 Hello, thank you for joining me on this lovely spring day. I'm dressed out for a walk on Chorleywood Common This is a lovely vast common in Chorleywood in the Free Rivers District of Hertfordshire What we're going to do today is we're going to go and have a look at the Seeders Estate And then we're going to walk down to the Metropolitan Railway to look at a possible halt that may or may not have once existed so the Seeders Estate is just up here It's one of two Former Stately Homes on Chorleywood Common. The other one is that way or a quarter of a mile or so, which we'll perhaps do in another video That's Chorleywood House, but today we're going to go and see a Seeders Estate Which this is the gatehouse for. Now going back to 1861 this common was owned by a man called John Saunders Gillat and He owned the common and he bought the Seeders Estate and what he did he modernized and improved the estate for his liking He demolished the Manor House and he built the Manor House which we're going to see today The estate now is a rather pleasant retirement village so in the grounds there's lots of little bungalows and flats for The elderly residents to live in so here we have the gatehouse cottage Now we're going to just walk up to the house have a look And then as I said, we're going to go down to the Metropolitan Line So these are some of the more recent developments. Well, I'd say in the last 25 years or so Maybe 30 years, maybe not quite 30 years. They built all these little bungalows It's probably is quite a nice place to retire now John Saunders Gillat, he so I said he owned the estate. He built the house Which we're going to see he was the Lord Mayor of Rikmansworth So when the Metropolitan Line was being built in the 1880s It was going to cut through his land now. He kind of was In one way he wasn't very happy about having to lose a bit of his land But in another way he was thinking well, you know, if I can get to London a bit easier Maybe it's not such a bad thing So what he did was he insisted on having his own private rail help built for his use so he could travel to and from London and If you look on some of the local Chawley Wood history websites, it tells you about this hole So what we're going to do we're going to go and investigate that Because there's a bit of a gray area as to whether there really ever was a hole But we'll we'll see that when we go down to the Metropolitan Railway So as we head across this lawn here, we're coming up to the house a very Impressive building very French looking. I think it looks them a Bit like a French Chateau just without the conical towers So if you were living in one of these houses or bungalows, you've got quite a nice place Well, like I say to retire to So here's the house. We're going to see it properly in a moment So it's I know I keep saying it's just seems like a nice place here Anyway, here's the house So here we have a lovely big Victoria Mansion with Union Jack flying plow on top One thing I will show you Like I said, it's a bit debatable. Did he ever get his railhole or not? Well, one thing he not sure he got it, but the estate certainly has now Does have a bus stop and just before I started making this video I actually saw the one bus of the day Coming and out. So if you live here, you have got your bus stop It's even quite a nice little bus shelter on the end of this building here Which I think is a garage block for some of the houses and it's not particularly regular bus service But you could get a bus if you want into Watford and out again So I think I saw the bus returning. Let's just have a look at the house So yeah, it's got big big mansard roof And like I said, I think it's quite French looking What we'll do we'll go around here I'll just show you the conservatory and what I'm going to do I'm going to head back out of the estate So I think inside is facilities for the residents of the Cedars Village You can see, I don't know, you might not be able to see I can see there's a library in there Probably was the orangery Mansard 4 There's no one in there So I'd say that was possibly an orangery I can see how they've got some stairs It's not a spiral staircase, but a staircase up, I don't know We'll be able to see that particularly easily And then there's like a walkway all around the top And we're coming down to the back of the house See that, how they've got a nice iron staircase going up I'd love to go in there and have a walk around the top But I don't know if I will Pith the back of the house You can see how they've built some more modern Retirement flats for that side Which I can see a nod to the original design They have quite a nice garden here I think well in Tonya tree there And there's some cedar trees So that's probably where they had the cedars of, the cedars of the state The house looks a bit different now Still very pleasant though So what I'm going to do now I'm going to head back to the gatehouse And we're going to walk across Chorleywood Common Down to the Metropolitan Railway And we'll see if John Saundersgillard Actually ever got this hole that he requested So we're now going to leave the cedars of the state And there's the mansion behind us This lime tree avenue which we came along when