Hermitage Road
Old Shop Sign
The former shop ‘Basket Of Threads’ that is now ‘Mosaic Floral’, used to be a Singer Sewing Machine shop as one can observe by the faded former sign that became noticeable once the old fascia was taken down to make way for the new one.
National Westminster House
Just for a change, I thought to upload a photograph of the back of a building. (not normally seen and photographed all the less). This was called the National Westminster House and is on Hermitage Road. It used to contain The Yorkshire Bank amongst other businesses such as The Motor Agents Association. I find this side of the building rather more interesting than the front just by the fact of having a set of stairs tacked on to its outside rather than being incorporated inside the building.
Hitchin Race Circuit
Hitchin Race Circuit is a photo-realistic 3D model of the town centre and some of the other streets that can be played as a computer racing game. (Like Formula 1 racing at Monaco, Silverstone etc) Download it and race against friends or against others online. It’s absolute fun to play a computer game and see Hitchin also. Some buildings are now gone and others have changed hands, so added local history too. Find it here http://www.hitchin-circuit.co.uk/ and enjoy.
Hermitage Road and Windmill Hill
This photograph is taken on Windmill Hill looking down toward Hermitage Road. The two are linked by the wealthy quaker banker called Frederic Seebohm who had a large house on Bancroft, known as the Hermitage. He gave part of his back garden to form Hermitage Road in 1875. (Roughly the same time the windmill on Rawlings Hill burnt down) He aquired the land and built the Hitchin Girls’ Grammar School in 1907 and then his two daughers donated the rest of the hill to the people of Hitchin in 1921.
The photograph here is of Windmill Hill looking up from Hermitage Road. Originally called Rawlings Hill, because of the Mill there, it was then known as Windmill Hill after if burnt down as mentioned above. The miller’s cottage was still standing on the Hollow Lane side of the hill until 1950; and there was a house built on the hill in the 1920’s, but was unpopular and is no longer there. The two photographs illustrate quite well I think, just how green the centre of Hitchin is.
Monkeys
The photograph is of some graffiti that were sprayed high up on a building that has no easy access and has barbed wire around it. (Royal Mail depot) It’s the footpath that leads from Hermitage Road through to Portmill Lane. I think they’re good. So much better than the usual ‘Spray-Your-Name’ Tags that youngsters usually un-imaginatively do. It’s added a little something to an otherwise plain, uninteresting and never noticed building. (Unfortunately since this has been taken, they are somewhat covered up by a plain and ugly plastic drain pipe)