A book written on the history of Watford and its surrounding areas is set to be launched at the town’s museum later this month.
The author of the book, which has been given the title ‘Echoes of Old Watford, Bushey and Oxhey’, is Ted Parrish, a highly respected historian who wrote and made films about the way his hometown evolved through the decades.
Lesley Dunlop, who is Mr Parrish’s daughter, has provided illustrations for the new release, along with footnotes and a number of maps. She had promised to publish her father’s work prior to his death.
Mr Parrish made films and wrote short stories as well as writing about local history, but this book is based upon his childhood memories of southern Hertfordshire.
Book launch events always need considerable publicity, so Watford Museum, which is based on Lower High Street, may consider using flyer printing around Watford.
The book itself contains plenty of nostalgia about ordinary life in the 1920s, but it also includes interesting references to specific events. Recollections include memories of Bricket Wood fair, a circus at Leggatt’s Farm, a party in the garden of a local artist and a magic lantern show in Oxhey.
Mr Parrish was committed to the preservation of local heritage and the book should help the cause he believed in. The articles in the book were originally published during the early 1980s in a newspaper called The Evening Post-Echo, but having them collected in a really different format is a significant step for local historians.
