History of Watford

These developments gave the town excellent communications and stimulated its industrial growth during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Grand Union Canal, allowed coal to be brought into the district and paved the way for industrial development. The Watford Gas and Coke Company was formed in 1834 and gas works built. The canal allowed paper-making mills to be sited at Croxley. The John Dickinson and Co. mill beside the canal manufactured the Croxley brand of fine quality paper. There had been brewing in Watford from the 17th century and, by the 19th century, two industrial scale brewers Benskins and Sedgwicks were located in the town. The parish church of St Mary's was extensively restored in 1871. The town expanded slightly during this time, in 1850 two new streets alongside the high street were built, Queen's Road to the east and King Street to the west. During this time, Watford had a population of around 6,500

By 1891 the population of the town had risen to 17,063 and had become very cramped. Local landowners donated land for the development of the town and it was bought up by commercial interests. Various factories and other works sprung up in Watford, mostly breweries and prints, but also engineering works, a steam laundry, a cold storage company and a cocoa processing plant. The town expanded rapidly, most of the new inhabitants moving in from London

20th Century

At the start of the 20th century, Watford was mostly made up of narrow alleys and slums. Many of the buildings built by the breweries and other companies to house their workers in were cramped and unsanitary. There was a lot of contention between the industrial workers who lived in the backstreets and the rich merchants who owned the high street. This led to a riot in 1902, when celebrations for the king's coronation were