EPW022038 ENGLAND (1928). Digswell House and Digswell Viaduct, Digswell Park, 1928

It's amazing to see what this place looked like in 1928. It was totally different by the 1970s. Digswell Place, the large house with the columns, was surrounded by houses the last time I was there.



I also remember seeing an old streamlined ex LNER A4 Pacific engine crossing over Digsell viaduct. This 40-arch viaduct is an engineering marvel/wonder to behold. It was built to cross over the River Mimram Valley. I recall hearing a story that Charles Blondin used this valley to practice his tightrope walking.

In the early 1950's, during the school summer holidays, my siblings and I used to stay with a friend of the family who was the caretaker of Digswell House. Their home is in the centre of the photograph mainly obscured by trees. At the time Digswell House was being used as a girls school which was closed for the holidays when we were there. Although we were not allowed into the house, everwhere else that can be seen in this picture was our vast playground which for young children really proved to be an adventure holiday every day.



At the end of the lawn at the back of the school, (far centre right of picture), was a large cedar tree which I used to regularly climb. Behind the tree was a large expanse of blackcurrant bushes much taller than out small frames. We used to pick the blackcurrants and made a large underground, (underbush), maze of tunnels as we progressed. There was also a pig farm on the estate which can be identified by the long roof running diagonally left of centre of the picture. We used to enjoy chasing the piglets which were allowed to roam loose. The pig farm was run by a man named Arthur. In the large field directly opposite the entrance of Digswell House was a shire horse named Duke. Although Duke towered above us, he was always very friendly and come to greet us if we were passing by.



I recall once as we were walking on the path alongside the cricket pitch, we were greeted by a herd of cows stampeding across the cricket green being chased by a couple of herdsmen. The herdsmen were shouting to us to stop the stampeding herb who charging directly towards us. Even at that young age instincts of self preservation immediately take over and we ignored the herdsmen and ran for our lives instead.



A small hidden stream obscured by trees runs under the road to the Digswell Viaduct where we used to search for small frogs.



Alas the march of modernity has moved on and todays aerial pictures show new roads and house on this site as Welwyn Garden City expanded.



Apart from this photograph I am now just left with the memories of what once was and thought they would be nice to share with latter generations.