Roundwood Park – looking west, with nos. 33 to 51, and nos 34 to 54 on the east (lower) side. The northern edge of the Round Wood is on the left of the image.
The Roundwood – full of bluebells? – before development.
The eastern (evens) side of Roundwood Park is described in Part 1.
This project to study changes in Roundwood Park since it was first laid out in 1922 by Jesse Catton started in May 2018 when Penny Payne took a look on Google street-view to find No.38 where she grew up in the 1970s, and noted the changes. She kindly sent us copies of photos of her house and those opposite (nos. 35, 37 and 39), and commented that since then “no. 38 had a huge rear extension with a smaller side extension not long after my mother sold in 1991 or 1992 so it’s still recognisable, just!” She also sent views of the road, looking north and south from outside no.38, noting that its seemed to be wider then as “we used to play tennis and football in the road.”
Knowing that Local History Society member, John Wyborn, had grown up in Roundwood Park, we asked him for his memories, and then searched for the houses he had mentioned in connection with their occupants in the 1940s to 1960s.
Slopdash rendering on front wall of no. 54
The publication of this page prompted Haydn Dickenson at no.54 to help identify which houses have survived as originally built or with extensions – and to draw attention to characteristic features, such as slopdash rendering.
Nine of the thirty-four houses on the western side of Roundwood Park are little altered from when they were built in the late 1920s and 1930s, and a further seven have been considerably extended. However, particularly at the northern end towards Roundwood Lane, a number of houses have been demolished and replaced by two on the original plot, or a ‘new’ house has been tucked into garden or garage space. Without extensive searching of planning applications, the date of these houses is hard to determine, so we hope that residents will help with information.
13 Roundwood Park awaiting demolition
Slopdash rendering on front wall of no.13
The trend is continuing, with the expected demolition of 13 Roundwood Park in the spring of 2019, to be replaced by two houses on this site. No.13 has been little altered, and was one of several chalet-bungalows of the mid 1920s. (Three similar chalet bungalows are still to be found in Bowers Way in 2019). At that time at least eight were bungalows or chalet bungalows, probably with features similar to no.54, which was constructed of clay-pots – hollow rectangular blocks, and slopdash rendering – a form of stucco as illustrated by internet images. Slopdash is a mix of lime, cement, stone, sand and water.
The gallery below starts from no.1 at the southern end of the road, through to no.53. Where possible, estimated dates of building and the original name of the house are given, based on Kelly’s Directories which ceased to be published after 1974. We hope you can provide further information about when your house was built or altered, and anything else of interest. Please send further information through enquiries@harpenden-history.org.uk
To progress through the sequence click on an image and then follow Next or Previous – or hover over an image to find the house number and click on it to enlarge the picture.
Nos. 1 and 1a Roundwood Park recently replaced a house, possibly of the 1950s. Does anyone have a photo of the earlier house?
R Ross, September 2018
3 Roundwood Park - extended - the original house, c 1934, was known as 'The White House'.
R Ross, September 2018
5 Roundwood Park - appears to be largely unaltered late 1930s.
R Ross, September 2018
9 Roundwood Park - unaltered, built c.1938, and first known as 'Grasmere'
R Ross, September 2018
11 Roundwood Park - original, c.1932, with extensions at both ends. Originally known as 'Tree Tops'
R Ross, September 2018
13 Roundwood Park - unaltered chalet bungalow, with slopdash rendering. Built in c 1926 - originally known as 'Yalden Cottage'. Due to be demolished in March 2019
G Ross, January 2019
13a Roundwood Park, 1970s
R Ross, September 2018
15 Roundwood Park, c.1930, one of a pair of semi-detached houses, extension on left-hand side. Originally known as 'Chandos'.
R Ross, September 2018
17 Roundwood Park - originally known as 'Cranley'. There was only one other pair of semi-detached houses in the road - 50-52 were demolished in the 1970s
R Ross, September 2018
19 Roundwood Park - original 1928 house with extensions at each end - originally known as 'Lindley'
R Ross, September 2018
19a Roundwood Park - built in the 1970s in the grounds of 21, possibly on the site of an outbuilding. It stands at the edge of the Round Wood
R Ross, September 2018
21 Roundwood Park - home of Lord Sandford in the 1960s. Built in c.1928, in the Round Wood, it was originally known as 'Cherry Trees'.
R Ross, February 2019
23 Roundwood Park, original house of c.1930, with extensions, known as 'The Coppice', it is still hidden within the Round Wood. Medlows, with its access between 21 and 23 was built on land formerly belonging to 23.
R Ross, February 2019
25 Roundwood Park, largely unaltered since it was built c 1932. Originally known as 'Brackenhurst'
R Ross, September 2018
25a Roundwood Park - new build in grounds of 25 or 27?
