Welcome to The Best Of Herts

This site celebrates the best of Hertford and Hertfordshire.  It’s a unique county, full of history and rural charm, yet in very easy reach of London.  People who move here rarely want to move away.  Those born here are proud of the county of their birth.

A Small but Special County

Hertfordshire is a small but special county.  The population is about 1.2 million – less than many UK cities.  The area is 635 square miles, tiny compared to many others, such as Yorkshire at 4,595. It’s home to just one city, St Albans, and the largest town, Watford, houses just over 100,00 people.  Despite, or perhaps because of, it’s small size it keeps it’s own character and identity.  This site is here to celebrate that identity.

A lot of people in the county, especially the southern fringe towns like St Albans and Watford, commute to work in London.  Nowadays they also work from home for London based companies.  but they are clear that London is just for work: their home is Hertfordshire.

We hope the site is of use to people new to Hertfordshire and to those who already know the country well.  We welcome your feedback. and any ideas for new areas for this site to explore: please do contact us.

Keeping Hertfordshire Special

The unique village and country character of Herts is under pressure, from the demands for more homes, more roads, and more commercial and industrial buildings.  If you’d like to help Hertfordshire keep it’s rural character and charm then the Campaign to Protect Rural England Hertfordshire branch will welcome you : see www.cpreherts.org.uk

Hertfordshire Snapshots

Hatfield House

Hatfield House is one of the great Stately Homes of England. The house is the home of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury. Common folk are allowed to have a look inside, if they are willing to queue up and pay up.  The current house was built in 1611, but a lot of its fame is from the association of an earlier house with royalty.  Henry VIII’s children, King Edward VI, Queen Elizabeth I and  Queen Mary I all lived there. It has many objects related to Queen Elizabeth I, including gloves and a pair of silk stockings, and the famous Rainbow Portrait.  The library holds a 22-foot parchment roll showing the full pedigree of the queen right back to Adam and Eve.

Hertford Castle

Hertford Castle in the county town of Hertford in Hertfordshire. The remaining part of the castle, as seen here, is in fact the gatehouse. For 300 years a Royal Palace stood within the flint walls having previously been one of a series of castles built for defence purposes. An exact date is not known, but the earliest records date the castle to Saxon times around 911 CE. James I of Scotland was a prisoner at Hertford Castle, as were the Knights  Templars. Queen Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood at both nearby Hatfield House and Hertford Castle.

Ware

This photo shows some of the famous 18th Gazebos that line the banks of the River Lea in Ware. Ware was an important town on the coaching road, the roman Ermine Street from London to Lincoln and York. The high street in the town had many coaching inns where the coaches would stop and the travellers would partake of refreshment and relax in these elegant Georgian gazebos by the riverside.  Ware is no longer on the main route to London, which means it has kept it’s historic character, without too much insensitive development.

Ware’s historic importance as a centre for travellers is reflected in the story of the Great Bed of Ware.  This giant four-poster is about 10 foot by eleven foot.  It was originally built for the White Hart inn in Ware, and is now in the Victoria & Albert museum in London.  It was so well known that is is referenced in Shakespear’s Twelfth Night!

The Welwyn Viaduct

The photo shows a commuter train crosseing the Welwyn Viaduct that traverses the River Mimram valley in Hertfordshire. The viaduct is 1560 ft long, 475 metres, and comprises 40 arches standing 100 ft, 30metres, high. It was designed by William Cubitt, and opened by Queen Victoria in 1850. It carries the busy Welwyn to London line, used by thousands of commuters every working day.

 

Hertfordshire University

Hertfordshire boasts its own University. It’s based in Hatfield, for historic reasons, as it grew out of the old Hatfield Polytechnic in 1992.  It now has over 25,000 students, including 5,000 overseas students from 100 different countries.  It contributes a lot to the local economy, including providing jobs for more than 2,500 people.

Notable sporting alumni include 2 England Rugby Union captains, Steve Borthwick and Owen Farell.

Hertfordshire’s only city – St Albans

St Albans has a long and proud history, dating back to Roman times.  As Verulamium it was the first major town north of London on Watling Street, the Roman equivalent of the A1.  It is now largely a commuter dormitory town for London.  The abbey was founded in the 8th century, and the current building is largely Norman in architecture. (Image from Wikimedia)

Knebworth House

Knebworth House makes history for two completely different reasons. The first is the historic house and beautiful gardens, both of which are regularly used for filming. The second is the Knebworth Music Festival. Since 1974 the biggest bands of the times have played some of their biggest gigs at Knebworth. The Stones, Oasis and Robbie Williams have all played concerts at Knebworth that have gone down in rock music history and folklore.

Watford – Fame via Football

Watford is Hertfordshire’s biggest town,  but not its most famous: St Albans, Ware and Hertford all have far more to offer visitors and tourists. Its closeness to London is great for workers, but means that people looking for entertainment or culture tend to jump on the train and head into the West End rather than staying local.
That’s why the one thing that puts Watford on the map is the football team. Despite coming from a small town they have managed long spells in the top flight of English football, which means their name is known worldwide, amongst football fans and gamblers.

Sadly they were relegated out of the top flight at the end of the 2021/23 season. Their record in the FA cup is mixed.  They’ve reached the final twice, most recently in 2019, where they lost 6-0 to Man City, a record-equalling defeat.