In the centre of the picture, to right of the gentleman, is a little clue to help with a rough date. This is a sign saying "W Chance - Chimney Sweep", who we know, from street directories, was living in Meeting Alley in 1907.”

Cawdell & Co Ltd

Cawdell & Co decorated for King George V Silver Jubilee. (Image: Watford Museum)

Christine said: “In 1904 James Cawdell bought Longley’s, an existing draper at 71 High Street, opposite the Market Place. The shop was next to the Essex Arms hotel and in 1929 Mr Cawdell bought the hotel. He ran the hotel for four months until the licence expired then demolished it and his shop to build a new store. His new department store is at the centre of this photograph and like the adjacent Timothy Whites, is decked out with decorations to celebrate King George V Silver Jubilee in 1935. Both buildings have now gone but the low building to its right is the current HSBC bank. Cawdells closed and the shop was demolished in 1973 to make way for Charter Place. This in its turn has recently been redeveloped.”

61 High Street

Findlaters wine merchants. (Image: Watford Museum)

Christine said: “Number 61, was a prominent building that stood in the Market Place on the corner of Meeting Alley (roughly where Las Iguanas is today). The picture can be dated to just after 1938 as Findlaters, a wine merchant, had just acquired the building and, as the sign states, were in the process of making alterations. In the meantime they continued business across the road at number 58. Until the purchase, the building had been the premises of a long established electrical engineers and ironmongers, Rogers & Gowlett. The Rogers family had traded here since the 1770s, the first being James Rogers who began with a corn, timber and salt business.”