Page 13 - Stephen Danzig News Today

A readers opinion that Watford has become "soulless" with "no character" has sparked a lot of attention recently. Reader G Crowe recently wrote to the Watford Observer fearing that the borough was becoming another part of the “London spillover” due to building work and also claimed the town now has “no culture, no outstanding art work or features and any trace of history has been erased”. His letter has attracted a lot of opinion since it was published online yesterday and people ...

By Lewis Berrill @LewisBerrill Chief reporter - east London and west Essex Watford High Street - house prices in the town have gone up in the last year. House prices are on the rise across most of Hertfordshire. The coronavirus pandemic has seen more people moving out of the capital to homes in the surrounding towns. With freedom to work from home, potential buyers have been lo...

1990 - 1992 – The Harlequin Centre opens in phases Watfords shopping centre was opened between 1990 and 1992 and several old shops in Queens Road were demolished to make way for the new shopping centre in the town. The shopping centre with the Harlequin branding Some shops were also forced to move, including the Trewin Brothers’ department store - now known as John Lewis - in Queens Road. According to the department store, staff at Trewins moved out of their store in Queens Road u...

Credit: Emma Pez This cute picture of two children walking hand-in-hand across a snowy field shows one of the places where it is possible to enjoy your daily exercise while still remaining local to where you live. The current theme for our talented photographers is to showcase those places in the area where they enjoy their daily exercise, or other activities that help get them through these difficult times, and it has again resulted in some great pictures this week. Scroll through this p...

Credit: Peter Vlad Dan Lockdown may have been extended into March but all around us new life is continuing to flourish, again reminding us that we can look forward to at least more normal times ahead. The natural world again features prominently in our final selection of ‘new year, new hope’ images from our Camera Club members that you can enjoy by scrolling down this page, but it is now time to change themes again. The new challenge for our talented photographers is to showcase those...

The picture of a mischievous-looking Norman Wisdom was first published by the Watford Observer in 1973 and was shared by Stephen Danzig on our nostalgia Facebook group ‘ We grew up in Watford’. It prompted a number of recollections, including from Gary Marlborough said: “When Norman Wisdom was making this series in Watford I was working in mac markets which was part of the fisheries group. We right opposite the Nation Westminster bank in 1973. Does anyone else remember mac markets?�...

Robert Stapleton Last year may be one that many of us wish to forget but it did provide some images that we recall fondly. Whether it was enjoying some family time indoors during lockdown or savouring a walk in the countryside when restrictions were eased, many of us will have picked up our camera or phone to capture those moments that may have felt a bit more special than usual. We asked members of the Watford Observer Camera Club to select a favourite photo either they had taken, or som...

Alison Robson Christmas is over for another year but our pets made the most of the big day if this final selection of images from our Camera Club members is anything to go by. ‘Christmas in Watford 2020’ has been the theme for the past four weeks, but it is now time for a change as we look forward to the start of 2021 with some light at the end of a dark tunnel. A new year always brings new hope but it feels even greater as the vaccination programme offers real optimism that a return ...

Watford and then the rest of Hertfordshire may have been plunged into the toughest tier of coronavirus restrictions, but many of us are still looking forward to Christmas. ‘Christmas in Watford 2020’ is the current theme for our Camera Club members, and decorations and wintry scenes are abundant in the group Facebook page. Congratulations to all those featured this week, but go online to see the full range of photos shared by our talented photographers. The Watford Observer Camera C...