Stevenage at the turn of the 20th century

The picture #6 is the Roebuck Inn, looking towards the Hertford Road with The Smithy sweet shop on the left. This is at the centre of the story of a secret tunnel between the Smithy and the Roebuck Inn, and an escape of Dick Turpin the highwayman.

I used to work for Mrs Conduit (the owner) in the shop at weekends while I was still at Alleynes. When she gave up the shop and retired to New Forest near Ringwood, she sold to the well known film producer and his wife, Mr Norman. Unfortunately, a fire broke out while roofing/proofing works were being carried out following the arrival of the new owner. I don’t know whether it fully re-opened after that, but I had moved on to a weekend job for Spencer’s Garden Centre, further down the Hertford Road.

Out of the picture but on the left side, on the site now occupied by the terrace of three storey town houses, there used to be a small row of cottages which would not have met the sanitation requirements of 1954 Acts because they had only earth closets in the back garden, and I’m not sure if pumped well was their source of water. Coal fired range for heating and cooking in the downstairs room. I came to Stevenage in December 1953, and one of my first friends was Roger Scott who lived in the end cottage, with his brother Bobby and his mother. Soon afterwards, the cottages were vacated and demolished, and the Scotts moved to Shephall Green, I believe.

My major memorable moment in this picture happened in 1961/2 when I was cycling to school in the Old Town. No roundabout as in today’s scene, but a tiny slip road to allow incoming from Knebworth to turn right so as to go up Roebuck Gate. One particular October Monday morning a furniture removal van was moving off towards Stevenage, and so I just followed it without looking.

BIG mistake. London Brick Company lorry fully laden heading Knebworth direction had no chance. Poor driver.

Trip to Lister at Hitchin and lay in bed for a week! Damage was big to the lorry, but not so much for me. A couple of lesions to the face, and one broken joint. However, the following Monday, returned to Lister to check the dressings, and the doctor asked me why I had removed the bandages from my right hand. I replied that I hadn’t, and that despite my complaints the previous week that my hand hurt and should be dressed, they dressed my right foot instead. Mistaken identity on the x-ray – first knuckle right hand overlooked in favour of big toe right foot. Whoopsie.

I was also told later that there were a couple of school coaches bussing in from Knebworth, waiting to turn right into that slip road, to go to Shephallbury(?) or Heathcote school, and the kids had a grandstand view of the action, and that some of them required time to recover themselves. If you are one of those people, I’d like to say “sorreeeee”.

In various pages about Our Stevenage online, I have seen many references to and by people whose paths have crossed with mine between 1953 and 1968 while I lived in Marymead Drive, and I’d like to say a great big thank you to you all, you are great.

If you ever bought your “fags/sherbert dabs” from Frank Kemp’s Roebuck newsagent; had your papers delivered to your door; had the “boy” come round to collect the paper money for Frank Kemp; bought sweet or cigs at The Smithy; had plants, roses, rockery stone, paving bales of this or that delivered from Spencer’s Garden Centre between 1964 and 1968, then there’s a fair chance we have met.