This old picture from our friends at Watford Museum show the run-down houses that once stood where a church square is now located in the heart of the town.

The sorry-looking scene captures a boy standing across the road from the buildings, with some windows boarded up with others have been smashed.

The museum’s volunteer archivist Christine Orchard said: “There used to be some very old houses in Church Street, roughly where St Mary's Square is today. In this image St Mary's is behind the buildings and the High Street is just out of sight beyond the last building at the far left.

Watford Observer: A picture of the old cottages in Church Street in 1890.A picture of the old cottages in Church Street in 1890. (Image: C Healey / Watford Museum)

“For many years, and certainly by the 1890s, they had become very run down and in 1893 tenders were requested by the highway committee for their demolition.

Watford Observer: An approximate view of where the houses once stood.An approximate view of where the houses once stood. (Image: Google Street View)

“The photograph was taken by A. Whitford Anderson in October 1892 and shows them not long before they were pulled down.”

Watford Museum is open Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.