R Ross, February 2019
27 Roundwood Park - c.1970/80s?. This remained an empty, unnumbered plot until the 1970s.
R Ross, February 2019
29 Roundwood Park - on site of or incorporating the original 'Roundwood' of c.1924 - at the northern edge of the Round Wood
R Ross, February 2019
31 Roundwood Park - 1970s Wimpey house, built as part of the Falconer's Field estate, with access between 29 and 31 Roundwood Park
R Ross, February 2019
31a Roundwood Park -
R Ross, February 2019
33 Roundwood Park - possibly original 1926 house, first known as 'Upways', then 'Lavender Cottage'.
R Ross, February 2019
35a and 35 Roundwood Park - built in 1990s? - on site of 'Hilltop', built in 1924
R Ross, February 2019
37 Roundwood Park
R Ross, February 2019
37a Roundwood Park - together with 37, on the site of 'Sancta Maria', built in 1926 - see next photos from the 1970s
R Ross, February 2019
The wide plot and side of 37 Roundwood Park in the 1970s
Penny Payne
37 and 39 Roundwood Park in the late 1970s, as posted on Old Harpenden Facebook and launching this project of charting the changes in the road.
Penny Payne
39 Roundwood Park - much extended and now behind high hedge and gate. Built in c.1930, known first as 'High Croft', home of James Wright Salisbury, eldest son of J W Salisbury of Limbrick Hall, until c.1936 - then known as 'Little Orchard'.
R Ross, February 2019
41 Roundwood Park - much extended on original bungalow (similar to no.54), built in 1924 and known at 'Ardnagreana'.
R Ross, February 2019
43 Roundwood Park - new build 1980s? - on the site of a bungalow built in 1924, known as 'Merrilees' (see Comment below). The original garage was retained.
R Ross, February 2019
45 Roundwood Park - newbuilt 1980s? on site of a bungalow built in c.1926 known as 'Fleurette'..
R Ross, February 2019
47 Roundwood Park - despite its appearance, it incorporates an original bungalow built in c.1924, known as 'Newlands'.
R Ross, February 2019
47a Roundwood Park - built in 1977
R Ross, February 2019
49 Roundwood Park - the unaltered original house, built c.1924, and known as 'Windy Ridge'.
R Ross, February 2019
49 Roundwood Park in 2015, when work to redevelop the site of 51 had begun.
M Roberts
51 Roundwood Park - built when?
R Ross, September 2018
51a Roundwood Park - together with no.51 on the site of 'Homecroft', built in c.1926.
R Ross, February 2019
53 Roundwood Park, original, built c.1938/9, with extensions. By this time houses were assigned numbers, and this last pre-war house was not named.
R Ross, February 2019
Author
By Rosemary RossPage last edited
23/01/2023Page created
14/02/2019Page created by
Rosemary Ross
Comments about this page
For many years the former bungalow at 43 Roundwood Park was owned by Fred Brown (a WW2 Bomber Command pilot) and his wife/widow Irene, who died in Nov. 2003. In her autobiography ‘One Woman’s War’ she recalls her experiences, when living in London as a young woman, as a regular taxi driver for Peggy Hookham, better known as prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn, throughout the War from 1941, “driving her to and from theatres (which remained open) – Sadlers Wells, Covent Garden and about town.”.
47a was built just before we moved to Roundwood Park (No. 50) in 1977 to the personal design of a retired Vauxhall factory department manager Cecil Reeve and his wife who subsequently moved away.
Ed: Thank you – we have amended the caption.
Number 3 was owned originally by a family called Neal. Mr Neal was a hat manufacturer. Mrs Neal kept a huge Alsatian which occasionally ran free and terrified the life out of me when I was a child.
No 1 Roundwood Park (the original house) was not built until after WW2. Throughout the war it was a blank plot on which small boys would play. Containing a pile of unerected fence panels you could climb inside them. Each panel could be twanged so as to make a noise like a Bren gun firing to the accompaniment of much schoolboy shouting and enjoyment.
Early occupants of No 1 were keen liberals when the party was in decline. In 1958 they displayed a huge yellow poster proclaiming TORRINGTON in block capitals. In the spring of 1962, when I was helping my parents move out to Common Lane, I recall seeing a banner ORPINGTON commemorating the latest liberal by-election victory – my last recollection of Roundwood as a resident.
Note: the site was re-developed in c.2010.
Owned originally by a family called Neal. He was a hat manufacture. Mrs Neal kept a huge Alsatian which occasionally ran free and terrified the life out of me.
No 1 Roundwood Park, the original house, was not built until after WW2. Throughout the war it was a blank plot on which small boys would play. Containing a pile of unerected fence panels you could climb inside them. Each panel could be twanged so as to make a noise like a Bren gun firing to the accompaniment of much schoolboy shouting and enjoyment.
Early occupants of No 1 were keen liberals when the party was in decline. In 1958 they displayed a huge yellow poster proclaiming TORRINGTON in block capitals. In the spring of 1962when I was helping my parents move out to Common Lane I recall seeing a banner ORPINGTON commenorating the latest liberal by-election victory – my last recollection of Roundwood as a resident.
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