Watford Metropolitan Underground station

Watford tube station.

Before we get started... I know that Watford is not in London. But, neither is Warner Bros Studios Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. Nor are Gatwick, Southend, Stansted or Luton Airports, but they all have London in their name. There are countless more examples of this.

However, Watford is served by National Rail, the Lioness line and the Metropolitan line. It is also the station from where the majority of my trips to London begin.

So let's delve into its history.

Two different types of train at Platform 2.

By the early part of the 20th century, the Metropolitan line had already extended from London, through Hertfordshire, to Buckinghamshire, terminating at Verney Junction, Buckinghamshire.

In 1912 Parliamentary approval was granted for a branch line, between Sandy Lodge and Rickmansworth, that would serve Croxley and terminate at Watford.

However, clashes with Watford Borough Council and the outbreak of World War I delayed construction of the 2.5 mile branch line, with work finally beginning in 1922. As work progressed Sandy Lodge was renamed Moor Park and Sandy Lodge.

On November 2, 1925, Watford Metropolitan Railway station opened, and, in the first few months, was served by Metropolitan electric trains, to Baker Street, and LNER steam trains to Marylebone.

As the station was situated 1 mile from Watford Town Centre, the Metropolitan Railway operated a bus service from Watford High Street, in an effort to bring in more customers. This bus service ran for many years.

Celebrating 'Steam on the Met'.

The original 1912 plans, for the branch line, were to have continued the line through Cassiobury Park with a terminus on Hempstead Road, where West Herts College now stands. But, Watford Borough Council, having just bought part of the Cassiobury Estate, objected to trains running through the park and gardens.

Coal Duty Posts

The next time you're driving, cycling, or walking in the outskirts of Greater London, keep an eye out for a humble, often white, cast-iron post. It might look like just another boundary marker, but these fascinating objects, known variously as Coal Posts or Coal Tax Posts, are silent sentinels of a centuries-old story of taxation, reconstruction, and London's booming growth.

The story of the Coal Posts begins long before they were erected. Since medieval times, the Corporation of the City of London had the authority to levy duties on goods, including coal, brought into the city. But it was a catastrophic event that truly put the coal duty into high gear: the Great Fire of 1666.

To fund the massive rebuilding effort, including iconic structures like St Paul's Cathedral, Acts of Parliament were passed, imposing additional duties on coal entering the Port of London. The revenue stream was vital, and over time, it was used for more than just immediate reconstruction. Funds from the coal and wine duties financed significant public works, such as the building of the Thames Embankment, Holborn Viaduct, and even the purchase of toll bridges to make them free for the public.

For centuries, collecting the tax was relatively straightforward. Coal came into London primarily by sea, docking at riverside wharves, where the tonnage could be easily measured and the duty collected.

However, the 19th century brought rapid change: the explosion of canals and railways. Suddenly, coal was entering London from all directions, bypassing the traditional wharves. The City of London needed a clear way to mark the inland boundary where the duty became payable.

Scammell Lorries, Spitalfields and Watford

George Scammell, born 1817, moved to London in the 1840s and became a wheelwright, establishing a business at 12 Fashion Street, Spitalfields. He would build carts, perfect for the narrow congested streets, while also repairing carts and vans. By 1851 he was employing ten men and the business was flourishing and they began constructing horse drawn wagons, too.

In the 1860s George's nephew, Alfred Thomas Scammell, joined the company, with the business becoming 'G. Scammell & Nephew', in 1873. The company was selling and maintaining Foden Steam Wagons and had moved into larger premises, still on Fashion Street.

An unrelated event would turn out to be fortuitous for Scammell, too. A consortium of East End businessmen redeveloped the slum buildings, in the early 1900s, on the south side of Fashion Street, building a Moorish style market. Their hopes that the street traders would move into this indoor market, and off the streets, didn't work, as the traders refused to pay rent, preferring to remain out in the elements. 

Scammell saw an opportunity and purchased the freehold to the building, which needed little work to its interior, thus allowing them to move straight in. This extra space allowed them to continue to build horse drawn carriages and vans, while also allowing for the construction of commercial bodies for motor vehicles and single-deck bus bodies.

