Sold by St. Albans Corporation in 1958 for £25.00, their surviving 1913 10 ton Aveling & Porter steam road roller will be making a return to the City on Tuesday 26th May. This will be part of the lead up to the following weekend’s (May 30/31st) Steam and Country Show at Oaklands (Smallford site) organised by Herts Steam Club Ltd
The roller will visit the Museum of St. Albans, Hatfield Road car park from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm (
http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/Si...m-of-St-Albans). Later it will steam along St. Peter’s Street and then Victoria Street, pausing briefly for photographs at 96, Victoria Street (which was the Corporation yard where the roller was based until 1930), followed by the Grimston Road depot adjacent to the City railway station (the surviving building, now offices, were previously the prison prior to being taken over by the City and adapted as their new depot in 1930).
Appropriate dignitaries from St. Albans District Council have been invited to attend, including the Mayor of St. Albans and those responsible for Museums, Leisure, Transport and Roads.
The City Engineer and Surveyor was responsible for the purchase of the roller in 1913; the original details are available courtesy of the Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies resources at Hertford where the St. Albans documents now reside, and this information can be made available to interested parties to expand the story if required.
All TT readers and other welcome to come along!
Sandy Ross