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ON-LINE GUIDE TO HERTFORDSHIRE
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This brief guide provides
summary information on towns, villages and places to visit
in Hertfordshire as well as some interesting
facts and anecdotes on the local area. To find a specific
place either scroll down the page or use the find
facility on your browser. Much more information can be
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Although Hertfordshire borders London, it remained essentially a rural county until
the construction of the Grand Union Canal. There are still peaceful walks to be enjoyed along
the canal's towpath, which flows through a gap in the Chiltern Hills on its journey to the
Midlands. It was in the Edwardian era that the first
Garden Cities were conceived and built here
following the plans of Ebenezer Howard. Later,
after World War II, several old market towns were developed as New Towns to provide
pleasant housing primarily for those made homeless during London's Blitz. Further north,
the countryside remains chiefly rural and there
are numerous villages of timber-framed cottages
and quiet market towns to explore. Hertfordshire
has its fair share of Roman remains, particularly at
St Albans and Welwyn, and there are also several grand stately homes tucked away in the
rolling countryside.
St Albans
As Verulamium, this was one of the most important major Roman
cities in Britain. It was attacked and sacked by Boudicca in the
1st century and today, the remains of the rebuilt city, including the
walls and the only Roman theatre in Britain, can be seen
in Verulamium Park. Close to the park, on the banks of the
River Ver, is the restored 16th century Kingsbury
Watermill with its collection of agricultural implements.
The city's cathedral, St Albans Abbey, was built on the site
where Alban, the first British martyr, was beheaded in the 4th century.
The Abbey dates from the 11th century but was only designated
a Cathedral in 1887. Among the many features inside are
medieval paintings that are thought to be unique in
England.
Another historic building lies in the market place - the
Clock Tower, built between 1403 and 1412,
is the only medieval town belfry in England and
its original bell, Gabriel, is still in place.
Also worthy of a visit
are the city's two museums. The Museum of St
Albans tells the history of the city from
Roman times to the present day, and St Albans Organ
Museum houses an amazing collection of working mechanical musical instruments.
To the north lies Redbournbury Mill, an 18th century watermill that
once belonged to St Albans Abbey; it has been restored to full working
order. To the southwest is one of Hertfordshire's biggest
attractions, the Gardens of the Rose, with one of the most important
rose collections in the world.
Around St Albans
Harpenden
4½ miles N of St Albans
on the A1081
Harpenden's High Street is lined with many listed 17th and
18th century buildings, and the whole of the town centre is a
conservation area. The Harpenden Local History
Centre is the ideal place to find out more about
this charming agricultural community, and another place well worth a
visit is the Experimental Station for Agricultural
Research housed in Rothamsted Manor. The Harpenden Railway
Museum has a small private collection of railway memorabilia.
Hatfield
5 miles E of St Albans on the A1057
This historic town grew up around the gateway of the palace of
the Bishops of Ely but all that remains
of the Royal Palace of Hatfield, where Elizabeth I spent her
early life, is a single wing. This can be seen in the delightful gardens
of the impressive Jacobean mansion, Hatfield
House, which now stands on the site. The house
is famous for its collection of beautiful tapestries and paintings
as well as its exquisite interior and the beautiful gardens that were laid
out in 1611, before the house was completed.
King's Langley
5 miles SW of St Albans on the A4251
This historic village has a long and illustrious royal past: in the
13th century a palace was built from which Edward I governed
England for a short period, while close by was a Dominican friary. Both
sites are now occupied by the Rudolf Steiner School.
Berkhamsted
10 miles W of St Albans on the A4251
First settled by the Saxons, it was here, two months after the
Battle of Hastings, that the Saxons finally submitted to William of
Normandy; shortly afterwards, building work began on a castle.
Berkhamsted Castle had a double moat, a
very necessary precaution in this low-lying situation; an
important fortification up until the 15th century, the castle is now in ruins.
Of the few buildings that have survived from the past is
Dean John Incent's House, an impressive black and
white timbered jettied building - Dean Incent was the founder of
the
original Grammar School of 1554 that is now incorporated
into Berkhamsted School. Just to the north is
Northchurch which lies on the Grand Union
Canal. All of its length in Hertfordshire can
be walked, but the towpath between Northchurch and Tring has
been developed particularly for recreational use.
Tring
13 miles NW of St Albans on the A4251
This bustling market town on the edge of the Chiltern Hills has
been greatly influenced by the Rothschild family. However, they are not
the only people associated with Tring and, in St Mary's
Church, lies the grave of the grandfather of
the first US president, George Washington, while the 17th
century Mansion House was reputedly used by Nell Gwynne.
Another building of note is the Market House, which was built by
public subscription in 1900 to commemorate Queen
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The old Silk
Mill, first opened in 1824, once employed over 600 people,
but towards the end of the 19th century the silk trade fell
into decline and Lord Rothschild ran the mill at a loss to protect
his employees rather than see them destitute. From 1872 to the
1940s, the Rothschild family lived at Tring Park and their greatest
lasting legacy is, perhaps, the Walter Rothschild Zoological
Museum, first opened in 1892, which, on Walter's death in 1937, became
part of the British Museum (Natural
History).
Just north of Tring lies the Tring Reservoirs
National Nature Reserve, four reservoirs built between 1802 and 1839
and declared a reserve in 1955.