This additional space allowed them, for the first time, to undertake mechanical work, servicing and repair of motor vehicles, including private cars. The company's original trade as a wheelwright was able to expand, where they developed a composite wheel which, in addition to its strength, allowed for the tyre to be changed without having to remove the wheel from the vehicle.

One of their customers, Edward Rudd, had imported an American 'Knox Tractor' as he was impressed with its low weight but high payload. It is believed that Mr Rudd suggested that George Scammell build a similar vehicle for the UK market.

However, the outbreak of World War I put a hold on its production. The war did prove a turning point for the company, though, as mechanical transport was proving its worth on the continent which focused the company's future projects.

In 1919, George's great nephew, Lt Col Alfred George Scammell, who had been injured and invalided out of the British Army, was made Managing Director of the company, bringing with him a wealth of experience form the battlefields of Europe, where mechanised vehicles had proven their worth.

Warner Bros. Studios Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter

Potions and Dark Magic.

Saturday April 27, 2019.

We visited the Harry Potter Studios Tour for my daughter's 6th birthday, and she absolutely loved it.

After a quick coffee we began our tour.

Following the short video, in the cinema, we made our way through the doors and found the entrance to the Great Hall. As it was Keilyn's birthday, she had the honour of opening the doors to the Great Hall, allowing us to begin the tour proper.

The Great Hall was incredible to see in person and the props and costumes on display are wonderful to see up close.

From here we went to see some of the other exhibits; costumes, wigs, makeup, Dumbledore's study, Hagrid's Hut, the Potions Lab, the Quidditch area and much more.

We then entered the Enchanted Forest with its scary spiders that fell from the ceiling, or came out of cavernous holes.

We then found ourselves by the Hogwarts Express steam locomotive and Platform 9 3/4. We then headed to the cafeteria before heading outside to the backlot, where there was even more to see; Harry Potter's house, the Knight Bus, Hogwarts Bridge, the Potter's Cottage, chess pieces, a Ford Anglia and a motorcycle.

Soon we were back inside to see more of the prosthetics, models, costumes, artwork and more. This led us to Gringotts Bank and on to the Bank Vault, before returning us to Gringotts Bank, which was under attack from a Dragon.

Diagon Alley swiftly followed and led us to more of the conceptual artwork and models, used in the Making of Harry Potter.

Finally, we arrived at the largest model that I have ever seen.

We then ended up in the Gift Shop, where you can easily spend a small fortune as the prices are anything but cheap.

All through the tour you can play a game of 'spot the Golden Snitch'. There are 13 to find, and the last of these is the most difficult.

All of the staff were knowledgeable, helpful and really made my daughter's birthday a memorable one.

You will need to set aside a minimum of three hours, to get around the tour, but it is well worth it.

Gallery

Heritage Open Day: BRE's Möhne Dam Test Model

Me with the Möhne Dam Test Model.

Sunday September 14, 2014

For many years I had wanted to visit the BRE's Möhne Dam Test Model, at their site in Watford. This is because of a fascination with The Dambusters, which partly stems from the fact that a relative of mine was a Dambuster. 

Len and I arrived at the BRE site just before 10:00 and, after parking the car, joined a small group of people who had also come to see the model. We were given a quick introduction by Peter White, BRE Marketing and Communication Manager, before he led us past some of the BRE test buildings and in to a wooded area, in the centre of the site. Here, our group, of about a dozen, listened intently as Peter began to explain why the test model was built, how it was built, and by whom, with the aid of some large 'A' boards, which had further information and photographs on them.

Möhne Dam

When we reached the model itself, we were allowed to walk all around it and explore the local area. A muntjac deer peered through the trees, while a green woodpecker flitted through the branches, as I took photographs of the dam, from all angles. 

We then went up to see the Prince's House. The Prince's House was designed by HRH Prince Charles and can often be seen as the test house in BBCs Watchdog programme. 

The Prince's House

We then wandered back down to the model, before looking at some of the BRE test houses, that range from the 1960s through to the ECO-friendly houses, of the 21st century.

BRE Test Houses

On our way out of the site, I managed to get a photo of Bucknalls House. Bucknalls is a Victorian house, built in 1855 for Henry Creed, that stood at the centre of the 180 acre Bucknalls estate. Frank Thomas, the last owner of the house, made substantial extensions to the building, during 1878 and 1903. The estate itself was sold off in six lots, in 1924.

