Hertfordshire Genealogy: Places: Kings Walden

St Mary's Church, Kings Walden
Plain backed postcard - no date but probably circa 1910

The following account come from The Beauties of England and Wales; or Original Deliniations, topographical, historical, and descriptive, of each county, embellished with engravings, Volume IX, by John Britton, London 1807

The Manor of KINGS WALDEN was held of Earl Harold in the time of Edward the Confessor; but after the Conquest it continued in the Crown till it was granted, by Henry the First, to Peter de Valoines; from whom it passed to the Nevilles. It was afterwards possessed by various families; and in the time of Queen Elizabeth was purchased by Richard Hale, Citizen and Grocer of London, whose descendant, George William Hale, Esq., grandson of Sir Bernard Hale, Knt., a Baron of the Exchequer in the time of George the Second, is now possessor; and is married to a sister of the present Lord Viscount Grimston. The Manor-house stands in a small park, well wooded with good oak timber.

King's Walden Bury

"... This is a postcard of the drawing room side. Very nice place it is. They keep lot of gardeners hear. 6 in the Bothy. Very lonely hear. 6 miles from a town. Only a small village. ..." [posted 1906]

It was a military hospital in the First World War

The Crown, Ley Green, Kings Walden. It sells W & S Lucas Hitchin Ales and the name Frederick Simpk... can be seen over the door. A Mrs Anne Simkins is listed at the Crown P. H. in the 1902, 1908 and 1912 Kelly's Directory for Hertfordshire. Frederick Charles Simkins was listed in 1914 (see Postcards of Hertfordshire Pubs)

Shauna Chapman (trilliumforest @t hotmail.com) writes: The pub was called "The Crown Inn", and has been converted into a private home (I have a 2004 photo I can email if you wish). Ann Simkins, a widow, was the publican there in 1901. Her son, Frederick Charles Simkins, took over the license a few years later. It's a pity that I can't make out the sign above the door in photo you have of the girl/man/horse. We think it's Simkins, going by birth/marriage certificates and censuses. I may be able to find out who the girl and man are in the photo, but cannot make any promises.

I have added an enlargement of the sign over the door showing that at the time the picture was taken it was definitely "Frederick Simpkins" as the landlord. The picture of the man with the child on the horse look as if they could be identifiable if you could find any other pictures of them.

The Queens Head, Breachwood Green

This was one of the last pubs on Postcards of Hertfordshire Pubs to be identified. Richard Kelly has visited Breachwood Green. He says I'm now fairly certain that the Queen's Head is that at Breachwood Green, now a private house on Heath Road. The detail of the 1884 OS map (old maps) shows its location within the village.

The 1912 edition of Kelly's Directory for Hertfordshire lists it as "Home Counties Public House Trust Limited (Alexander Jenkins, sec.), Queen's Head P.H." at Breachwood Green, Kings Walden.

There was an excellent web site for Breachwood Green [http://www.breachwoodgreen.net/], formally a hamlet in the parish - but it appears to have been deleted. If you know what happened to it let me know.

Breachwood Green School has a web site which includes an interesting page on its early history, starting as a plaiting school.

If you know of other books, websites, etc, relating to this place, please tell me.

Quick links to extra postcard images. click on thumbnail picture
	Kings Walden Vicarage