Elstree Way, WD6

Elstree Way connects Shenley Road and the A1 in Borehamwood.

MGM in Elstree Way when first built on a rural site. The first industry has moved in on the other side of the road.
Credit: Aerofilms

Elstree Way was constructed in the early 1930s and has contained the municipal centre of the town with Hertsmere Borough Council’s Civic Offices, the Police, Fire and Ambulance Stations, Library, the Venue Leisure Centre, Oaklands College and the Job Centre.

This end of Borehamwood originally had three farms and all the roads that linked them were just paths and tracks.

By 1938, development on both sides of Elstree Way had commenced. Through the following decades in a number of small individual building clusters sprung up. Notable along Elstree Way at various times were Elliots/GEC/Marconi, Sellotape, Carl Zeiss Scientific Instruments and Christian Salvesen.

Elstree Way was best known though for its film studios. Amalgamated was being constructed in Elstree Way when the developer went bankrupt and Lord Rank purchased the facility and 120 acres of land before it opened and then leased it to the Government at the outbreak of war.

In 1944, MGM were looking for a European base and purchased the studio and in 1946 began its completion and opening. The first MGM production to be made their was Edward, My Son starring Spencer Tracy. MGM was a going concern until 1970 having made 2001 - A Space Odyssey, Ivanhoe and many other movies. MGM created a huge backlot by buying the adjacent Thrift Farm. To the north of Elstree Way - huge sets were built during those decades becoming a feature of living in Borehamwood including castles, Wild West towns and more.

Today, nothing is left other than the base of the wall that ran along the front of the site and an electricity sub power station built in 1947. The MGM white clock tower continued to stand until 1986.

The Elstree Way Hotel was built around 1935 and was a pub, pub training centre and for a while the Borehamwood terminus of bus routes coming out of London. The Elstree Way Hotel was demolished in the 1980s to make way for new road layouts. Those new roads were built on the site of MGM with roads being named after movie stars and other notables in the film industry.

A surge in the population came with compulsory land purchasing by London County Council after the Second World War to cater for the baby boom families and roads to the south of Elstree Way were constructed along with housing.

Elstree Way covers the length of the route designated the A5135. The A5135 gained its number in the 1960s.

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence

Click here to explore another London street
We now have 612 completed street histories and 46888 partial histories
Find streets or residential blocks within the M25 by clicking STREETS

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LOCALITY

Irene Smith Keystone Passage, WD6 Added: 30 Jun 2017 15:46 GMT	Keystone Passage, WD6 My mother worked at Keystones in the 1940s before she was married. She later worked at home which a lot of people did. You would often see people walking around Boreham Wood with boxes filled with piecework for the factory. Reply
Eve Glover Holmesley Road, WD6 Added: 22 Oct 2022 09:28 GMT	Shenley Road Shenley Road is the main street in Borehamwood where the Job Centre and Blue Arrow were located Reply
Colin Trotman Red Lion Added: 28 Oct 2020 14:35 GMT	Old Red Lion I feel your suggestion that the Old Red Lion on Green Street was ’demolished in 1962’ is incorrect; I was born in Borehamwood in 1957, and remember it well - must have therefore still been there in the mid sixties at least. Reply
The Underground Map Red Lion Added: 24 Nov 2020 14:02 GMT	Red Lion demolition There were two pubs in Green Street. While our source of information may be incorrect, the second one we think DID last until the late 1960s as Patrick McGoohan drank there while creating ’The Prisoner’ Reply

