Here's some news from Watford in insufficient detail, some of which I could have written more about, one of which I might return to and one of which I definitely will.
• Watford has a new website encouraging you to visit Watford, live in Watford and move your business to Watford. It's called Watford Actually. I only laughed occasionally. "Watford offers the perfect blend of vibrancy and comfort" was one such occasion. "A lively town brimming with attractions for every interest!" was another, especially because they had to admit the Harry Potter Studio Tour isn't (quite) in Watford.
• If you were planning to book tickets for the Harry Potter Studio Tour this month you can't, it's sold out. The next available date (at time of writing) is 31st July on the last tour of the day at 6.30pm. If you want a tour before 5pm the earliest date is 17th August. If you want a tour before 3pm try September after the schools go back. The cheapest no-frills tour is £56, since you ask. You should see the queue at the bus stop outside Watford Junction station.
• In exciting news Watford's big shopping centre is being renamed The Harlequin Centre. I thought it already had been but when I reread last month's news story it actually said the change would happen "in the summer". For now it's still atria Watford, a rubbish name based on the fact the roof has a lot of glass. Before 2021 it was intu Watford, the rubbish name of a company destined to go bust. But before 2013 it was always the Harlequin Centre, a name suggested in a newspaper competition in 1992 when the place opened, which everybody in Watford's always loved so they're delighted it's coming back.
n.b. The Harlequin name is believed to have been inspired by the Harlequin line, which in 1988 became the official nickname for the railway line serving Watford High Street station (this because it passed through Harlesden and Queen's Park).
• I saw these bins in Cassiobury Park Avenue and I worried Watford Council had changed their logo again to some awful sunshine thing. Then I checked and it turns out the awful sunshine thing was the town's logo between 1997 and 2003, at which point the new Liberal Democrat administration sighed deeply and restored the traditional coat of arms. Then in 2016 they tweaked the shield and dumbed down the town's motto from 'Audentior' ("with greater boldness") to 'Be Bold'. That means these three bins are in fact showing three Watford logos in chronological order, first sunburst (1997-2003), then Audentior (2003-2016), then Be Bold (2016-now). Design agency Fresh Lemon gave the Watford council brand a jazzy revamp earlier this year but mainly only changed the backgrounds.
• Watford has a new orbital path called the Watford Green Loop. It's 6½ miles long and designed to be walked or wheeled for a decent bit of exercise. The route crosses Cassiobury Park (pictured), then follows the River Gade and (cough) crosses an industrial estate to the Ebury Way, a longstanding cycle path along a former railway line, then ticks off Oxhey Park before (cough) crossing a retail park and following a bit of the River Colne, finally looping round the top of the town centre and back to Cassiobury Park. If you live in North Watford it's not exactly convenient but needs must. The Watford Green Loop won the 2025 Local Government Chronicle ‘Future Places’ award earlier this week and the council are well chuffed. I'm very tempted to do a circuit.
• Watford also has a newish Heritage Trail in the town centre, complete with downloadable leaflet and snazzy information boards. Essentially it's a walk from the Town Hall to the Hornet statue - nothing too taxing - via some properly old buildings round the back of the church. It's nice to see Watford Museum staff doing something visible while they wait to reopen inside the Town Hall in 2027.
• If you ever danced the night away in the nightclub by The Pond, it closed on New Year's Day 2024 and was put up for sale with a £6m price tag. In its final days it was Pryzm but before that the 2500-capacity venue's been known as Top Rank, Bailey's, Paradise Lost, Kudos, Destiny and Oceana. A plan to replace it with 147 flats failed so it's still on the market, now for £4m, which means you can enjoy a short fly-through video here and get all nostalgic.
• Watford's Art Deco Colosseum, formerly the Assembly Halls, is said to have some of the best acoustics in the country. The production of Captain Pugwash I enjoyed as a birthday treat in 1974 was certainly top notch. However the concert hall's been closed since 2020 for (very) significant refurbishment, and is finally due to reopen on 29th August. The first event, unexpectedly, is a gig by Ocean Colour Scene supported by PP Arnold (followed in September by Jake Bugg, David Essex and The Stranglers).
• Not Watford, but The Sportsman pub in Croxley Green sadly closed at the end of February. It's currently To Let, like anyone is going to want to reopen a pub in a village that still boasts four pubs and a Harvester, but was also designated an Asset of Community Value last month which might save it.
• Not Watford, but Scotsbridge House at the foot of Scots Hill has been completely demolished. I was totally taken aback. I remember it as a crowded cluster of old buildings, and the sign outside for the British Friesian Cattle Society always had me intrigued. Alas it seems the farming organisation couldn't financially justify 40 employees rattling around in lovely premises by the River Chess so sold the site in 2023 and scarpered to Telford, and now every last bit of it is rubble. Coming soon are 59 flats, which I see come with 160 parking spaces which tells you all you need to know about the intended residents. Thankfully Three Rivers Museum made a lovely 10 minute video about the place back in 2015 so we'll always have that.
• Not Watford, but the Croxley Revels are on 28th June this year, and haven't you always wanted to go ever since you saw John Betjeman gently mocking it in his Metro-land documentary?
