This door is the end one in a row of three connected cottages called Blacksmith Row. There is no blacksmith there any more but, as with so many names in Britain, clues to the history of the place lie in the name. When Leverstock Green was a village, before the post-war new town developments made it part of Hemel Hempstead, there was a smithy to the right of the cottages – in fact, right where the resident of this cottage now has a smart fenced garden.
Even though it’s been absorbed into a larger town, Leverstock Green still has a village feel, with the old pub, cricket played on the green and the picturesque cottages with their lovely gardens. I particularly like how, even though the cottages are separately owned, the owners have chosen to have the same colour front doors. It made them the perfect candidate for my Thursday Doors post this week.
This is my entry to Norm 2.0’s weekly Thursday Doors Challenge. For more doors, or to add one of your own, visit Norm’s site and click the link.
Helen Glynn Jones 
What lovely little cottages! It looks so homely and inviting š
Thanks Esther, they really are cute (and quite large inside for cottages, I had a nosy on the real estate listings š)
I love it! That’s an adorable place.
Thanks, Allie – they’re really cute, aren’t they? š
Oh that yellow just pops! Lovely find š
Thanks, Norm š I love the yellow too.
Every time you post one of these doors, I want to go live in that place. So many doors, so few lifetimes…
Yes! I love the possibilities doors represent – I think that’s why I enjoy this challenge so much. In another life I think I would have liked to work in real estate, just so I could nose around other people’s houses š
A lemon yellow door – haven’t seen that for a long time!
Was reading your About, because I had no clue where Ambeth was, so at least I’m on the right continent:) I smiled when you wrote in your About you had interviewed difficult artists – yes, some are hard to pin down:) or very crazy:)
They’re great fun to interview though, once you get them talking š I really enjoyed doing that, actually – it was fascinating to learn about the motivation behind their work.
And Ambeth exists only in my mind (and books) at the moment – although the entrance can be found in a real place š
Cute cottages. Have you now run out of door photo stock? Are you have to search for them every week or do you still have them from your collection?
I do still have a few in the collection, but I’m so busy with other stuff at the moment I’m just posting doors as I see them, rather than trawling through my photo gallery. I’m behind on blog posts too, but at the moment writing is taking over.
Well that’s the way it should be though, Ive definitely taken a step back from the blog, if I have any hope of being able to write more during the days, I got to prioritise books. Sigh
Yes, I’m trying to take a step back so I have more writing time, yet stay involved haha! A Thousand Rooms is ready to go now, so it’s on to Ambeth four plus Silver and Black is still calling… Sigh. And really, I’m just so impressed you manage to do all that you do, honestly!
Haha, honestly, I just don’t sleep, I don’t watch TV and I don’t have much of a social life. Between writing and the gym, all feee time is used! It will come back to bite me in the ass when I’m 35 and look like a haggard 85 year old š
Never, you’ll never look like that! š I don’t watch TV either – other than Game of Thrones. And I made an exception for Stranger Things, too. But the list of shows I want to watch is as long as.. well… the list of books I want to read. Haha. Life as a writer, hey?
Nice finds for this post. Love the yellow doors!
Thank you! I loved the yellow as well – a nice contrast against the brick š
I like how some houses have small hints and snippets of bygone days. It makes a girl reminisce of when life’s pace was slower and we may have possibly enjoyed life more. I also really like yellow, so just seeing this door made me smile.
I love how you put that – it’s very true. I love the craftmanship as well, you just don’t see the same quality of finish in newer homes. It does speak, as you say, of a time when life’s pace was a bit slower and people didn’t mind waiting for things to be done properly š
I think we rush so much that we don’t appreciate what something can be if the proper time was taken to create it. That goes for food or anything.
Oh yes, definitely for food š
Charming. That’s the word here. Love the bright flowers and bright yellow contrast of the door. Perfect.
Thank you! They are charming cottages, aren’t they? I love them – wish I lived in a place like that (though I like my house too) š
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