book list

ALAN CASH - web pages

Collection of books on Welwyn Garden City

Welwyn Garden City. The Official Handbook and Directory 1953/54

Author: Mrs D. Frankl (compiler and editor)

First published: 1953 by Ed. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd.

Format: Paperback 8½" by 5½" with 184 pages

I was age 9 in the year that this guide was published. This handbook does not have the same style as the 1948 one but nevertheless is still an interesting guide. It is a joint effort between the Urban District Council and the Development Corporation.

There are 32 black and white photographs of people and buildings illustrating the text, and a few more in advertisements. There are two pull-out maps. One of Hertfordshire 7" by 9", and one of Welwyn Garden City 14" by 10".

There is a two-page potted history of the town written by R. L. Reiss (Director of WGC Ltd 1920-1948, and member of the Development Corporation), followed by a seven-page chronology of main events in the town's development from 1919 to 1953.

Next are lists of key figures in the Urban District Council, an historic list of chairmen and clerks of the councils (Parish and Urban) since 1921, and a list of members of the Development Corporation.

There is a section (9 pages) of general information under the following headings:

• Useful addresses
• Churches
• Education - Hertfordshire County Council
• Private Schools
• Halls, Meeting Places, etc
• Health Services
• Outdoor Sports Facilities

There is a professional directory (2 pages) listing accountants, architects, chiropodists, dentists, doctors, estate agent, opticians, osteopath, solicitors, surveyor, teachers of music, dancing, drama and secretarial skills, and veterinarians.

There is a four-page listing of societies and clubs under subheadings Drama, Music, Politics, Sports, and General.

There is a list of youth organisations including scouts, guides, cadets and boys' clubs,

There is a commercial directory which lists local firms and trades unions.

After these various lists comes the most interesting part of this guide which is a series of articles about 25 local firms in a section called Industry and Commerce in the Garden City. Each article occupies a page and gives a short history of the firm, and some are illustrated with photographs some of which show people at work in the factories. These 25 firms are:

• Welgar Shredded Wheat (photograph of ovens in the factory)
• I.C.I. Plastics Division
• Radio and T.V. by Murphy (photograph of men assembling television sets)
• B.C.R. Factories Ltd (makers of sandpapers; photograph of a man sanding something)
• Norton Grinding Wheel Company Ltd (photograph of the factory)
• State Express (photograph of the cigarette factory)
• Macaroni Products (photograph of some ladies operating machinery to make vermicelli)
• British Lead Mills Ltd (photograph of a rolling mill)
• Lincoln Electric (3 photographs taken in the welding school)
• Plastra Components Ltd (plastic moulding company)
• Welwyn Metal Products Ltd
• Bourne Chemical Industries (2 photographs of large industrial flasks)
• Welwyn Engineering Co. Ltd
• E.R. Holloway Ltd (plastics manufacturers)
• Catomance Ltd (textile waterproofing products)
• Barcley Corsets Ltd
• Dawnays Ltd (steel construction)
• The Broadwater Press Ltd
• Welwyn Builders Ltd
• Skarsten Scrapers
• Poultry Services Ltd (photograph of hatchery)
• Frederick Palmer (builder and contractor)
• The Bridge Road Restaurant
• Pocklington & Johnson (spring makers)
• Studio Lisa (photograph of Welwyn Stores by the Studio)

Following the industry and commerce section outlined above is a Directory of Roads which gives, for each house in each road, starting with Applecroft Road and ending with Youngs Rise, the name of the head of the household. Finally there is a Directory of Residents which is a single alphabetic list of residents (heads of household) giving the street address of each one.

I have scanned from the guide a photograph of the Grammar School which I attended from 1957 until 1964 (photo credit R. Thompson), and a picture of the bronze by Kathleen Scott, Lady Kennet, on the campus (photo credit John Chear).

click on the images for a better view