plot 122 Wallington Rise

78 Mercia Road, Baldock

By Susan Hall

The reservation form 23 Jan 1983
Susan Hall
Goods included form
Susan Hall
Plot 122, chalk lines rear view
Susan Hall
Plot 122 Chalk Lines front view
Susan Hall
The foundations are laid, i'm standing where the front door would be, January 1983
Susan Hall
The floor base is laid, February 1983
Susan Hall
The garage base is laid, February 1983
Susan Hall
First floor walls going up February 1983
Susan Hall
Im Standing in the kitchin February 1983
Susan Hall
First floor walls are added, February 1983
Susan Hall
Staircase goes in, March 1983
Susan Hall
Window frames go in and Damp proofing are added, March 1983
Susan Hall
The brickwork has gone up and the windows are added. April 1983
Susan Hall
The roof has gone on, April 1983
Susan Hall
The front door is fitted so the house is water tight, April 1983
Susan Hall
Front door is finished and porch is added, April 1983
Susan Hall
No sign of the garage yet April 1983
Susan Hall
Garage completed, April 1983
Susan Hall
Foot path completed, May 1983
Susan Hall
Front garden cleared and path finished, May 1983
Susan Hall
78 Mercia Road, when completed, taken March 1988
Susan Hall
78 Mercia Road, The completed house, taken March 1988
Susan Hall

At the tender age of 22, my boyfriend (age 25) and I purchased our first home together.

Barrett were building a new estate in Baldock, just off the Wallington Road. Phase 1 had just been completed and phase 2 had just been released.

We ventured up to Baldock, but couldn’t find the estate, unlike now, it reaches the Royston Road, then it was not visable from the Royston road, it was just a small building site in the middle of a field.

We toured round the show homes that were available at the time and decided to purchase a Rosedale model, two bedroomed with a straight staircase.

We looked at the plot plan and chose plot 122, which was all it was at the time, just a plot number, which on the ground was a piece of mud. It was to become a two bedroomed end terrace/Semi detached house.

Barrett were offering first time buyers some good deals at the time, all the carpets were included, as was the cooker, fridge and washing machine.

On 23 January we signed the reservation forms for our plot. We then ventured up to the site every week and took photos of the progress made.

It did not take long for the base to go down, you can see the two sewage pipes, the one on the right would run from the bathroom, the one at the back is in the kitchin.

The house was finished by May 1983 and we moved in on the Whitson Weekend.

We stayed in this house until May 1988, when we moved back to Welwyn Garden City.

This page was added on 11/02/2013.

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  • Very interesting to find this article online.  We bought that house in June 2005 and are still here, November 2015.  It was so lovely to see where it first began and all the pictures.  Thank you to Susan Hall for the lovely memory.

    By Melanie Theakston (13/11/2015)