Tree planted to honour pioneering woman Betty Entwistle
A tree has been planted at a prestigious St Albans City Centre development in honour of pioneering local government officer Betty Entwistle.
Betty was England’s first female town clerk and the first chief executive of St Albans City and District Council (SADC).
A blue plaque tribute to her was unveiled at the Council’s former offices – now the Saint & Sinner pub – earlier this year.
Now a tree has been planted at a new landscaped walkway at Jubilee Square, a £64 million SADC development that includes social housing, shared ownership properties and commercial space.
The tree, donated by local firm Aylett Nurseries, is a Flowering Dogwood that should grow to a height of around 8ft in the next ten years and blossom every spring.
Councillor Jacqui Taylor, Lead for Housing, Amanda Foley, SADC’s Chief Executive, and Professor Tim Boatswain, Chairman of St Albans Blue Plaques, were among those who attended the ceremony.
Cllr Taylor said:
Betty was a trailblazer as a woman and an important figure in the history of local government.
I like to think she would have been proud of our Jubilee Square development which includes 33 social housing properties and is providing new homes for dozens of people.
A tree in the centre of the walkway, in sight of our current Council offices, is a perfect way of paying tribute to this formidable woman.
Prof Boatswain said:
I hit upon the idea of a tree when spotting a photograph of the sheltered accommodation block in Holyrood Crescent that was named after her. It included a tree that had been planted in her honour.
That block has since been demolished and replaced and the tree has also gone. It occurred to me that it would be appropriate to plant another tree in her memory at this new Council development.
The St Albans community owes Betty a lot. She was an amazing role model, very energetic and associated with many different causes. The tree will be a reminder of all her good works.
Betty was born in Lancashire in 1912 and moved to St Albans in 1939 for a job as a legal assistant at St Albans City Council.
She had several promotions before being appointed town clerk in 1960 and became chief executive of St Albans City and District Council when it was formed in 1973 during local government reorganisation.
During her tenure, she conducted the ceremony when the Queen Mother was given the freedom of the city in 1961.
She was active in local arts and conservation societies and died at her St Albans home in 1975.
Photos: above, Cllr Taylor, far right, Prof Boatswain, 2nd from right, and guests at the tree planting ceremony including staff of Watford Community Housing Trust which purchased all the development’s 93 flats; below, Cllr Taylor with Amanda Foley, SADC’s Chief Executive; Cllr Taylor and Prof Boatswain with Jenny Stenzel, the Council’s Project Manager; the plaque beside the tree.
Contact for the media: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.