M25 Ridge


Post to the north South Mimms
Post to the west Mimms Lane ford
Post to the south Ridge
Post to the east South Mimms, Bignall's corner



Blanche Lane
Clare Hall. The house was built in 1754, around an existing early 17th century house by Thomas Roberts. It was enlarged between 1797-1842 and became a convent in 1886,, The  Manor was renovated in 1988 and now contains a restaurant, meeting rooms and accommodation for the employees on site.
St. Monica's Priory. This was in Clare Hall 1886-1896.
Clare Hall Hospital. The house became a private smallpox hospital in 1896, taking some cases from local authorities in Middlesex.  The hospital had been established in Clerkenwell in 1746 as the Middlesex County Hospital for Small-pox by Thomas Poole and moved to various premises subsequently. They moved here despite objections from local people and extensions were built. In 1901 16 new wards were built and 16 huts as well as other facilities including a sewage works. In 1907 it was bought from the charity by the hospital board.  From 1911 the National Health Insurance Act allowed public funds to be spent on tuberculosis sanatoria and tubercular patients were admitted to Clare Hall from 1912. It was taken over by the County Council in 1929. It became an emergency hospital during the Second World War and air raid casualties were treated there. Under the NHS from 1948 it was greatly expanded and new buildings erected on both sides of Blanche Lane. It was mainly treating patients with chest diseases. Although it continued to expand in the late 1960s it began to be thought that it was too remote and many facilities were old and inefficient. It closed in 1974. The buildings remained empty until acquired by the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in 1980. Most of the original hospital buildings were wooden and have been demolished.  The gateway, lodge and wall on the west side of Blanche Lane have been retained.  The site of the east side is now a car park.
Wall. Bits of St.Antholin's church from the City of London  were built into the wall which has since been demolished. The fragments were removed elsewhere.
National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. The Institute is the UK’s Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL), responsible for carrying out independent official batch release testing of biological medicines as required by EU law and carry put research into biological standards;
The Francis Crick Institute. Clare Hall Laboratories. This is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to under Istanding the fundamental biology underlying human health and illness. It was founded by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Wellcome Trust, University College London,Imperial College London and King's College London.
Blanche Lane Farm. The weatherboarded timber framed farm house has been replaced by a mid-20th house.


Crossoaks Lane
Ridge Farm. Farmhouse built between 1822 and 1838. There is an 18th Barn with a timber frame and weatherboarding on a brick base. There are stables which extend forward to the road from the end of the barn. They are 18th and 19th with a timber frame and weatherboarded.
Telephone kiosk, This is ourside Ridge Farm. It is type K6 designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott..
Old Guinea Pub. This was built before 1881 to replace an earlier pub. The earliest record is from 1750 when it was kept by Francis Grant. It then had one bed and stabling for two horses. Its cellar was used as the village lock-up and in 1852 it included a post office.
Vicarage. This is a brick house with a 19th design, It was built between 1822 and 1838 as the Vicarage to St Margaret’s Church. It is thought to stand on the foundations of an earlier vicarage and has stables and a coach house at the back.
Workhouse. this was built in 1834 and closed in 1842.
Pillbox. Second World War hexagonal pillbox with a thick concrete roof. It is opposite Deeves Hall Lane under a tree.
Baytree Cottages. This was the Sovereign Public House until about 1880. It is now two houses. It was built in the 17th, with a timber frame, rendered and weatherboarded. .
Forge Cottage House. Probably built early 17th with a timber frame and a weatherboarded first floor.
Orchard Mead . This was built as five almshouses in 1844 by Sir G.G.Scott and W.B.Moffatt for Miss J.Trotter of Dyrham Park. It is in knapped flint facing on clunch walls with red brick dressings. There is a blank rectangle for a dedicatory plaque in the gable

Deeves Hall Lane
St.Margaret's church. Ridge Parish was set up in the late 13th on land belonging to St. Albans Abbey and remained in the Liberty of St Albans until 1870 when it became part of Hertfordshire. The chancel of the church dates from the 14th, and may have been a small church there is a 13th piscina in the chancel.  The nave and tower were added in the 15th in knapped flint with clunch dressings and some pudding-stone in the tower. In 1740-46 following repairs box pews and a three-decker pulpit were added and in 1810, a gallery was installed. It was restored again in 1881 1 by A.Billings destroying most of a medieval doom- painting  but a large, defaced, wall painting of St Christopher is on the north wall. Recently more repairs have been carried out, the roof was renewed in 1976, and other work done.
Deeves Hall. This house was built around 1760 as a gentleman’s residence with a small farm. It was recorded as Deve Hall at that time and gave its name to Deeves Hall Lane. The band, Deep Purple, was developed here.
Granary at Deeves Hall, This is timber framed with weatherboarding. It rests on eight staddle stones
Deeves Hall Barn, This weatherboarded barn is now a house
Church Farm. Barn from the late 17th with as timber frame and weatherboarding. There are weatherboarded stables towards the yard.


Earls Lane
Earls Farm. Weatherboarded barns.

M25
This stretch of the motorway was built as the A6.

Sources
British History on line. South Mimms. Web site
British Listed Buildings. Web site
Crick Institute. Web site
Hertsmere Council. Web site
Historic England. Web site
London Transport. Country Walks
Lost Hospitals of Loondon. Web site
Mee. Hertfordshire
Meulenkamp and Wheatley. Follies
Middlesex County Council. History of Middlesex
National Institute for Biological Standards and Control
St Giles and St,Margaret. Web site
Walford. Village London 
Whitelaw. Hidden Hertfordshire.

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