THE WATEREND BARN, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Year: 1600
Building Use: Agriculture
Historical Event: n/a
Historical Name: Sir John Jennings
Historical Place: n/a

The Waterend Barn wasn’t always situated in the center of St Albans. It was in roughly 1610 that the barn was built next to a ford on the River Lea. The creator was Sir John Jennings, who was a very important person at the time. He was the St Albans MP and sat in the House of Commons multiple times between the years of 1628 and 1642. The barn was built at the same time as the Water End Farm, a family home for Jennings and his family, including his daughter- Sarah Jennings (Churchill), Duchess of Marlborough.

The Water End Farm can still be found in this location, however the timber framed, aisled barn was dismantled in 1938 and re-erected in the middle of St Albans. It went by the name the Waterend Barn restaurant. A few decades after this, in 1964, it was enlarged by a smaller barn from Little Hormead. It is presumed that this barn dates back to the sixteenth century. It wasn’t until 17th February 2005 that the barns, turned pub, became a JDW pub.

An image of two girls playing in the ford, the date is unkwown.

An early postcard of one of the barns by a ford over the River Lea .

Waterend Farm- which the Waterend barn was part of.

A postcard advertising the restaurant in roughly the late 1940’s.

The Waterend Barn today.