1
St Albans: The Abbey Flyer line
The London & North Western Railway built their line from Watford Junction to St Albans in 1858. This is the route viewed from
Image The train is known locally as the Abbey Flyer.
Image: © Nigel Cox
Taken: 29 May 2009
0.03 miles
2
St Albans: Cottonmill Lane pedestrian railway crossing
This crossing over the St Albans Abbey branch line railway allows pedestrians to walk between Cottonmill Lane and Grindcobbe Close.
Image: © Nigel Cox
Taken: 29 May 2009
0.06 miles
3
St Albans: Cottonmill Lane railway bridge
Leaving St Albans Abbey station, the former Hatfield and St Albans Railway left the current line to Watford Junction at a point just behind the photographer and this was the first crossing structure that it had to go under. The Great Northern Railway took over the line in 1883, but it was a very early casualty of British Railways' days being closed to passenger traffic in 1951. Freight services lingered on until 1964. The trackbed is now in use as a section of National Cycle Network Route 61 and is the start of the Alban Way, the dedicated footpath and cycleway between St Albans and Hatfield.
Those familiar with Cottonmill Lane will know that it makes a sudden and inexplicable sharp 90 degree turn just to the right of this photograph. Looking at old Ordnance Survey maps it is evident that the road formerly carried straight on to the existing railway, and the re-alignment seems to have occurred when the Berners Drive housing estate to the south was built.
Image: © Nigel Cox
Taken: 29 May 2009
0.09 miles
4
St Albans: The Abbey Flyer line
Looking towards
Image it was about a 100 metres away in the distance that the former Great Northern Railway's line to Hatfield peeled off to the right. That line closed in 1964.
Image: © Nigel Cox
Taken: 29 May 2009
0.10 miles
5
Lane to Sopwell Mill
The public footpath goes through the recreation ground to the left, though that is not instantly obvious.
Image: © Bill Boaden
Taken: 28 Feb 2020
0.12 miles
6
Garages
These garages in Sopwell, just off the Ver-Colne valley walk, do not appear to have seen cars inside them for some time.
Image: © Robert Eva
Taken: 3 Nov 2016
0.13 miles
7
The River Ver near Cottonmill
The river is taking a slow-moving meandering route through a valley which used to have watercress beds.
Image: © Bill Boaden
Taken: 28 Feb 2020
0.14 miles
8
Berners Drive
Road developed in the c.1950s along with the rest of the area off Cottomnill Lane. The houses on the right would appear to be original, but although the area on the left is shown on the 1960 1:10,000 map as having also been built up, with individual detached houses set diagonally to the road, the ones here would appear to be a substituent redevelopment, dating from the late 1970s according to planning documents.
The tower of St Albans Abbey can be seen in the background.
Image: © Ian Capper
Taken: 5 Aug 2021
0.14 miles
9
Mentmore Road
c.1930s housing in Mentmore Road, off Cottonmill Lane.
Image: © Ian Capper
Taken: 5 Aug 2021
0.14 miles
10
Railway shelter
The old St Albans to Hertford railway is now a pedestrian and cycle path but there are still relics to be seen. This one has almost been reclaimed by nature.
Image: © Robert Eva
Taken: 3 Nov 2016
0.15 miles