epw061268 ENGLAND (1939). St Albans in the distance, Napsbury Hospital and the village, London Colney, from the south-east, 1939

London Colney High Street - for many years the A6 until the building of a by-pass in the late 1950s.

Water Tower serving the Middlesex Asylum, later known as Napsbury Hospital. Probably the best-known patient was Louis Wain, noted for his drawings and paintings of cats in particular.

Now the 'Colney Fox' public house, once 'The Watersplash Hotel' after the nearby swimming pool. Its previous history includes being a boys' school!

Kings Road

The North Orbital Road, currently the A414. At this point it was crossed by Shenley Lane. At some time after this photo, the crossing was replaced by a new slip-road rising up to a new overbridge a couple of hundred yards east of the bridge over the railway.

London Road station on the Hatfield - St Albans branch. Opened 1865, closed to passengers 1951and to freight 1964. Station building remains and is currently used as a pre-school. The trackbed is now the "Alban Way" footpath/cycle track going to the outskirts of Hatfield.

The former city prison, although by 1939 it was being used as a council yard etc.

London Road

The London Colney Junior School, opened in 1939. Still in use.

The London Colney County Council Senior School opened in 1932. It was closed in 1984 due to dwindling numbers, and is currently a business centre serving a number of firms.

National School, set up in the 1830s by St Peter's church and the Caledon family. After the 1939 Junior school in Alexander Road opened it concentrated on the infants and also provided nursery facilities. The site was closed in July 1949. Full details in Chapter 11 of "The History of St Peter's Church" by Kenneth Barker, ISBN 978-0-9553114-2-0.

The Watersplash - open air swimming pool. Closed in the 1970s, now built on.

North Cottages - part of the accommodation for hospital workers.

St Anne's Road

The Golden Lion pub.

The Green Dragon pub

St Peter's Church, built in 1825.

Siding into hospital site - used mainly for providing coal for the hospital boilers.

Park Street Roundabout

Napsbury Station - closed in 1959

The Cathedral & Abbey Church of St. Alban, St. Albans, 30/06/2014