I saw the ghost of William Blake Walk through fields of greenThrough meadows and orchardsThat ran down to the riverWhere water powered the millsUntil it was exhaustedThe mills leftFor faster flowing waters downstreamThen the barges cameBringing coal and moreUp to Rats CastleAnd Butcherley GreenJerusalem was not builded hereA low and grimy quarter of townBargemen, tramps,… Continue reading New Jerusalem
Tag: Bircherley Green
Just like a rolling stone
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. The French have a word for it. Loosely translated it means everything changes; nothing changes. The French were wrong. This was the view from our bedroom window in February 2021 before the work on Lea Wharf began. About the same time I superimposed what it might look… Continue reading Just like a rolling stone
You say Hello .. and I say Goodbye
Regular readers of this blog will recall that Chase Homes appealed the planning decision from East Herts Council regarding delivery times in and out of Bircherley Green. This was referred to the Planning Inspectorate who have found in favour of Chase Homes. Therefore the access areas for delivery vehicles and refuse lorries will remain the… Continue reading You say Hello .. and I say Goodbye
Bircherley Green 2020
As promised in my previous post I am placing my letter of objection to the latest planning application for Bircherley Green as submitted by Chase New Homes. The full list of documents accompanying the application can be viewed here. My own letter of objection is posted here and can be read as a .pdf file.… Continue reading Bircherley Green 2020
The Great Wen
But what is to be fate of that great wen of all? The monster called … ?William Cobbett (1762 – 1835) Rural Rides, 1822. You may ask what William Cobbett has to do with modern day Hertford. In Cobbett’s time the Great Wen, the monster, was London. Today the great wen (or sore) in the… Continue reading The Great Wen
Fings aint what they used to be
Since it was announced that Chase Homes intended to buy Bircherley Green the newspapers, message boards and pubs have been full of hopes, plans and wish lists. Unfortunately the planning process does not work that way. I have lived in Hertford since 1980 but was born and grew up in Camden Town. On Saturday morning… Continue reading Fings aint what they used to be
Hertford’s future now?
Now that the dust has settled on the planning application for Bircherley Green Shopping Centre it is time to think ahead. There are still a few permissions and details to be finalised but for many the die has already been cast. The owners of the site have given everybody notice to quit. This was not… Continue reading Hertford’s future now?
Hertford retail – Part Three
During my time as Town Centre Manager it was easy to promote Hertford, a different but amazing kind of town full of independent traders; a town where you could still find a haberdashery (since closed), ironmongers and diving school (closed since December 2016 and premises still unoccupied). That wide retail offer continues to decline since… Continue reading Hertford retail – Part Three
Regeneration
I went out today at about 3.00pm to visit the Post Office. Fortunately I was walking. A Boots delivery van was badly parked on the corner of Railway Street behind the delivery bay. A 310 double decker bus was unable to complete a turn from Market Street resulting in a queue of traffic down Market… Continue reading Regeneration
Hertford’s Retail Offer
Yesterday I walked though Hertford town centre and noticed that the shop in Railway Street once occupied by Thomas Cook was now empty and available for rent. The staff have apparently been relocated to Welwyn Garden City. This is another loss to the retail offer in town. Amidst the continuing uncertainty over the future of… Continue reading Hertford’s Retail Offer