Early picture of Bernards Heath

and possibly the site of the 2nd battle of St Albans 1481.

See larger image here

This is the earliest picture of the Heath that we know of that dates from the early 19th century.

The picture comes from a document entitled ‘Our own country’ and is published by Cassell and Co. Ltd. It was digitised by the the University of California. No author is mentioned.

It has been suggested that the view is looking north towards Sandridgebury and another suggestion is that the building in the distance is more likely to be St Leonard’s Church, Sandridge.

It is interesting that most of the pictures in the document mentioned above are easily relatable to local buildings or scenery, including those in St Albans, but this view could have been related to many locations, perhaps even including the artist’s mind.

Update 14th June 2023

A chance meeting by Peter Burley with a former resident of Sandbridgebury House has confirmed that the building in the picture is indeed her former home. What better provenance – thank you Peter.

The picture is currently exhibited in St Albans Museum + Gallery.


Autumn Action Day

Please join us for Autumn Action Day 2022

Sunday 20th November

litter picking
cutting back

Meet at Heath House, Heath Farm Lane, AL3 5AE
from 9.30 am

Bring Gloves and secateurs if you have them.
Litter pickers and bags will be provided.

Accompanied children and dogs welcome.


bags filled
leaves cleared

Thank you everyone
who took part.


Searching for information on Bernards Heath

Want to find out what’s happening on the Heath, or perhaps some aspect of history, or even how the weather has been, then bear in mind that help is at hand. There is a lot of information on this website, so if the menu items do not lead you to the right places, here are some ways to find what you are looking for.

Type in your search words into the box to the top right of the sidebar (column on the right).

or

The archives are good for searching specific Posts. They date back to 2014. Click the right arrows for a monthly search

or

Most posts have a category and an alphabelical list of these appears on the right hand sidebar.

or

Is able to match your query to match almost anything in the website. Amazing!

What does the Friends of Bernards Heath do for you?

The Friends of Bernards Heath (FoBH) believe that the Heath provides an exceptional natural amenity for the locality and the Society exists in order to protect, preserve and where appropriate enhance the Heath for the benefit of the neighbourhood as a whole. Membership provides you with a forum to express your opinions about the Heath and an opportunity to help preserve it for future generations.

We liaise with the Countryside Management Service and St Albans District Council to update the Greenspace Action Plan for Beech Bottom Dyke and Bernards Heath.

This is just a selection of work done by the Friends of Bernards Heath.


Campaigns to protect the Lower Field
from further development


Planned interpretation boards for the Heath, Sandridge Road Wastes
and Beech Bottom Dyke

Continue reading “What does the Friends of Bernards Heath do for you?”

July Weather Records

Temperatures

Many parts of the UK broke all temperature records in July, even reaching more than 40°C in Lincolnshire. We measured a maximum of 37°C on the 19th with a hot wind which was especially trying.

Rainfall

Total rainfall only 7.5 mm. This is not a record, but taken with relatively low rainfalls over the previous 5 months, means that there could be a shortage of water.

See Weather History for more details all previous temperature and rainfall data.

Another cherry tree drops branch in Sandridge Road

In April last year a cherry tree dropped a large branch in Sandridge Road. Now another cherry tree has dropped a smaller branch about 50m away, as shown below.

Police attend branch removal

FoBH Tree Warden Roger Miles says that ‘the original ornamental cherries on Sandridge Road have once again demonstrated that they are at the safe end of their lives’.

Continue reading “Another cherry tree drops branch in Sandridge Road”

Wars of the Roses

Round shot saved

weight 640g/1.41 lb.

A round shot from the second St Albans  (1461) battlefield has been saved from going into a private collection by the Battlefields Trust and the St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society (SAHAAS).

The round shot was discovered by a metal detectorist in the Bernards Heath area of St Albans in 2014 and displayed at the St Albans Museum in an exhibition in 2016, but it was never returned to its owner after the exhibition. John Morewood, SAHAAS president, tracked it down to a dealer in antique arms in Brighton.

Continue reading “Wars of the Roses”