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Stan Green worked for John Crawford at the Attimore Hall farm as a General Manager and Cow Man from 1947 to 1957. He moved in with his wife Phyllis and daughters Doris and Barbara to Herns Cottage which was tied to the Attimore.

This picture was taken just before the Green family moved in. They are from left to right:

Barbara, Mother Phyllis, Father Stan and Doris.

The children used to play in and around the farm and Barbara even had a pet bullock!

The Crawfords would often go on extended holidays and the Green family would move into the Attimore farm house for the duration.

Herns Cottage was a small 'two up, two down' affair consisting of a living room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms. It stood completely alone as it had done since before 1898. It was some 250 metres to the north/west of Attimore Hall. It had a deep well to the east which was covered and bared from the children. It faced North/East.

It had a small back garden and a large front garden which sported a large lone apple tree. The roof had no felt and was poorly sealed. One time the snow blew under the eaves and the upstairs had to be abandoned.

There was a large cooking range in the kitchen.

Picture left shows Stan holding a 'working' bull outside the front door of the Attimore Hall in 1949. The bull's pedigree name was 'Kingswood Combine the second'.

Click on the picture for a larger view. Use back arrow to return.

Working with bulls was not without risk as Stan's daughter Barbara relates. There was a cantankerous old bull that once broke free and charged Stan. If it were not for a very brave Jack Russell dog named Jill, Stan would have almost certainly been killed. The small farm dog which always followed Stan about, attacked the bull and got tossed for its trouble! This gave Stan time to make his escape. The dog survived.

My favorite picture from the Green Family

A young girl (Barbara Green) has been given a Box Brownie camera to take a picture of her mother. She is a little uncertain about the viewfinder and her mother gives encouragement. The sun is shining and so is mothers smile. And so, a delightful picture of Herns Cottage in the sun with the garden and tree in lush growth. All gone now. From the angle of the sun this picture must have been taken mid to late afternoon.   Click on the picture for a closer view. Use the back arrow to return.

Here is a picture of Stan working with one of the many farm horses. These were kept in the stables which are still there today. They are to the right of the entrance to the Attimore Hall Pub and the roof is covered with a temporary plastic sheet.

To the left of the Attimore Hall, as seen from the front, is a small extension which used to be a separate Annex. During the time that the Green family were at the farm, there was a very old man named Charlie who lived there. He did some gardening and odd jobs. Possibly related to Olive Crawford, the farmers wife.

The Green family left when Stan was made redundant after the entire farm was bought by compulsory purchase by the Welwyn garden City Development Corporation in 1957.

Stan Green died at the end of July 1998. His wife Phyllis survives him.

Many thank goes to Barbara Bruccianni (nèe Green) for loaning the photographs and for recounting much of the above detail.