Markyate
8 miles NW of St Albans off the A5
This quiet village of charming 18th and 19th century cottages
and houses is home to a large mansion that stands on the site
of Markyate Cell, a medieval nunnery.
Stevenage
Following World War II, Stevenage became the first of Britain's
New Towns and it expanded as a pleasant residential town after
the first houses were occupied in 1951. It was at Stevenage that the
novelist EM Forster lived with his widowed mother
from the age of 4 to 14 and Howards End, which
featured in the book of the same name, is the house
in which they lived; in the book, the village of Hilton is
an adaptation of Stevenage. Stevenage
Museum uses all the latest technology to
tell the history of the town and surrounding area.
To the northeast lies one of Hertfordshire's last surviving
post mills, Cromer Windmill, which dates from 1800 and
ceased working in the 1920s. To the south stands
Knebworth House, the home of the Lytton family
since 1490. The present magnificent mansion was built during the
19th century and has played host to many famous visitors,
including Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli and Sir Winston Churchill.
Around Stevenage
Letchworth
5 miles N of Stevenage on the A505
Letchworth is the first garden city where the ideals of
Ebenezer Howard (to create a comfortable living environment
with residential, industrial and commercial areas all within
easy reach) were put into practice in the early 20th century. The offices
of the town's architects are now home to the First Garden
City Heritage Museum, a unique place that traces the history
and development of Letchworth.
To the southeast lies Hitchin, an old market town
which prospered from straw that was traded here for the local
cottage industry of straw plaiting. Though the market declined, many of
the town's older buildings have survived, including
The Biggin, which was built in the early
17th
century on the site of a Gilbertine Priory and became an
almshouse for the poor. Hitchin Museum is home to the largest collection
of period costume in the county and it also includes the Museum
of Hertfordshire Imperial Yeomanry, a Victorian chemist's shop and a
physic garden.
Royston
12 miles NE of Stevenage on the A10
Situated at the intersection of the Ickneild Way and Ermine
Street, this was a favourite hunting base for royalty, and
James I's Hunting Lodge still stands. Just below
the intersection of the two ancient thoroughfares the
man-made Royston Cave was discovered in 1742 but its purpose remains
a mystery.
Bishop's Stortford
16 miles E of Stevenage on the A120
The completion of the Stort Navigation in 1769 aided
the development of the town's two industries, malting and brewing,
and during the age of the stagecoach this was a major stopping point
on the route between London and Norwich. The excellent
Local History Museum brings the town's long history to life.
To the west is the unspoilt village of Much
Hadham and the Forge Museum and Victorian Cottage
Garden. Further west again is Standon where, in a
field, lies the Balloon Stone, a giant boulder that marks the spot
where, in 1784, Vincenzo Lunardi completed the first balloon
flight
in England.
Ware
10 miles SE of Stevenage on the A1170
Situated at the point where Ermine Street crosses the River Lea,
Ware was the scene of a famous encounter between King Alfred
and the Danes in AD 895. By the Middle Ages this was a
market town to rival Hertford and several ancient buildings remain,
including Place House, which is possibly one of Ware's two
Domesday manor houses. The town's most interesting feature is
Scott's Grotto, a series of passageways and artificial caves built by the
poet John Scott in the late 18th century.
To the south, at Great Amwell, are the
impressive buildings of Haileybury College which was established in 1809 as
a training school for the East India Company. The buildings are
not open to the public, but the Museum of Street
Lighting, with its collection of over 150
street lamps, is open by appointment.
Further south lies Hoddesdon, a town that
dates back to Saxon times and which was a thriving market place by the
13th century. Housed in a Georgian building, the
Lowewood Museum concentrates its collections on
the region's illustrious history. In Lea Valley Park stands
Rye House Gatehouse, where, in 1683, a plot to assassinate Charles II
was formulated. The plot failed and the conspirators, including the
tenant of Rye House, were executed.
Hertford
8½ miles SE of Stevenage on the A119
Another Saxon town on the once important waterway of the River
Lea that linked the town with London. The Hertford Nature
Walk leads through the meadows between the Rivers Lea and Beane and takes
in the canal basin that is known as The Folly. Hertford is very much a
mix of old and new and among its interesting buildings is the
Quaker Meeting House, said to be the oldest
purpose-built meeting house in the world - it dates from 1669.
Welwyn Garden City
8 miles S of Stevenage on the A1000
One of the two garden cities in Hertfordshire that followed
the ideas and plans of Ebenezer Howard (the other is
Letchworth), the land for Welwyn Garden City was acquired in 1919 and
building began a year later. Just to the south of the town lies
Mill Green Museum, housed in the workers' cottages for the adjoining
mill, which displays local artefacts from Roman times to the present
day. Mill Green Mill is a delightful watermill that has been restored
to working order and stands on the site of one of the four such
mills that were listed in the Domesday Book.
Just to the north is the historic town of
Welwyn that grew up along the route of the Great
North Road. During excavations for the new A1(M) motorway, the
famous Welwyn Roman Baths were discovered, part of a 3rd
century villa or farm that was occupied for over 150 years.
Ayot St Lawrence
5½ miles SW of Stevenage off the B651
A picturesque rural village whose most famous resident was
Sir George Bernard Shaw, who lived here from 1906 until his death
in 1950. His house, Shaw's Corner, is preserved as it was in his
lifetime and contains many literary and personal mementoes.
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