By Chris Guy posted on 17 Sep 2023 in Urban

Watford, Hertforshire

I grew up in in the 1970s and 1980s in Abbots Langley, a village 5 miles north of Watford. In 1985 and 1986 I was studying 'A' level photography at Watford College on Water Lane. The majority of the photographs here were shot in either '84 or '85. The black & white images were processed in my darkroom at the family home.

I've recently re-scanned them from the original negatves and happy to post them here. The high street has changed a bit since the 80's!

Please note all the images are copyright © Chris Guy. If you wish to use any of the images please get in touch.

Watford 1985. A shirtless man and a woman in a skirt walk past a shopfront covered in 'SALE' signs beneath a 'HARVEYS' curtain and linen specialists sign.

Harveys, Watford High Street 1985

Watford 1984. A man sits on a wooden bench by the pavement, reading a newspaper, a shopping bag at his feet and shopfronts visible across the road.

Queens Road 1984

Watford 1984. A man in a grey suit stands on the pavement, back to camera, staring at a shop window protected by a metal grille on a quiet street.

Jewellers window, 1984

Watford 1984. A woman in a polka-dot dress adjusts items on a bicycle outside shops in a sunny town centre beside benches and a planter.

Cycle rack outside Littlewoods. Queens Road, 1984

Black-and-white scene of a busy indoor corridor at Watford Market, with people walking and queuing, some blurred foreground figures.

Watford Market, inside Charter Place, 1984

Watford 1984. Black-and-white photo of supermarket worker pushing and maneuvering shopping trolleys through an entrance as people walk past.

Supermarket entrance, Charter Place, 1984

Watford 1984. Black-and-white photo of a man pushing a long row of nested shopping trolleys across a wet courtyard, two onlookers in the foreground and a bicycle by the wall.

Collecting the trolleys. Charter Place. 1984

Watford 1984. Black-and-white photo of a covered shopping arcade. Shoppers pass shop windows while a bearded man in sunglasses leans on a railing holding a shopping bag.

British Home Stores. First floor, Charter Place, 1984

Watford 1985. Rooftop view over a brick church with a tall bell tower beside a vertical blue for 'CHARTER PLACE' beneath a pale sky.

Beechen Grove Baptist Church from the Charter Place car park

Watford 1985. Woman and two young children sit on a bench; one child in a pram, the other in red overalls eating a snack, with buses and shops in the background.

Outside Watford Palace Theatre, 1985

Sainsburys Watford 1984. Busy checkout: a row of cashiers in matching uniforms ringing up shoppers at multiple tills, with trolleys and overhead signage.

Sainsbury's Supermarket, Watford 1984

Sainsburys Watford 1984. Supermarket worker in uniform checks canned goods on shelves, holding a clipboard while other shoppers browse the aisles.
Sainsburys Watford 1984. Supermarket worker with a shopping trolley examines items in a brightly lit aisle filled with toiletries and household products; another shopper browses in the background.

 

Watford 1984. Person with a mohawk and red sweater browsing vinyl records in an Our Price record shop filled with racks, posters and a glass display.

Our Price Records, Watford High Street 1984

Watford 1984. Interior of a busy record store: rows of vinyl records in sleeves, racks lining both sides, several customers browsing under warm red overhead lighting.

Our Price Records, Watford High Street 1984

Woolworths, Watford 1984. Shoppers browse aisles of a brightly lit 1980s-style department store, with sunglasses displays, counters and long fluorescent ceiling lights.

Interior of Woolworths, 1984

Watford 1984. Two women seen from behind walking on a sidewalk past a shop window, carrying handbags; "FREE DELIVERY" signs visible.

Shoppers on the high street, 1984

Watford mid 1980s. A shop window packed with colorful high-heeled shoes, superimposed with reflections of pedestrians, a van and shop signs in a busy street scene.

Shop window reflections

Watford mid 1980s. Black-and-white photo of two female mannequins posed in a shop window, their reflections blending with the street and building facades behind them.

Shop window manequins

Black-and-white photo of a small car accessory shop: a woman sits behind a cluttered counter holding a cup by a cash register, surrounded by hanging tools, packaged parts and supplies.

Unipart, car accessories shop

Watford 1985. Black-and-white cityscape from a rooftop: railing in foreground, C&A sign, a curving street, low-rise buildings including 'Senior House', and distant tree-covered hills.

Watford one-way system from the roof of Charter Place, 1985

Watford 1985. Black-and-white cityscape: road flanked by trees and older brick buildings to the left, a spiral multi-storey car park to the right, under an overcast sky.

Clarendon Road, Watford 1985

Watford 1985. Black-and-white image of layered brutalist concrete ramps and curved walls, framing a distant cityscape through narrow rectangular openings.

Multi-Storey car park detail, Watford 1985

Watford 1985. Monochrome urban view with a multi-storey car park, blurred traffic on a main road and rows of small buildings and houses beneath a cloudy sky.

Watford cityscape, 1985

Watford 1985. Black-and-white photo of a concrete pedestrian ramp and railing leading to a multi-story building with a 'YMCA' sign; a person stands at the far end.

Charter Place shopping centre, Watford 1985

Watford 1985. Black-and-white urban scene: cars in a gravel car park with concrete bollards, a bus and low-rise buildings, and a YMCA high-rise visible in the background.

Beechen Grove, Watford 1985

Watford 1985. Black-and-white photo of a quiet residential street with terraced houses, parked cars along the curb, and a small cat crossing the road.

Black Cat, Watford 1985

Watford 1984. Two older women stand on a city street—one traffic warden in a uniform and cap with a satchel, the other in a patterned dress holding a brown handbag, with construction scaffolding and a van behind them.
Watford 1984. Two men in suits talk in front of "HARVEYS" curtain and linen shop window plastered with red "SALE" signs.

 

Watford 1984. Three workers in blue shirts install wooden framing around a shop doorway, with tools scattered on the ground and a red phone box in the background.

Shopfitting, 1984

Watford 1984. Two women sit on a wooden bench viewed from behind; one reads a newspaper, a bag rests between them, with a tree and a city sidewalk in the background.

Shoppers, Watford 1984

Watford 1984. A man in a striped shirt leans over a shopping trolley, examining canned drinks on supermarket shelves stocked with sodas and juices.

Tizer the Appetizer - Sainsbury's 1984

Watford 1984. Two people on ladders measure a storefront window while a striped-top mannequin in a red skirt stands in the display; street reflections show behind the glass.

Window dressing, Watford High Street 1984

Watford 1984. Black-and-white city scene: pedestrians cross a busy paved area and street with vintage cars and shopfronts (Dixons, Ryman) in the background.

Watford High Street, 1984

Black-and-white view from inside a train carriage, window frames showing the platform and a roundel sign reading "WATFORD" beyond the glass.

The Metropolitian Line at Watford

Watford 1984. Black-and-white photo inside a metropolitan tube carridge: four passengers sit chatting, sunlight streams through the window, with route map and signage visible overhead.

The Metropolitian Line at Watford

Watford 1984. Nighttime city scene: a long line of people and lit storefronts along a waterside promenade, colorful illuminated fountains reflecting in the pool.

Queue for Baileys nightclub. Watford 1984

Tagged with:
1980s film

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