Residents and visitors using Queens Road will notice a brighter, cleaner and more welcoming space following a series of improvements being delivered by the council and Hertfordshire County Council...
The works include repairs and a deep clean of the area, upgraded lighting, and jet washing throughout. In addition, new anti-slip treads for the steps are due to be installed shortly, as well as bollards and street furniture being refurbished, sanded and repainted. Broken paving slabs are also being replaced and areas where water collects are being taken up and re-laid to improve safety and accessibility.
To complement these practical improvements, the council has installed new photographic artwork celebrating the history and character of the Queens Road shopping area.
Titled The Broadway Montages, two large scale continuous digital images by photographer Dave Parker capturing in a documentary style the spirit of Queens Road – also known locally as The Broadway – and has been installed within the subway to create a vibrant and engaging experience for pedestrians.
The project represents 15 years of dedication, created using more than 5,000 frames and requiring over 500 hours of work. Dave was initially inspired by Victorian-era photographs of shopkeepers posing proudly in front of their premises. Drawing influence from artist David Hockney’s ‘joiners’, the montages use multiple images to create a dynamic sense of space, movement and time.
The artwork also features the late Stanley Leard-Freeman, affectionately known as Stan, who ran a music shop on Queens Road for more than 60 years. Stan sadly passed away during the course of the project but is captured in the montages standing outside his shop, forming a lasting tribute to his contribution to the local community.
Dave Parker said: “The Broadway Montages captures a period of time in a different way in the lives of those that appear in it and that still shop here. Inspired by David Hockney’s joiners, often made from Polaroids in square format creating huge dynamic montages, it shows that photography can go beyond capturing a single moment and evoke a sense of space and movement.”
The Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, who first saw the work at Dave’s exhibition at Amanartis Gallery and suggested installing it on Queens Road, said: “Queens Road is one of Watford’s most distinctive and independent shopping areas, full of character, history and community spirit. These improvements make the subway cleaner, safer and brighter for everyone who uses it, while The Broadway Montages beautifully celebrates the people and businesses that give this area its identity.”
The subway improvements form part of wider enhancements delivered in recent years along Queens Road, from the High Street to the Broadway subway entrance. These have included new granite paving, realigned street furniture, three new planters adding greenery, new seating, cycle stands, repainted fixed bollards and lamp columns, and repositioned litter bins.
Together, the works reflect the council’s continued commitment to supporting local shopping areas and creating attractive, accessible public spaces for residents, businesses and visitors alike.
