Was there an early Harley Street connection with Gadebridge House, Hemel Hempstead ???

Can you help?

Gadebridge House was occupied by Sir Astley Paston Cooper, surgeon at Guy's Hospital, London, in the early 19th century, and he may well have had it (re)built in the form shown in this photograph. The book The History of Hemel Hempstead states that William Wigg, physician, lived there in the early 18th century.

Mark has just contacted me about the death of an ancestor, Robert Neale, who is reported to have died at Gadebridge House, Hemel Hempstead, on 18th September  1790, aged 39. A quick look online (Discovery) shows that in 1790 insurance on the house was paid by Thomas Latter, who also had an address of 22 Harley Street, London. 

Gadebridge House, Hemel Hempstead, circa 1900

There are many possible reasons why Robert might have been visiting Gadebridge House - but one is of wider interest. Later Harley Street had become famous as being the area in London where the top doctors practiced - supposedly because it was not too far from a number of railway stations. There were 20 there by 1860 and almost 200 by 1914. However there must have been some doctors there before 1860 and the area around Cavendish Square was the abode of the rich and wealthy by the end of the 18th century - and the occupants would have wanted the best doctors to live nearby. This raises an interesting possibility. Could Thomas Latter have been some kind of doctor and could Robert have been a patient who at gone to Gadebridge House to avoid the noise and stench of London?

I am currently rushed off my feet and don't have time to follow up this story - especially as it could mean looking at London Records. So if anyone out there can throw some light on the issue both Mark and I would love to here from you.

Goodbye to First World War Army Hut at Tring

The site of the New Mill Social centre, a former First World War Army hut which came from Gadebridge Army Camp, Hemel Hempstead, circa 1922, for use as a church, has now been cleared so that six new houses can be built.

Story & Other Pictures

First World War Army Hut moving from Herts to Essex.

The Old Army Hut before Demolition had started.

Preparing to Remove the Roof

This First World War Army Hut was built as part of the Gadebridge Army Camp, Hemel Hempstead, in 1915. After the war it was purchased by Tring Parish  for use as a district church, St George. It later became  the New Mill Community Centre. The site is now to be redeveloped for housing and arrangements have been made to move the Hut to a site near Bury St Edmund where a reconstructed Army Camp is being built. Work has just started and the site will be cleared to be ready for the builders by the end of September. I visited the site this afternoon and had an interesting talk with Taff Gillingham, who is moving the hut.

More Information

On the road to the Army Camp, Gadebridge, 1915

Shortly after the Royal Field Artillery of the 2nd London Division moved into Hemel Hempstead in 1914 work started on building a wooden camp. The shortest route between the camp and the centre of the town was through a ford on Gadebridge Lane.  In March 1915 my grandfather, Walter Locke, was borough surveyor, was responsible for building a bridge over the ford which was published by George Day of Hemel Hempstead.

Click here

for biography of George Day, and other post cards he published

Gadebridge House, Hemel Hempstead

Gadebridge House, Hemel Hempstead
picture kindly provided by Stephen

James Moore, Gardener

Stephen's grandfather, James Moore, was gardener at Gadebridge House at the time that Sir Astley Paston Paston-Cooper lived there, and has kindly provided pictures of the house and his grandfather's family pictured in the gardens in 1901.

As a result I have created a page of pictures of Gadebridge House and the surrounding park, and drafted some brief notes on its history, with links to where you can read more.

See Gadebridge House, Hemel Hempstead