we arrived And as I said we're going to go down to the Metropolitan Line To try and find whether this hole ever was built Or not, see if we can see any evidence that there was a hole It's a very pleasant walk down there Down through an area of Chorleywood Common Known as Artichoke Dell As I said I do really like the common It's somewhere I often come for walks So I'm just going to show you a bit of that on the way There's the gatehouse again So to give you an idea of where we are The main road runs on over there Chorleywood Parish Church is only just behind Some trees but I can't actually see it And the Metropolitan Line is down here So it's about half a mile away So I'm just going to show you this first little bit Of the walk So the main vast expanse of the common And there's this rather nice little lane As you can see that takes us down Well this is actually dog kennel lane And we're going to walk all the way down dog kennel lane To Berry Lane Supposedly the hole was on Berry Lane But Berry Lane crosses the Metropolitan Line twice So we're going to have to look at both places it crosses it But first have a look at this property here I think this is quite an exciting property Sort of in a hole I always think here it's a bit like Reminds me this area of When I was a child and I used to watch Rupert the Bear The cartoon Rupert the Bear He lived in a village called Nutwood And it just reminds me A bit of that really So we are now We've got a little bit of woodland And we shall soon come to the area Called, oh it's a choked out well it's a pub Where I'm not going to go another pint But I probably would If things were a bit more normal at the time So the seed of the state is Just beyond the trees there So John Swann is good at he Like I said he owned all of the common And the seed is a state He's had the railway put through in 1881 And he asked for this hole He would have long after his time Also had the M25 put through his A state so one does wonder What he'd think of that I don't think he'd have probably asked For his own private junction Because there is a junction quite close This is the arctic choked out You can just see the black course pub down there So I'm going to carry on Until I get to the Metropolitan So we're now walking on down dog kennel lane You can just see the end of Surely were common behind me As you can see there's no pavement on this lane Which is you know quite a common thing On rural country lanes So not a problem But what they have done here Something quite exciting The lane carries on down there They've created this little path here In the hedge Which takes us off the lane And away from the traffic So we're now going to quite literally Going through this rural hedging Down to the Metropolitan lane I just like things like this That are just a little bit different From your average path Just makes going out for a walk a bit more fun And then of course the path has the stop here To cross the drive to one of the properties So we go up more steps And continue on There's the allotments on the other side Of dog kennel lane Now the hulks I was talking about As I said they were on Berry lane And just down here dog kennel lane Joins Berry lane and as I said it crosses Berry lane crosses the Metropolitan lane twice So we're going to inspect both bridge Looking for any possible signs That there could have once been a rail halt there So we're very nearly there now Weaving around the trees And then Just down here Is the junction So This is dog kennel lane Where that car is waiting The Citroen coming under the bridge is on Berry lane Berry lane continues off down there And of course there's the railway line So let's go and have a look See if we can see anything indicative of a hole It's all about that exciting path We'd have had to walk along there Which wouldn't be a problem But you know that path made it fun So this bridge here Which is 14 feet 9 inches high Was there once a railway halt here There are two glances Looking at the bank I deliberately did this video Before the summer came along because I wanted a fairly bare bank I can't see anything there Indicative of a hole I can't really on that side because It's already covered with evergreen Plants This bridge is MR96 So Metropolitan Railway Bridge 96 I assume they count up As you go out of London Looking towards Amersham Of course the other way Now regarding the halt Can't see anything So obviously there would have been a platform on both sides Can't see anything on that embankment Or that embankment for that matter Anything indicative of a halt To me I would say it can't have been here So there's a possibility The halt was at the next bridge Which we're gonna walk along and find But yeah I think we can rule out That there ever was a halt here At this bridge so I'm gonna walk back under A long berry lane to find the other bridge Continuing along Berry Lane We have another path taken Slightly away from the lane Like we did on Dawkins Lane So I'm continuing to enjoy The walk and enjoy Seeing the spring flowers The daffodils And the blossom So we now run Nicely parallel to Railway That's quite good, there were no trees there When everyone steam on the met It'd be a really good place to see a steam train