EPW021444 ENGLAND (1928). St Mary's Church and the High Street, Watford, 1928

Duddenhill - a house name that I know well, as I do the Fisher family name.

In 1955 as a youngster I moved to Stratford Road Watford, into a new family home designed by my architect father. It was built on the purchased garden of a large house that was fronted on Park Road, next to the Stratford Road junction. On the other side of our new house and garden was a property called Duddenhill, including a grand house built I would think in the 1920s by the look of it. The occupant was a wealthy widow, Mrs Fisher. So, it seems that the Fisher family retained the house name when their previous residence that you mention in Clarendon Road (let's call it Duddenhill no 1) was sold and demolished. (At one time, Clarendon Road was pretty much entirely a road of grand houses from the Junction Station up almost to the High Street).

Later (1963) we moved to Watford Heath and old Mrs Fisher bought our house and moved into it from next door as she had found her house too big. Our house had been called The Garden House but she re-named it Duddenhill (the 3rd one). It's no 25 Stratford Road. Her original Stratford Road Duddenhill is still there (I guess with a different name or just a road number) but the lower part of its garden that ran down to Langley Road was sold and St Thomas United Reformed Church was built there. On Mrs Fisher's death or some time soon thereafter, more than half of the garden of the latest Duddenhill (once our Garden House) was sold off for development and thus yet another house now sits between Duddenhills nos 2 and 3.

A A Fisher became a big wholesale and retail butchers business with many outlets. These days it has just one small (but very good) shop in Gerrards Cross. I believe that they still have a wholesale butchery near the bottom of Wiggenhall Road Watford by the railway line. About 1956 when just 5 years old a nearby friend of mine was Billy Fisher. Not surprisingly he lived in a big house with fine grounds (inc donkeys in a pen) in Nascott Wood Road Watford. Bill I think is MD of Fishers now but possibly beginning to take a bit of a back seat for younger generations. RW 2014.