IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
High Street, WATFORD, WD17 2ER

A grade II listed building used currently by a hairdresser's. Listed as part of timber-framed group of 137-41 Watford High Street. See http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-158180-141-high-street-hertfordshire for more details on the building. In the background is part of the Harlequin Shopping Centre.

This landmark building at the south-eastern end of the High Street started off in life as the Blockbuster Video store, but has had several occupiers since. Including - a computer retailer (PC World?), Knightingales (the soft furnishings company), then Emporio home Link. In 2010 Cotswold Outdoor took up occupancy. Compare with Image

You can just about pick out the words Barclays Bank in the grubby fascia above the ground floor level, and the word Bank carved in the stone lintel above the entrance on the corner of this attractive and historic building, which is at the junction of the High Street to the left and King Street to the right. There are plans to redevelop this whole block stretching down to Image in the distance. To be known as the Met Quarter the redevelopment would have both residential and commercial uses. However this building is not statutorily listed and was under threat of demolition during this redevelopment, until, for once, Watford Borough Council acknowledged its duty to preserve what little remains of historic buildings in the town, and stepped in to demand its retention. The most recent plans appear to be to still demolish the bank but to incorporate the retention of its façade into the new scheme. After Barclays vacated the building it may have been used as a pub or some other type of similar outlet.

Shows the location of Image intu has "20 centres across the UK and Spain" and its "whole business is focused on creating the best places for shopping and leisure, so that visitors come more often and stay longer. [intu] do that by bringing together [their] scale, expertise and understanding of what visitors want to provide compelling experiences that deliver real results for [their] customers, restaurateurs and leisure specialists". I did not make that up - see https://www.intugroup.co.uk/en/ . Update March 2020: Perhaps the customer experiences aren't quite as "compelling" as intu was boasting: the company recently posted a loss of £2 billion for 2019 and may collapse https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/12/intu-warns-it-could-go-bust-after-reporting-2bn-loss .

On the A411 Beechen Grove (When originally opened this was known as the "Harlequin" Centre.) http://intu.co.uk/watford

See Image