EPW025382 ENGLAND (1928). Hatfield Railway Station and Beaconsfield Terrace, Hatfield, 1928

Statue of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Hatfield 24/05/2014

Hatfield is on the main east coast railway line, about 20 miles north of Kings Cross. The town was also on the line of the old Great North Road to Edinburgh. So here we see two major transport routes just a few yards apart (on the right side of the pic) In 1928 the town was a small country town in Hertfordshire though the pic shows what a large influence the railway had even in small communities for much of the 20th century.



Hatfield Station in this pic even had a private waiting room (if my memory is correct)for Lord Salisbury who lived in nearby Hatfield House (not on pic) and who used the train to go to London for his parliamentary business.



Hatfield in those days was grouped around the station and the Great North Road, but it was expanding in the area to the left of the main line. After the war it really grew in size as one of London's New Towns.



Also in this picture is the bus garage recently opened in 1922 by the National Omnibus & Transport Co on behalf of the London General. The General and National had entered into an agreement for National to develop services north of London on behalf of National. National provided the crews and General the garages and buses.



So, for me this picture is full of transport interest showing the influence of the railway and the emerging influence of the motorbus (the bus garage is not there on an equivalent pic of 1920)

This photo is remarkable for the number of steam locomotives which can be seen. There are at least ten in the photo. Can you spot them? Are there more?