Because they'd be working hard coming up the bank So this funny path I'm taking We get to here, there's another road junction Down more steps As you can see continues on Up there, now in a minute We're gonna come to somewhere Which I made a video about A couple of months ago So you'll see that in a moment Regarding this halt So until I saw the page On the Charlie Wood History website I didn't know there'd ever been a halt here I've got various books On the Metropolitan Line I couldn't see anything mentioned there And I've got various videos On the Metropolitan Line I've watched various other videos On the internet, nothing seems to mention this halt So it was becoming more and more Of a mystery that There's this halt mentioned But no one seems to know anything about it To me seems very unusual That there could be no pictures Of the halt And this exciting path ends here So yeah, to me I found all that a bit unusual There was no pictures Or any information apart from A couple of lines about it On some of the Charlie Wood Local history websites It mentioned it So it does make me wonder Did it ever exist, but On one of the Charlie Wood history websites It does say That you can still see the steps So we didn't see any steps back there So we'll certainly look at the next bridge So there must be something To see, but I am Starting to doubt Did this halt ever exist Now have a look at this in front of us This is the M25 Which would have also gone through John Saunders Gillette's land Like I said earlier though It may not have been alive to have witnessed that But no doubt It may not have been best pleased So you may remember I did a video here Said a couple of months ago Have a look at the link on screen now That was where I took you down We walked under here and had a look Because I always said it was one of my favourite views Out of a train on the Metropolitan Line A couple of people though in the comments They pointed out how you can quite clearly see Where the Metropolitan Metropolitan Line, the M25 Has had an extra lane put in So I wasn't going to show you there But the sun's in the way so I'm going to show you On the other side So here is that very vast space And the Metropolitan Line Is like a model railway On a shelf up there But for that do, as I said Watch that video If you have a look at here I've got those columns See these ones here, these are the newer ones They'll be the same on the other side It was just a bit sunny there So it wasn't so easy to show you You can see looking up there You can quite clearly see how this is a newer section Of bridge And we're very close now to the other bridge On Bury Lane So if there is any sign of any steps For this mysterious halt It's got to be here So I wonder what we're going to find I'm doubting the halt existed Am I about to be proved Be proved wrong We'll very soon find out So Different sort of bridges One, not the Brick Arts Bridge We're going up quite a steep hill Bury Lane changes From a flattest road along the valley To a steep hill, it'll take you up to The Mile End Area Of Rickmansworth We've got another quite a posh estate here If you've followed that down That'll take you into Rickmansworth This location Looks even less Appropriate for a halt The topography doesn't seem right That said though, it would be a more convenient route Because about where the M25 Is, there would have been another Lime Tree Avenue once Up to the seat of the state So probably a better location for a halt But not an easier location So potentially He could have got on and off the train here And walked up there But did he ever have the halt? That's the question Again, on there I don't see anything indicative of a halt I cannot see any steps But we've still got the other side So what will we find? Mrs. M. R. 95 So Metropolitan Bridge 95 So yeah, they do count up From London Let's have a look Yeah, okay Can see some steps I don't think They're quite old enough to be Have a look at that, look, yeah, okay There is definitely some steps Remains of steps going up there I don't think they date back to the time That the Metropolitan Line was built I think they're engineer steps They've been added at a later date They've worn out And whoever Right in the local history website Well meaningly Assumed they were the steps from the halt So my conclusion is The halt never existed Yes John Saunders give up Requested the halt I believe that because that was quite common At the time when Landowners had a railway through the land Yes he requested the halt I don't think he ever got the halt If you want to prove me wrong Please do, but like I said Don't just show me those two websites Because that's where I got my information from Disproved that, so as far as I'm concerned There never was a halt here Also there's no suggestion of what it's name was And like I said, everything I've looked at on the Metropolitan Railway There's no mention of it at all So I think we're finishing the video here At a halt that never existed But where trains pass through So I hope you enjoyed this video Thank you very much for watching Please do feel free to like, subscribe and comment And from the halt which I'm pretty sure never ever existed Thank you very much for watching Goodbye