Today marks 162 years since the Watford Observer first hit the stands, a testament to local journalism.
Watford: The Watford Observer has quite the history! It all started with John Peacock, who opened a small printing shop in Lower High Street about 40 years ago. His son published the first issue of the Observer in Queen Street, and it was a big deal for the area.
That first edition was just four pages long, with three of them printed in London. It aimed to be a paper for everyone, focusing on the needs of the community. Fast forward to today, and it’s amazing to see how far it has come, celebrating its 162nd anniversary!
Back in the day, the paper became a staple of Victorian life in Watford. In 1897, it moved to a new spot on High Street, where it stayed until 1961. After that, it shifted to Rickmansworth Road, and then to its current home at Observer House in Caxton Way in 2002.
Can you imagine how Peacock would feel seeing his little four-page paper evolve into a multimedia powerhouse? If he were around today, he’d probably be pretty proud of how the Observer continues to serve the community after all these years.
