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Collection of books on Welwyn Garden City

Welwyn Garden City Directory 1969-70

Author: -

First published: 1969 by Welwyn Garden City and District Chamber of Commerce.

Format: Paperback 8½" by 5½" with 112 pages.

There were two Welwyn Garden City handbooks issued at almost the same time. This one is the Welwyn Garden City Directory 1969-70 published by Welwyn Garden City and District Chamber of Commerce. The other one is the Welwyn Garden City Official Guide 1970 issued by authority of the Welwyn Garden City Urban District Council (my notes on that publication can be accessed via my WGC book index - use the link at top of this page).

The last 47 of the 112 pages of the Directory comprise a Street Directory which names the heads of household for each house in the town, listed by street and house number. There is no corresponding list of householders alphabetically by surname as there was in some previous town guides.

There are 36 pages of advertisements in the Directory. This leaves 29 pages for other information.


CONTENTS

      Foreword
      General Information
      Useful Addresses
            Educational
            Health and Welfare
            Doctors and Dentists
            Churches
      Clubs and Societies
            Drama, Music, Political
            Sports
            General
      Classified Directory
            Professional and General
      Retail Directory
      Industrial Directory
      Index of Advertisers
      Street Map
      Street Directory

Glued in the centre of the book is a fold-out 14" by 10" street plan of Welwyn Garden City. This is almost identical to the plan in the 1970 WGC Official Guide. The only differences I can spot are four: in Directory, Black Fan Road extended to Holwell Hyde Crossing; in Directory, Mundells extended to Hertford Road with new junction to Lumbards half-way along; in Directory, shape and position of QE-II Hospital building slightly amended; in Guide, High School becomes Sir Frederick Osborn School; in Guide, Stoney Cross becomes Stoney-Croft.

The book is purely a commercial directory and there are no written articles, and no pictures of buildings apart from a few included in the advertisments.

Welwyn Department Store food hall (from advertisement)

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Polypenco Ltd works (from advertisement)

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Smith & Nephew works (from advertisement)

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Roche Products Limited (from advertisement)

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Fold-out street plan from the handbook

Welwyn Garden City Street Plan

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