LATEST LONDON-WIDE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT

Loraine Brocklehurst Holcombe Road, N17 Added: 24 May 2023 14:00 GMT	Holcombe Road, N17 I lived at 23Holcombe Rd. with my parents, Grandfather , Aunt and Uncle in 1954. My Aunt and Uncle lived there until it was demolished. I’m not sure what year that was as we emigrated to Canada. Reply
Jen Williams Corfield Street, E2 Added: 20 May 2023 17:27 GMT	Corfield Street, E2 My mother was born in 193 Corfield Street in 1920.Her father was a policeman. Reply
sofia East Acton Added: 19 May 2023 08:57 GMT	43 MELLITUS STREET 43 MELLITUS STREET Reply
Milson Road, W14 Added: 17 May 2023 11:50 GMT	Milson Road (1908 - 1954) My grandparents and great grandparents and great great grandparents the Manley family lived at 33 Milson Road from 1908 to 1935. My grandad was born at 33 Milson Road. His parents George and Grace had all four of their chidren there. When his father Edward died his mother moved to 67 Milson in 1935 Road and lived there until 1954 (records found so far, it may be longer). Before that they lived in the Porten Road. I wonder if there is anyone that used to know them? My grandad was Charles ’Ted’ Manley, his parents were called George and Grace and George’s parents were called Edward and Bessie. George worked in a garage and Edward was a hairdresser. Reply
Rendlesham Road, E5 Added: 16 Apr 2023 15:55 GMT	Rendlesham Road, E5 I lived at 14 Rendlesham Road in the 1940s and 50s. The house belonged to my grandfather James Grosvenor who bought it in the 1920s for £200.I had a brother who lived in property until 1956 when he married. Local families were the paisleys, the Jenners and the family of Christopher Gable. Reply
Sandra Field Masons Place, EC1V Added: 15 Apr 2023 16:15 GMT	Removal Order Removal order from Shoreditch to Holborn, Jane Emma Hall, Single, 21 Pregnant. Born about 21 years since in Masons place in the parish of St Lukes. Source: Sign up Reply
Sue Germain Southwood Road, SE9 Added: 10 Apr 2023 08:35 GMT	Southwood Road, SE9 My great great grandfather lived in Time Villa, Southwood Rd around 1901. He owned several coffee houses in Whitechapel and in South London, including New Time Coffee House so either his house was named after the coffee house or vice versa. Reply
David Gleeson Campbell Road, N4 Added: 7 Apr 2023 22:19 GMT	MBE from Campbell Bunk (1897 - 1971) Walter Smith born at 43 Campbell Bunk was awarded the MBE in january honours list in 1971. A local councillor for services to the public. Reply

NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE

Holmshill School was a secondary school in Borehamwood.

Bullbaiter’s Farm Bullbaiter’s Farm in 1905.

Bullbaiter’s Farm

Bullbaiter’s Farm Sale (1905) Bullbaiter’s Farm was located at the bottom of the modern Bullhead Road.

Bullbaiter’s Farm Sale (1905)

Bullbaiters Farm Bullbaiters Farm near Boreham Wood was originally called Bullbeggar's Farm - Bullbeggar meaning 'hobgoblin' or 'scarecrow'.

Bullbaiters Farm

Horse and cart at Bullbaiter’s Farm Horses and a cart at Bullbaiters (Bullbeggar’s) Farm, c1880.

Horse and cart at Bullbaiter’s Farm

Thrift Farm Thrift Farm was a farm in Boreham Wood.

Thrift Farm

Thrift Farm (1967) A rare view of Thrift Farm, before the creation of the "Studio Estate".

Thrift Farm (1967)

NEARBY STREETS

Adecco House Elstree Way, WD6 Adecco House Elstree Way is a location in London.

Adecco House Elstree Way, WD6

Ark Avenue, WD6 Ark Avenue has been built on the former Holmshill School site.

Ark Avenue, WD6

Armstrong Close, WD6 Armstrong Close is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Armstrong Close, WD6

Banks Road, WD6 Banks Road is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Banks Road, WD6

Borehamwood Industrial Park, WD6 Borehamwood Industrial Park is a location in London.

Borehamwood Industrial Park, WD6

Buchanan Court, WD6 This is a street in the WD6 postcode area

Buchanan Court, WD6

Bullhead Road, WD6 Bullhead Road was one of the earliest streets of the Laing Estate.

Bullhead Road, WD6

Capital Business Park, WD6 Capital Business Park is a location in London.

Capital Business Park, WD6

Chester Road, WD6 Chester Road is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Chester Road, WD6

Corfe Close, WD6 Corfe Close is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Corfe Close, WD6

Croft Court, WD6 Croft Court is a location in London.

Croft Court, WD6

Delta Court, WD6 Delta Court is a location in London.

Delta Court, WD6

Devonshire Business Park, WD6 Devonshire Business Park is a location in London.

Devonshire Business Park, WD6

Devonshire House, WD6 Devonshire House is a location in London.

Devonshire House, WD6

Dunster Court, WD6 This is a street in the WD6 postcode area

Dunster Court, WD6

Durham Road, WD6 Durham Road is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Durham Road, WD6

Elstree Distribution Park, WD6 Elstree Distribution Park is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Elstree Distribution Park, WD6

Elstree Gate, WD6 Elstree Gate is a location in London.

