BUS AND TRAIN TRAVEL

The map and chart show our bus and train services, which are quite good.  The chief grumble is at the slowness of the trains which take an average of 1 hour for the 20 miles to London.  Best trains are the 8.51 am (41 minutes) and 9:41 am (44 minutes) to London and the 4.15pm ( 45 minutes) and 6.05 pm (44 minutes) from London.  Trains per day to London 30: to Hertford 31.  The branch line has 9 trains to Buntingford and 12 from Buntingford , the line incidentally having some of the steepest gradients in England.   Return fares to London 6/1, to Hertford 1/1½, and to Buntingford 3/9.  There are roughly 150 tickets sold in a day.  Eight goods trains are run per day chief loads:- timber coal, farm products.  Mention of the level crossing gates must not be forgotten.  Everyone grumbles at them and they are frequently damaged by lorries and cars.

Buses:- number each day to Hertford via high street 36, via St Margaret’s 30, from Hertford via St Margaret’s 31, and from Hertford via high street 32.   Fares: to Ware 3d, to Hertford 6d, to Hoddesdon 4d, to Epping 1/-.  Chief grumble about buses is the long walk to or from St Margaret’s if one travels by 327 route buses.  It seems poor timing that 350 and 399 buses so often run through the High Street together instead of being spaced out.

NOTES ON DELIVERY SERVICES

For a village, our tradesmen deliver over a surprisingly large area as the diagram shows.

The following are details of vans delivering from our shops.

Bakers:- Mr. WW Ray to Rye Park and Wareside.

Mr. Jones to Hunsdon and Widford.

Butcher:-Mr. Vyse and Mr. Parker to Eastwick, Gilston, Hertford,  BengeoBayford and little Berkhamstead.

Mr. Hall to Rye Park, Widford and Hertford Heath.

Fishmonger:- Mr. Sweeney to Roydon, Rye House and Amwell.

Newsagent:- Mr. Burton delivers papers by car at Hunsdon.

Deliveries to the village include

Baker:-  Lichfield from Hunsdon, Bridens from Hertford, Wren from Hertford Heath, and the Co-op from Ware.

Milkman:- .  Chappel from Hertford Heath.Hebbs from Rye Park and Co-op from Ware.

As we are near London many firms such as Rowntrees, Cadbury’s, Tate and Lyle’s, Huntley and Palmers deliver by van to the village.

NOTES ON OCCUPATIONS

While our Parish is obviously chiefly an agricultural one, with four farms within the boundaries, the amount of industry has increased rapidly in recent years and numbers employed would make us an industrial area, with 250 working in factories, 85 in shops and distribution etc  and only 65 in agriculture inside the parish boundaries.

On the previous page the following firms are shown:- Messrs Hankin transport firm with 34 lorries and machine and repair shop employing 43 men in all.  Journeys are undertaken to all parts of  England and Scotland, chief loads being sand and gravel.

E Wood Ltd:- paint makers employ 75 persons.  They make 55 tons of paint per week distributing it to dealers over a wide area in SE England and the Midlands.

Mr Thurgill nurseryman and smallholder produces 600 boxes of tomatoes a week for London’s Spitalfield market.  He also keeps chickens, ducks, pigs and rabbits.

FG Burt and Son (the Mill) employ 95 men and women in making furniture, mirrors etc and wind-screens.

FC Jupp’smaltings, off Roydon Road and at Riverside employ 28 men and produce 5000 quarters per week.  The Barley is obtained from farmers over a wide area.  The malt is sent to local brewers.  

Mr. A. L. Atkins’ Nursery employs five men and produces 70 tons of tomatoes a year, most of which are sent to Newcastle.

A sewage pumping station and a slaughterhouse each employing one man all to be found at the end of Marsh Lane.

Several small one or two man builders businesses are recorded on pages 23 and 26.

HOW & WHERE OUR WORKERS GO EACH DAY.

Of 419 people, 197 were found to work in the village, 88in Hoddesdon, 68 in Ware, 38 in Hertford, 22 in London and 6 in Hunsdon.

The 222 traveling out of the village did so as follows:- on cycles, 143, by bus, 29, but train 28, by car 15, on motorcycles 5, on foot 2.

St Margarets Station