1937 Kelly’s PO Directory of Herts: Walkern

Walkern is a village and parish on the river Beane, a feeder of the Lea, and is 6 miles north-north-east from Knebworth and 4 ½ east from Stevenage stations on the main line of the London and North Eastern railway, 9 ¾ north-by-west from Hertford and 32 from London, in the Hitchin division of the county, Broadwater Hundred, Stevenage petty sessional division, Hertford Union, Hitchin county court district and rural deanery, and archdeaconry and diocese of St Albans. The street forming the village is about 1 mile long.

The church of St Mary the Virgin is an edifice of flint and stone dating from about 1200 and consists of chancel, nave of four bays, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing 5 bells, one dated 1616, three 1713, and one 1833; the south aisle is Norman work, and has a priest’s chamber over it, but the greater part of the existing church belongs to the Perpendicular period; the chancel was rebuilt in 1878 in the Early English style and an organ chamber and vestry added; in a recess on the south wall is a remarkably fine effigy in stone of a knight in complete chain mail, with armed legs, probably representing one of the family of Lanvalei, who were lords of the manor from 1160 to 1220; on the wall of the vestry is a brass inscription to Richard, son of John Humberstone, 1581, the reverse of which bears the greater portion of an inscription to John Lovekyn, four times mayor of London, ob. 1370, and buried in St Michael’s, Crooked Lane, London: there is a brass with effigies to Edward Humberstone, ob.1583 and Anna (Welche) his wife and 8 children; the reverse of this brass is made up of eleven pieces out of several Flemish brasses of various dates from c. 1400 to 1510, and in parts commemorating the Van Lauwe and Gryse families: In 1903 it was on the wall of the north aisle; another, with effigies, to William Chapman, citizen and haberdasher of London, ob. 1621 and Anne, his wife, ob. 1636 and 12 children, and a third of a civilian and his wife, c. 1480, inscription lost: In 1882 a new aisle was erected on the north side of the chancel by the Rev JG Cotton-Browne MA DL in place of a faculty pew which had belonged to the family at Walkern Hall; the aisle, designed by Mr Hugh Roumieu Gough, architect, was opened on St Andrew’s Day, Nov. 30th 1882: In 1908 the embattled parapets of the church were rebuilt in flint and stone: there are 260 sittings, 240 being free.

The register dates from the year 1559. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £524, with 20 acres of glebe and a residence, in the gift of Kings College Cambridge, and held since 1937 by the Rev Christopher Sausmarez Carey MA, of Oriel College, Oxford.

There is a Congregational chapel, erected in 1811, with 150 sittings; also Baptist and Methodist chapels, a village hall, a playing field given by Miss Cotton Browne, an extensive cider & mineral water works, and a flour mill. The consolidated charities, administered by the Charity Trustees, consist of John Izard Pryor’s, dated 1861, and which invested in Consols, bring in £2 14s yearly; an unknown donor in 1707 gave 1 ½ acres of pasture at Yardley, now producing £3 yearly; another unknown donor left before 1786 3 ½ acres of arable land, bringing in £5 yearly; a third unknown donor before 1786 gave one acre at Brockwellshot, which yields £1 annually, and the rector pays 6s 8d as a yearly charge. There is in addition the interest on a sum of £300, left by the late Rev JG Cotton Browne, which is distributed in gifts to the poor at Christmas.

Walkern Hall, standing in a well-wooded park of 30 acres is the residence and property of Mrs Cotton-Browne, who is lady of the manor. Miss Cotton Browne, Albert H Farr Esq, John Inns esq and Mr Peter Pryor are the principle landowners.

The soil is gravel, flint and clay; subsoil various. The chief crops are wheat, barley, beans and turnips. The area is 2,986 acres of land and 6 of water; rateable value £5,019; the population in 1931 was 692.

At Walkern Bury, 1 mile east, are the remains of an old castle, portions only of the moat now remain; Bassett’s Green is 1 mile south-east and Clay End, a mile and a half south-east, are hamlets in this parish.

Post, MO, T & TED Office. Letters through Stevenage

Police Station, High Street

Private residents
Carey Rev Christopher Sausmarez MA (rector)
Caxill George Henry. Capel house
Cotton Browne Miss, Walkern Hall
Dearman Mrs. The Willows
Estwick Amos. Maybank
Gordon MW, JP. Walkern croft
Pearman Charles Edward. The Grange
Pearman Mrs. Mills house, Walkern Mill
Smythe Capt Allen. Church End cottage
Squarey Robert Owen. The Old Rectory
Wright Mrs. Springhill
Wright Samuel Eustace, Lyndhurst

Commercial (Marked thus * farm 150 acres or over)
Askew Frank R, insurance agent & clerk to the parish council
*Banks Philip A, farmer. Manor farm
Boorman Thomas Wm & Edgar O, cycle agents
Buckingham David, poultry farmer
Canning & Sons, builders
Cannon John & Son, boot makers
Carter Herbert, painter
Carter Herbert Lewis, insurance agent. Beulah
Chambers Anthony R, hairdresser. High Street
Churchouse Victor, grocer & post office. High Street
Collins Victor, games keeper to Miss Cotton Browne
*Cordell Joseph Harold, farmer, Bridgefoot farm
Enticknap Walter, wireless supplies dealer. High Street
Farrington Chas. AB, poultry farmer. High Street
Field Alexander Frank, gamekeeper. Boxwood
Foster D & sons, farmers. Rook’s Nest farm
Green E (Mrs), fruiterer & greengrocer. Lavender house
Green Emily (Mrs), undertaker. Fairview
Handscombe Bertie, baker
Hertfordshire County Library, public library
Hickman Alexander, insurance agent. Shanklin
Jennens Alfred & Lawrence, poultry appliance manufacturers. High Street
Kitchener JH & BF, grocers & drapers
Kitchener John Elliot, baker. Finches End
Parish William, farm bailiff to Miss Cotton Browne. Walkern Hall Farm
Red Lion PH (Wm H Winfield)
Reed Wilhelmina (Miss), shopkeeper
Ritch Cecil M, farmer. Finches farm
Robin Hood PH (Mrs Gertrude Waldock). High Street
Robinson Sidney, blacksmith
Saunders Percy, fruiterer & greengrocer. High Street
Sawyer Herbert R, butcher. Stevenage Road
Shepherd William Henry, butcher. High Street
*Sheppard Harold W, farmer. Walkern Bury farm
Spearman Ernest Jn, baker. High Street
Taylor Leonard Harold, confectioner. High Street
Village Hall (Miss Cotton Browne, sec)
Wackett Samson, farmer, Boxbury farm
*Welch AJ & FJ, farmers. Holmes & Bridges farms
Wigens Arthur, garage proprietor
Woods Frederick, confectioner. High Street
Wright Samuel & Co. (Walkern) Ltd, cider, mineral water & British wine manufacturers, Victoria Works.
Yew Tree PH (Harry Bish). High Street