This aerial view of the Joinery Works is thought to be around 1948. The river Stort is in the foreground and was still much in use on a commercial basis with horse drawn barges but mainly with grain to Burton's Mill in Station Road - about a further ¾ of a mile to the North. Close inspection of the main Cambridge to Liverpool Street railway line shows a goods train going South and it is just possible to make out both the loop line refuge, between the Station Yard and the Sheering Mill Road (Lane) bridge, and the Signal adjacent to the bridge that controlled the loop. The works had its own rail siding that ran down the centre roadway between the two lines of buildings. The wood chip cyclone that can be seen on the roof of the works often caught fire. The works was also a venue for sizable Fire Brigade exercises involving both Hertfordshire and Essex brigades - the county boundary is the little back stream that can be seen and runs behind the Lock Keeper's bungalow - his well tended garden can be seen near the bottom of the picture.

The works was a sizeable enterprise and created quite a hazard (of bicycles) at lunch time 12:30pm and 5:30pm. The open area towards the road and close to the railway was the Saw Mill where trees were 'sliced' lengthwise into planks. These were then stacked with gaps between each plank - still in the shape of the original tree - to be seasoned, in the area of where Sun Street now is. The building close to the road at the works entrance is the Worker's 'Institute', a very popular venue for local dances. The row of houses now on the North of Sheering Mill Road (Lane) did not materialise until around the mid fifties. Far right is Luxfords Nursery (Carnation Growers) greenhouses. In the foreground, adjacent to the arched bridge, is the Mill (House). At the bottom of the picture in the main river can be seen a steam dredger and an open barge for the dredged material that was in use frequently to keep open the navigation between Bishop' Stortford and the river Lee much nearer London. In the little backwater on the other side of the arched bridge can be seen the river maintenance team's boats of which Bill Hurren (a retained member of the fire brigade) was a member. The field opposite the works with the bridge over the stream was farmed by Vantorts Farm. It was a rather wet area in winter and was used mainly for grazing cattle. The field on the opposite side of the road was rarely used for anything as it was also wet for long periods. However, on the far side a small ditch ran into the Lock Keeper's stream and it was a good source of Water Cress.