Borehamwood might have looked very different if two 1930s plans had not been halted by the War.
If it weren’t for the interruption caused by the Second World War, Borehamwood may have had a vastly different appearance due to two development plans that were halted. The John Laing company had acquired hundreds of acres in the area with the aim of creating a “garden town,” following the extension of the Underground system to Elstree Hill from Edgware.
By 1939, some new roads had already been built, including Ashley Drive and Balmoral Drive, which ran north-south and connected with Ripon Way, which in turn linked up with another north-south road, Manor Way/Cranes Way, located slightly to the east.
The outbreak of war brought John Laing’s work to a standstill. After the war ended, London was faced with a housing crisis, prompting the London County Council to propose a new plan centred around the roads that had already been built by Laing.
Aerofilms captured an aerial photograph of the area in 1939, which showed the construction of the new roads and the Home of Rest for Horses on Furzehill Road. Ripon Way, which ran across the fields, was built in anticipation of the development, and the future Ashley Drive was just being laid out with markers. The area where the modern-day Saffron Green School now stands briefly housed the “Barnet Grass Speedway” track, and beyond that was a rough area of ground where Tempsford Green is located today.
