IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Crecy Gardens, ST. ALBANS, AL3 7BQ

Before the land behind this house was sold for building, it was used as a nursery for growing plants. The owners were Kenneth and Dora Collier who lived here (with their daughter Julia) from circa 1946 until their retirement when they moved to live at 5 High Street, Kimpton, Hitchin, Herts. They were close family friends of my parents and me

These houses were built on land formerly belonging to Image

View taken by my father George Baker of the house in which I was born in November 1946

The houses are fairly near the house called Chesterton.

This is the house where I was born in November 1946. My parents had moved here from Framlingham Court, Ipswich in 1945 see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1348289 and we moved to Appledore, 35 Montague Road, Berkhamsted in 1951 see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1782875

This looks like one of the older buildings in the High St

Parked outside the family home known as Chesterton and photographed by my father George Baker, looking in the direction of Black Horse Lane. My father was employed by Ohrbach’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohrbach's as an export merchant to America until 1966, when it sold its UK concern to C&A. His office was based at 48 Albemarle Street, London, had a staff of four (including my father) and was housed in three rooms. The goods exported included textiles, Lebus furniture http://www.harrislebus.com/ and good quality antiques. The antiques were purchased by American buyers when they visited England and had been chauffeured by my father to UK shops that dealt in these commodities. The younger Mr Ohrbach, here referred to as Jerome http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0015_0_15050.html but whom my father knew as Jerry had a penchant for Rolls-Royce/Bentley cars (which he could afford as he was a multi-millionaire) and this was probably the first my father drove, as Jerry had become head of the firm in 1950. The deal was that Jerry would purchase a new left-hand drive car, use it to tour Europe before getting my father to collect it from wherever he had left it, have it serviced in the UK and shipped back to the States. Every time this happened the car would be brought back to our family home for the weekend so that my mother and I (and the neighbours) could be taken out in it for rides round the locality. The cars did attract some open-mouthed stares!

Parked outside the family home known as Chesterton and photographed by my father George Baker. My father was employed by Ohrbach’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohrbach's as an export merchant to America until 1966, when it sold its UK concern to C&A. His office was based at 48 Albemarle Street, London, had a staff of four (including my father) and was housed in three rooms. The goods exported included textiles, Lebus furniture http://www.harrislebus.com/ and good quality antiques. The antiques were purchased by American buyers when they visited England and had been chauffeured by my father to UK shops that dealt in these commodities. The younger Mr Ohrbach, here referred to as Jerome http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0015_0_15050.html but whom my father knew as Jerry had a penchant for Rolls-Royce/Bentley cars (which he could afford as he was a multi-millionaire) and this was probably the first my father drove, as Jerry had become head of the firm in 1950. The deal was that Jerry would purchase a new left-hand drive car, use it to tour Europe before getting my father to collect it from wherever he had left it, have it serviced in the UK and shipped back to the States. Every time this happened the car would be brought back to our family home for the weekend so that my mother and I (and the neighbours) could be taken out in it for rides round the locality. The cars did attract some open-mouthed stares! The car's numberplate was MGU 284.

The back of the house photographed by my father George Baker

The path to the front door photographed by my father George Baker