Nostalgic snaps of a Watford road during harder times

There can be a tendency to view the past through rose tinted glasses and form a misleading picture of how life used to be but there are occasions when the images themselves make that impossible.

These pictures from our archive were captured on May 3, 1965 and show buildings in a Watford road that had windows smashed or were boarded up and give an impression of a general sense of neglect in the area.

The images do not offer too many clues as to where they were taken but the large gas holder, which is no longer there, is one and another is the ‘Fox Alley’ sign.

This premises was boarded up with the shutters locked (Image: Watford Observer)

This was located next to the former Fox pub and stood roughly opposite where Watford fire station is situated today, in Lower High Street.

Fox Alley (Image: Watford Observer)

Redevelopment and investment has seen the appearance of the road change significantly in the intervening 59 years, but take look through these photos to see how it looked in harder times.

A car drives past the former Sedgwicks brewery (Image: Watford Observer)

Rubble at the read of Lower High Street (Image: Watford Observer)

Puddles in a passageway (Image: Watford Observer)

Another boarded up property (Image: Watford Observer) Rubbish in the river (Image: Watford Observer)