There was a tready clothes shop over the road from Sainsburys on the cornor. I remember getting a jumper from there and my older sister trying to get me some clothes but had spent to much on her card that day. I was really upset.

I loved the market and remember the cafe near the bus station that did lovely milk shakes and just outside the stall on a Saturday was a aution bric a brac he would often ask who would give him 50p for a carrer bag that was empty and when you put your hand up he would feel it up I cried when he stop coming as would get my mums presents from there. I can’t really remember going shopping much with my mum I remember that you could walk right through Woolworths. I remember the Red Cross collecting in the gap next to Boots and doing an absail down the side of Boots.

Over the road in the watergardens near the police station there was a foot bridge over the river with a big grass bank up the side. The river came into a little point and me and my younger sister would jump over seeing how far up the river we could jump without falling it.

My fav place through was Gadebridge park with the paddling pool with the island in the middle pass that it was deep enough to swim. One summer before they feeled it I jumped of the island and landed on glass cutting my foot open. I also remember the grid climbing frame that was taller than my mum. It was a sad day when they got rid of the park and made it “safe” weres the fun in that.

I would love some photos of Gadebridge park to show my kids if anyone has any

Fond memories of the annual Carnival on August Bank Holiday, waiting along the packed roadside for the procession to pass through and then following it through the gates of Gadebridge Park for all the festivities, including the Red Devils (parachutists) and the fab funfair,where my Dad would treat me to a sneaky cider and then get told off by my Mum because it made me talk endlessly! lol

There was also a lovely open-air public paddling pool, very popular with young & old alike, think it might have closed now (health & safety) and fishing for ‘tiddlers’ in the nearby river.

I saw Showaddywaddy at the Pavilion in the 70′s, also recall the Saturday Morning Pictures, which wasn’t so much about the films really, as getting to go out with the kids from school and flirt with the boys! haha Evening films you always got 2 in those days… a shorter ‘rubbishy’ film (tho occasionally you’d get a good 1) followed by the main film.

Scamps turned into various different names over the years, I remember trying to get in with my b/f under-age, only to find my brother-in-law was a bouncer on the door! Terrified he would tell my Dad, but he just winked, nodded and got us in for free! On the way out, however, I’d had a little bit too much to drink, managed to make it down the HUGE flight of stairs to the door, but just as the fresh air hit me, I staggered down the ONE STEP leading outside, & fell flat on my face on the pavement! Heard my b/f whispering thru gritted teeth “Get up, Get up!” and moved my head sideways, to see a pair of big black boots – looking up – belonging to – yep, a policeman. “Is there a problem?” he asked. “No officer, of course not” b/f said, “she just tripped over the step”. Hmmm. How we got away with it, I’ll never know.

When I was a little girl, Mum used to take me shopping, I remember we always ended up at the Co-Op at one end of Marlowes for a cup of tea, we used to sit by the window overlooking the statue of the couple dancing in Waterhouse Gardens. They were naked, and I always thought it was very rude! The Co-Op also had the BEST visit to Santa ever, you went on a ride that was probably only a couple of minutes in total, but seemed long & very exciting to me in those days, with animated characters along the way.

Entering teen years, I regularly used to pass out whenever entering Marks & Spencers for some reason! I think it was the rush of hot air as soon as you walked in, got to the stage where if my Mum wanted to shop in there, she had to arrange for them to get me a chair so I could sit down somewhere, because if I stood up for too long I’d flake out.

I also remember the Knickerbocker Glorys at Wimpy, and the Seafarer restaurant where we often had fish & chips. Hated going food shopping with my parents, used to wile away the time by playing with the automatic door in Sainsburys, stepping on the mat to make it open, over and over and over… drove the staff mad!

I remember the bald-headed Hari Krishna guys in their sandals & orange sheets/robes who would sometimes congregate in the open area near Boots. Never understood what they were all about, but they were fascinating to watch when I was a kid.

One of my sisters worked at Shell Mex and BP, another for Commission for the New Towns, and my Dad worked for Sir Allen & Unwin Publishers in Paradise. I went to Bourne Valley School (which was Hemel’s version of St. Trinians, which pupils dangling others out of upper windows and so on), somehow managed to get out of there alive, just after I left they knocked it down to make a housing estate – probably for the best! Then I got a job at Abbey Motors, after that BSI in Maylands Avenue where I stayed for many years, and moved to MK with my job when they made their new headquarters there in 1983.

Used to drink at the Queens Head, Lawn Lane or the White Hart, Old Town. Played on the darts team for the Princes Arms, Boxmoor for a while (which is no longer there). Remember getting drunk and my mate trying to phone us a cab from a phone box, she put my arms around the pillar outside the Dolly Wash but I kept sliding down, hehe If we wanted to be really ‘posh’ we would go to the Waggon & Horses near the Co-Op!

Oh, many many memories of growing up in Hemel, we always moaned “There’s nothing to do!!!!!” and it was usually just cinema, pub or home in those days, but now they’ve introduced bowling & other stuff.

Your comments are all great, thanks for reminding me of things, it’s been a gr8 trip down memory lane!

I remember well the Indy nights and raves at the Pavilion (1990s), and also the Sports Centre and Grovehill Discos. Snakebite & Black (now illegal to serve I believe??) in the Harrys, The Whip and Collar (pre K2) and the Living Room Nightclub being THE Place to go on a Thursday night – hard to believe that the ques to get in would sometimes be halfway down the town, and they had a guestlist too.- It was reopened for a while, but closed a few years ago and remains derelict.

I worked in the High Street from the age of 18, and Drank at The White Hart when it was a ‘goth’ pub run by Tim and Mary – anyone remember the ‘artists corner’ in the pub which was a tiny alcove with pictures in? – It was dedicated to a local artist (possibly Peter Waggon) – but I’m not sure. The Pub has since been refurbished, and I’m afraid to say lost all it’s old charm and character…

I remember are The Gift Box Shop by the famed Mural as my friend worked there for a while. I also remember being PETRIFIED as a child of walking past that mural – I think I’ve blocked it from memory as I can’t remember what it even looks like now!

I found this website as I’ve been doing some local research, and I’ve spent the last hour reading the posts, and remembering so much as you’ve jogged my memory…(how could I have forgotten the ‘hill’ in Gadebridge with the hole in it???!!!)

I have a Website, which (if anyones interested?!) has some tales of Hemel relating to its ghosts, myths and legends, most of these have been provided by Hemel residents past and present – but if anyone knows anymore please contact me so I can add them.

Thanks again for reminding me of my (often mispent!) youth in Hemel!

After the 70′s I rarely visited Hemel until the early 90′s when I saw a few bands at the Pavillion (Neds Atomic Dustbin stands out). When I visited again in 95 I was really surprised to see the town centre had been virtually pedestrianized but I think it was an improvement. I was also struck by the massive wasteland where the Shell building had been in my childhood.

In 1998 I came to Hemel to work as a Police Officer and have been stationed here ever since. I am very happy here and overall it is a good town. I’ve read the few comments knocking Hemel but as an insider I feel qualified to say that like most towns 95% of the problems are caused by 5% of the population, and compared to Dunstable (which in the 70′s was a fairly affluent market town but is now in terminal decline) where I was brought up Hemel is still very desirable. In fact when I walk through the town now I am struck by just how much regeneration and improvement has gone on since I arrived in 1998. Back in the 70′s the town was a nice clean place that still retained a lot of the orignal new twon idealism but by 98 it had become a bit run down. In the last few years its really started changing again and hopefully Hemels 2nd golden time is coming (assuming all the funding doesn’t totally dry up).

Great to read all the posts here. I hope my little contribution is interesting.