Children using Watford’s newly landscaped Pond area as an adventure playground could have a serious accident, fears Mrs Kathleen Smith, chairman of the town’s chamber of commerce.

Her office – she is partner in the Alert Employment Agency in The Parade – overlooks the famous Watford landmark, which has been redesigned to make it look more modern.

Gone are the old Victorian guard railings which used to keep children at bay from the water. They have been replaced by low coping, together with an intricate system of waterfalls and fountains.

But, said Mrs Smith, the revised water feature is proving too much of a temptation to children.

“They are using it as an adventure playground – and we are very concerned. The childen leap from one slab to another and throw things in the water,” she explained. “I think it is very dangerous. There will be a serious accident unless something is done to stop the children playing there. They are not vandals or hooligans, it is the design which lends itself to it.”

Plans to update the Pond were drastically revised after adverse public comments when the original scheme went on show at an exhibition in 1972.
The revised design has two main waterfalls, four smaller waterfalls, a large area with trickling water, two miniature ponds with water welling up from waterfalls and a rockery.

[From the Watford Observer of January 10, 1975]

Appealing for younger people to take greater interest in municipal affairs, the Mayor of Watford (Mrs M.E. Bridger) told Watford Rotarians and their sons and daughters attending the Club’s weekly luncheon meeting on Monday that young people were needed to help assimilate fresh ideas and to bring fresh understanding to bear on the problems set.

Instancing housing, the mayor said: “We have a lot of old ideas. The other day we were told by an expert from the Building Research Station that we had to revise our ideas.

 “This expert told us that houses would be built with two-inch walls and the cavities packed with blotting paper! Such houses were absolutely damp-proof, noise-proof and warm. If you put this to some of our people they would say you were ridiculous,” said Mrs Bridger, who added: “Believe me, there is a tremendous number of new ideas we ought to be willing to explore and so enable us to get on with our housing quickly and cheaply.”

[From the Watford Observer of January 12, 1951]

Motorists will have no excuse for forgetting that Watford is a nuclear free zone following a decision to erect signs on all major routes into the borough.

Labour members of the town’s management committee on Monday agreed to put up signs at roadsides in the borough after they were asked by the Watford Peace Council.

“The signs are only a small thing but it reflects the attitude of the borough towards nuclear weapons,” said Councillor Mike Jackson.

Tories on the committee failed to get the idea dropped on a vote, calling it unnecessary.

[From the Watford Observer of January 11, 1985]