Elstree Gate, WD6

Foster House, WD6 Foster House is a location in London.

Foster House, WD6

Hancock Court, WD6 Hancock Court is a location in London.

Hancock Court, WD6

Hawkins Close, WD6 Hawkins Close is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Hawkins Close, WD6

Hay Close, WD6 Hay Close is a location in London.

Hay Close, WD6

Hertshill Gardens, WD6 Hertshill Gardens is a location in London.

Hertshill Gardens, WD6

Hertsmere Industrial Park, WD6 Hertsmere Industrial Park is a location in London.

Hertsmere Industrial Park, WD6

Holmes End Road, WD6 Holmes End Road is a location in London.

Holmes End Road, WD6

Holmesley Road, WD6 Holmesley Road is a location in London.

Holmesley Road, WD6

Kelly Close, WD6 Kelly Close is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Kelly Close, WD6

Kelly Court, WD6 Kelly Court is a location in London.

Kelly Court, WD6

Korda Close, WD6 Korda Close is a location in London.

Korda Close, WD6

Langdale Terrace, WD6 Langdale Terrace is a location in London.

Langdale Terrace, WD6

Laughton Court, WD6 Laughton Court is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Laughton Court, WD6

Leigh Court, WD6 Leigh Court is a location in London.

Leigh Court, WD6

Lockwood Court, WD6 Lockwood Court is a location in London.

Lockwood Court, WD6

Lowen Close, WD6 Lowen Close is a location in London.

Lowen Close, WD6

Manor Place, WD6 Manor Place is a location in London.

Manor Place, WD6

Manor Point, WD6 Manor Point is a location in London.

Manor Point, WD6

Mason Close, WD6 Mason Close is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Mason Close, WD6

Maxwell Road, WD6 Maxwell Road is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Maxwell Road, WD6

Mills Court, WD6 Mills Court is a location in London.

Mills Court, WD6

Nicholas Hawksmoor Drive, WD6 Nicholas Hawksmoor Drive is a location in London.

Nicholas Hawksmoor Drive, WD6

Oaks Court, WD6 Oaks Court is a location in London.

Oaks Court, WD6

Pinewood Close, WD6 Pinewood Close is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Pinewood Close, WD6

Premiere House, WD6 Premiere House is a location in London.

Premiere House, WD6

Rutherford Close, WD6 Rutherford Close is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Rutherford Close, WD6

Studio Way, SW17 Studio Way is a location in London.

Studio Way, SW17

Studio Way, WD6 Studio Way is the main road through the Studio Estate in Borehamwood.

Studio Way, WD6

Taylor Court, WD6 Taylor Court is a location in London.

Taylor Court, WD6

Thrift Farm Lane, WD6 Thrift Farm Lane used to run to Thrift Farm.

Thrift Farm Lane, WD6

Todd Close, WD6 Todd Close is a location in London.

Todd Close, WD6

Tomblin Close, WD6 Tomblin Close is a location in London.

Tomblin Close, WD6

Warwick Place, WD6 Warwick Place is a location in London.

Warwick Place, WD6

Warwick Road, WD6 Warwick Road is a road in the WD6 postcode area

Warwick Road, WD6

Windsor Court, WD6 Windsor Court is a location in London.

Windsor Court, WD6

Winter Walk, WD6 Winter Walk is a location in London.

Winter Walk, WD6

York Crescent, WD6 York Crescent was created to connect industrial areas off of Elstree Way.

York Crescent, WD6

York Way, WD6 York Way is the remnant of a service road which used to serve the MGM studios.

York Way, WD6

Click here to explore another London street
We now have 612 completed street histories and 46888 partial histories

Borehamwood

Borehamwood is a town of approximately 30 000 residents in southern Hertfordshire, just outside London, and part of the London commuter belt.

Borehamwood, more commonly called Boreham Wood before the LCC estate was built, is part of the borough of Hertsmere. The town is often associated with the nearby village Elstree (being part of the ancient parish of Elstree), the two still share a local council, now called the Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council.

The A1 passes just to the east of the town, and the M25 passes about two miles north of it.

