Hertford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
-
This article is about Hertford in England. There are also Hertford, North Carolina and several other places named Hartford
| Hertford | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| Statistics | ||
| Population: | 24,000 | |
| Ordnance Survey | ||
| OS grid reference: | TL325125 | |
| Administration | ||
| District: | East Hertfordshire | |
| Shire county: | Hertfordshire | |
| Region: | East of England | |
| Constituent country: | England | |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom | |
| Other | ||
| Ceremonial county: | Hertfordshire | |
| Historic county: | Hertfordshire | |
| Services | ||
| Police force: | Hertfordshire Constabulary | |
| Ambulance service: | East of England | |
| Post office and telephone | ||
| Post town: | HERTFORD | |
| Postal district: | SG14 and SG13 | |
| Dialling code: | 01992 | |
| Politics | ||
| UK Parliament: | Hertford and Stortford | |
| European Parliament: | East of England | |
 |
||
Hertford (standard pronunciation 'Hartford' or 'Harford'; in local pronunciation, /'[h]ɑːʔֽfəd/) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is in the East Hertfordshire district of that county. It has a population today of about 24,000.
The name is Anglo Saxon and means the ford frequented by harts or stags.
The rivers Rib, Beane and Mimram join the River Lea at Hertford to flow south toward the Thames.
Hertford serves as a commuter town for London, with rail links from Hertford North to London King's Cross and Moorgate stations and from Hertford East to London Liverpool Street. The latter is by far the older link but is now slower and less frequent. Employment in the town is centred on County Hall (Hertfordshire County Council), Wallfields (East Hertfordshire District Council) and McMullens Brewery, one of a dwindling number of independent brewers in the UK.
Contents |
[edit] Historical Buildings
The Council of Hertford met in 673 at the instigation of Archbishop Theodore as the first Synod of the whole Church in England on the site which is now St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church. It was at this meeting that the Roman and Celtic churches came to an agreement on the date to celebrate Easter.
The town has the remains of a castle, principally a motte. The castle's gatehouse, the central part of which dates to a rebuild by Edward IV in 1463, is the home to Hertford Town Council. There are several churches in the town, All Saints' and St Andrew's, are early 20th century and mid 19th century respectively. In the northern suburb of Bengeo lies St Leonard's, a two-celled Norman church of considerable architectural interest.
Hertford contains the oldest purpose-built Quaker Meeting House in the world, in use since 1670. The English parliament temporarily moved to Hertford during the Great Plague of London. This is why the main square in the town, Parliament Square, is so named. Conspiracy theories link Hertford to the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail.
The town of Meryton in the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice is thought to have been based on Hertford.
[edit] Trivia
The band Deep Purple formed in Hertford in 1968. Also in music, the metal vocalist Dani Filth was born in Hertford.
[edit] Nearby places
[edit] Town twinning
Évron, France
Hartford, Connecticut
Wildeshausen, Germany
[edit] External links
- Discover Hertford
- Hertford Town Council
- Peacockshock Popular blog of Hertford-based writer and broadcaster Ian Peacock - click 'Hertford' section for Hertford facts and trivia
- Ask Watson - What's On in Hertford Guide to events in Hertford. Bands, Music, Shows, Gigs, Theatre, Clubs, Dance, Bars, DJs, Concerts, Plays, Art, Exhibitions and more.
- Hertford, home of the Holy Grail; The Guardian January 4, 2005.
- Hertfordshire County Council
