Top gardener of 1979 – Mrs Heather Pinder, a Rickmansworth housewife – with a hefty wheelbarrow-load of Ernie Wise.

No, she did not grow him. Ernie was one of the judges in the national competition, jointly sponsored by Woolworth, Cuthbert Seeds and TV Times.

Looking at Mrs Pinder’s 80ft by 34ft Berry Way garden, he said: “It’s superb. Incredible. Absolutely marvellous. Nearly as good as mine.”

As well as the title, Mrs Pinder has won the holiday of a lifetime for two in Japan, plus £500 spending money.

[From the Watford Observer of September 14, 1979]

 

 

Watford observed: September stories

Some strange defences are put forward from time to time in the local police courts but one of the most unusual was that advanced at the Hemel Hempstead Sessions on Wednesday. A young man summoned for not having a red rear light or reflector on his bicycle said he thought one was unnecessary because his bicycle was a red one.

[From the Watford Observer of September 6, 1930]

 

Malden Road, Watford, was the scene of a violent gas explosion on Monday evening. A boy came into one of the houses in the evening and finding a strong smell of gas, went into the back room where the smell was strongest and, with the thoughtlessness and inexperience of youth, he struck a match with the intention of finding out whether the gas was escaping. He says he succeeded in lighting one jet, but as he was passing the burning match to the other burner, a streak of fire ran up to the ceiling. He made a dash for the back door, but before he could reach it there was a bang like that of a cannon, and he found himself taken off his feet and hurled he knew not where. When he could collect his thoughts, he saw that he was lying in the drawing room among the furniture. No time was lost by the lad in extricating himself and making a rapid survey of the premises.

[From the Watford Observer of September 8, 1900]

 

Watford Grammar School pupil Alan Jenkins, 15, took a 240-mile Tube train ride to nowhere on Tuesday – and set up a new world record.

For Alan, of Chiltern Avenue, Bushey, covered all of London’s 273 Underground stations in 16 hours 56½ minutes flat and slashed the previous time-record, set up in July, by one hour 30½ minutes.

He told an “Observer” reporter afterwards: “I bet you will never guess what I came home by? Train!”

Alan set out on the start of his record-breaking journey at 5.30am in the cold light of dawn at Ongar Railway Station, Essex. When he reached Upminster at eight and a half minutes past ten that night, he had travelled on 39 Underground trains, six British Railway trains, 10 buses and spent £1 13s 7d on fares.

Alan, who wants to be a research chemist, started planning his trip in February and studied every bus timetable, train schedule, route map and short cut until he could even tell London Transport a thing or two.

“There were quite a few stations where I had to run to catch my connections,” said sixth-former Alan. “Every minute counted.”

[From the Watford Observer of September 10, 1965]

 

A retired policeman has told me about something called the Fanny Rota. It all started when Fanny Cradock used to make frequent calls to the police station from her home in Grove Mill Road, Watford.

She would ring so often with complaints about people looking over her fence, walking past her front door or prowling in the grounds that they took it in turns to chat with her.

Supercook Fanny now lives in Jersey. Here’s hoping the force will cope.

[From the Watford Observer of September 7, 1979]