Bucknalls House

Brief History.

It all began back in 1938 when, even before World War II had begun, Dr Barnes Wallis came up with the idea of destroying the dams of the Ruhr valley with a ten-ton bomb, dropped from a height of 40,000 feet. The bomb would bury itself in the ground and cause a massive 'earthquake' that would destroy the dams. There were three problems with this scenario:

1. No bomb of that size could be manufactured
2. If it could be manufactured no aeroplane could carry it
3. No current aeroplane could fly anywhere close to that height

Undeterred, Dr Wallis continued to work on a way to destroy the dams, working out the size and type of charge and its location in relation to the dam.

In October 1940 Dr Wallis was invited to a secret meeting with Norman Davey and William Glanville, where it was discussed that a scale test model should be built and tested, to see exactly what size charge would breach the dam.

This meeting was so secret that it is still impossible to find out where it actually took place; Either at the British Research Station BRS, now BRE, Watford, or at the Road Research Laboratory RRL, now TRL, Harmondsworth.

The actual Möhne Dam was opened in 1913 and its highly detailed schematics were easily obtainable, by the British Research Station, allowing the plans to be meticulously recalculated, so that a 1/50 scale model could be built. 

Möhne Dam Schematics

On Monday November 25, 1940 work began on clearing and excavating the site. The stream was widened and deepened and channelled through a pipe, that would flow beneath the dam. On Friday 29, the concrete foundation was poured, with the towers being cast on the following Monday December 2. The side wings were then added.

Under Construction

The model took four men, Norman Davey, A J Newman, A B Stapleton & A Smith, just 7 weeks to complete and, considering that the British winter was particularly harsh, with temperatures close to, or below, freezing on some days, this was no mean feat. Roughly 2 million scaled bricks measuring 0.4 inches long x 0.3 inches wide and 0.2 inches deep (10.2 x 7.6 x 5.1mm) were used to build the model, along with poured concrete.

Despite the best efforts of the planners, the model is not entirely correct. One of the measurements was incorrectly scaled, when they converted it from metric to imperial.

The model was completed on January 15, 1941 and, six days later, the reservoir was filled with water. Explosive testing began the following day, January 22, 1941. The model was then subjected to ten explosive charges from distances of three feet, two feet and one foot. 

Where the charges were placed

After the eighth detonation the model was damaged, which allowed water to seep through some cracks. After the tenth detonation the model was severely damaged. 

The 8th detonation 'cracked' the dam

These were the first, and only, tests to be conducted on the dam. All further tests were completed at RRL Harmondsworth, using cast concrete dams. These tests made it possible to work out that a 7,000 lb bomb, placed against the side of the Möhne Dam, would be enough to breach it.

The model was then left to the elements and remained secret, until 1954, when the Air Ministry issued a news release.

" 'Dig-for-Victory' allotment holders at Garston, near Watford, were bewildered and annoyed, early in 1941, when a mysterious and sudden onrush of water swept down a nearby hill and inundated their plots. The flooding at the Hertfordshire allotments came from the breaching of the first detailed scale model of the Möhne Dam which was tested at the Building Research Station".

Air Ministry News Release, 1954

The truth is that there was no breach of the dam, that would have resulted in water flooding out the allotments. As it turns out, the news release was issued as the final scenes of The Dambusters film were being shot, hence no mention of the British Research Station in the finished film.

At some point, possibly in the 1960s, the model was restored, and altered. The repairers took a piece of poetic licence when they decided to add a 'breach' in to the top of the dam.

All of the test models at Harmondsworth were destroyed by the testing. 

The Nant-y-gro dam, in Wales, was blown apart during large-scale tests.

The ship testing tanks, at NPL, were broken up, in 1996.

The BRE Möhne Dam test model, is the only piece of this amazing story to remain intact. 

In 2002, the model was scheduled by English Heritage as a historic monument of 'not just national but also international importance'.

For further and more detailed information, follow the links below.

BRE's part in the Dambusters' Raids

BRE's Flickr channel

Details of the scheduling by English Heritage

Information about the NPL ship's testing tank

Information from the TRL

The Dambusters Raid from the RAF Air History Branch