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Whereabouts in Welwyn Garden City do you live or work?

Some neighbourhoods are already represented on this website, but there are still some areas that we have not had any contributions for. Have a look around the website – if your neighbourhood has not appeared yet, please submit an article.

We would love to see all the neighbourhoods included on the website.

This page was added on 07/01/2010.

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  • We moved into a brand-new house in Carve Ley in 1952. The gardens – large by today’s standards – were demarcated by small wooden posts and single strand wire! It was a completely open aspect across Heronswood Road
    My mother used to say she was able to watch me walk all the way to Blackthorn Primary School – I don’t know if that is entirely true! (I attended as an Infant as Thumbswood Infant school was not built at that time).
    All the roads around there – Carve Ley, Bushey Ley, The Gannets were (are) narrow. It was inconceivable that most families would end up needing parking spaces for cars. No-one in Carve Ley owned a car at that time! We all came out to admire the Morris Minor Countryman (had to look that up – though I distinctly remember what it looked like) that our next-door neighbour bought. I believe it was the first car owned in Carve Ley, and I can remember getting into trouble because I asked how much it had cost!
    There was a lot of open green space for us children to play out on. Across from our house was a green – in front of the three-story houses – and at the other end of the Carve Ley an ornamental pond surrounded by a large expanse of grass. There was no realisation of what an idyllic and safe place it was to grow up. The milk was delivered by horse and cart and there was also a bread delivery van and later a grocery van. Our nearest shops were at Hall Grove.
    Over the years of course things changed: the ornamental pond was grassed over; front gardens started to sport run-ins for cars and houses changed hands. I believe many of the houses – which were all council owned, were sold and are now privately owned.
    I grew up in Welwyn Garden City, going from Blackthorn School to The High School and leaving in 1965. I returned briefly for my first teaching post at Panshanger Primary School – which wasn’t built when I attended The High School.
    My mother lived in the house in Carve Ley (who made up these street names?) for 53 years before moving to sheltered accommodation. The family name is Ward …anyone else have any memories of Carve Ley or close by?

    By Cally Buch (14/03/2022)
  • My Grandmother moved to Longcroft Lane, from Elsenham, Essex where her father owned the local pub.
    This would have been about 1924.
    When my mum was 20 she met my dad in London, he was originally from Co. Durham.
    They married & set up home in a council house in Shortlands Green, later moving to Longcroft Lane next door to my grandmother.
    We stayed in Longcroft although later moved further up, to a larger house.
    One of the first things my dad noticed on first arriving in the town, was that many of the roads were too narrow for busses, which is when he started up a taxi company that later became well known as Snowy’s Taxis.

    Gary Pollard, I remember you from Ethelred Close.

    By Kath Castle (24/09/2018)
  • My most favorite Aunt lived at Great Garnet, Bushey Ley, Haynes Close. These are old addresses I found recently 2017. She would take a ship to Canada 1952-53 to visit, & returned by ship sent postcards of her journey. She sent me English Rosebud dolls with hand knitted outfits. Then she disappeared and never heard from her again. Most family have since passed away so I have no way to research her past. I never knew where she lived until I found old address books. What a beautiful place. My next trip to England will include Welwyn Garden City Thanks for the website.

    By Corinne (21/03/2018)
  • We use to live in Bushey Ley (the old house is still there) between 1966-1974 and i had a school friend who lived in Great Gannet during that time and him and myself both attended Heronswood secondary school just off Heronswood Road between 1968-1972. Panshanger Wood i always thought that place was a bit spooky back in the late 1960s & early 1970s and kept away from it usually mind you that whole area along the Black Fan Road wasn’t developed back then and was a fairly lonely and a isolated area on the eastern edge of WGC. All along the Black Fan Road from the Cole Green Lane turning down towards Attimore Hall farm and Attimore secondary school at Panshanger was open farmland and one could see for several miles a clear and unobstructed view eastwards of only open fields and hedgerows and woods dotted here and there in the far distance.   

    By Michael S (29/08/2015)
  • I remember that too! Lived in Little Gannet in 1964/5 with my grandmother Ivy Punter & mum Irene Punter. Happy times … used to love walking in Panshanger Wood.

    By Gary Pollard (19/05/2015)
  • A feature of living in the eastside of WGC around the Great Ganetts, Little Ganetts, Bushey Ley & Cole Green Lane (east of the roundabout) areas was that during the 1960s & 70s it was a very common sight to see Tiger Moth bi-planes flying over the houses & gardens during most weekdays and at weekends that took off and landed at Panshanger Airfield.

    By Michael S (11/12/2012)