Since the 1920s, the town has been the location of several film studios. The former British National Studios on Clarendon Road are now the BBC’s Elstree Television Studios. One of BBC’s popular soaps, EastEnders, is produced at the BBC studios, as well as popular medical drama Holby City. ’Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’, ’Big Brother’ and major feature films are filmed at the Elstree Studios in Shenley Road.

LOCAL PHOTOS

Click here to see map view of nearby Creative Commons images
Click here to see Creative Commons images near to this postcode
Click here to see Creative Commons images tagged with this road (if applicable)

Mops and Brooms, Well End TUM image id: 1556828647 Licence: CC BY 2.0	View of Borehamwood (1928) Credit: Aerofilms TUM image id: 1556885103 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Barnet grass speedway in operation (1930s) This track was situated beside the A1 Barnet By Pass in what is now Borehamwood, south of the Thatched Barn. Saffron Green primary school was built over the site in the 1950s. TUM image id: 1526569186 Licence:	Thatched Barn TUM image id: 1488372418 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Summerswood Primary School Credit: Eve Glover TUM image id: 1526567167 Licence: CC BY 2.0
Horses and a cart at Bullbaiters (Bullbeggar’s) Farm c1880 The area has been built over and the farm was approximately where Bullhead Road, Borehamwood is now. Bullbeggar meant "hobgoblin" or "scarecrow." TUM image id: 1469052965 Licence:	Farmer George King retired from running Bullbaiter’s Farm on 25 March 1905. The farm was the property of the Earl of Strafford of Wrotham Park, South Mimms. TUM image id: 1469056023 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Auction of farm goods from BullBaiters Farm. Boreham Wood after the retirement of farmer George King. TUM image id: 1469056803 Licence:	Thift Farm taken from stills in the TV series "The Prisoner" TUM image id: 1474208118 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Still from the TV series "The Avengers" taken as one of the protaganists cycles towards Thrift Farm Lane from Thrift Farm Credit: ATV Studios TUM image id: 1489767774 Licence: CC BY 2.0
Hedges decorated for the 1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V. TUM image id: 1522834902 Licence: CC BY 2.0	Hillside School Credit: Eve Glover TUM image id: 1522577725 Licence: CC BY 2.0	MGM-British studios, Borehamwood on 2 May 1966 This was a major centre for UK film production. Alongside the 1966 sets depicted on the backlot, the late 1960s alone saw Kubrick’s ’2001: A Space Odyssey’ and TV series ’The Prisoner’ (when not in Portmerion) based there With MGM built over by a 1970s housing estate, the movie industry continues with the 2022-built Sky Studios Elstree (which is in Borehamwood, not Elstree) which is now just to the right of the greenhouses on the 1966 image. TUM image id: 1665761536 Licence:

In the neighbourhood...

Click an image below for a better view...

Mops and Brooms, Well End
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Horses and a cart at Bullbaiters (Bullbeggar’s) Farm c1880 The area has been built over and the farm was approximately where Bullhead Road, Borehamwood is now. Bullbeggar meant "hobgoblin" or "scarecrow."
Licence:

Farmer George King retired from running Bullbaiter’s Farm on 25 March 1905. The farm was the property of the Earl of Strafford of Wrotham Park, South Mimms.
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Auction of farm goods from BullBaiters Farm. Boreham Wood after the retirement of farmer George King.
Licence:

Thift Farm taken from stills in the TV series "The Prisoner"
Licence: CC BY 2.0

Still from the TV series "The Avengers" taken as one of the protaganists cycles towards Thrift Farm Lane from Thrift Farm
Credit: ATV Studios
Licence: CC BY 2.0

MGM-British studios, Borehamwood on 2 May 1966 This was a major centre for UK film production. Alongside the 1966 sets depicted on the backlot, the late 1960s alone saw Kubrick’s ’2001: A Space Odyssey’ and TV series ’The Prisoner’ (when not in Portmerion) based there With MGM built over by a 1970s housing estate, the movie industry continues with the 2022-built Sky Studios Elstree (which is in Borehamwood, not Elstree) which is now just to the right of the greenhouses on the 1966 image.
Licence:

MAP YEAR:	1750	1800	1810	1820	1830	1860	1900	1950	2023	Show map without markers
ZOOM:	14 15 16 17	14 15 16 17	14 15 16 17	14 15 16 17	14 15 16 17	14 15 16 17	14 15 16 17 18	14 15 16 17	14 15 16 17 18
	TIP: Adjust the MAP YEAR and ZOOM to tweak historical maps