There are many industries in Watford and beyond that have been consigned to history and perhaps one of the lesser known is shown in this wonderful picture that is more than a century old.
The Watford Observer has again teamed up with its friends at Watford Museum to look back at structures, objects or businesses from the town’s past that have either disappeared or been relocated and today we recall this scene that may have been captured close to one of the town’s bigger employers of the time.
The museum’s volunteer archivist Christine Orchard said: “An industry that has probably completely ceased in the UK is bark peeling. “The caption that comes with this image states that this group of workers were photographed on May 16, 1907 by H Wingfield and that the site of the work was near a ‘cocoa factory’.
“Unfortunately, the cocoa factory isn't named but, assuming this is in Watford, then I would imagine that it is near Sandown Road in North Watford. This was where Dr Tibbles Vi-Cocoa had an extensive factory that employed many local people.”