[mage lang=”en|de|es|en” source=”flickr”]Dickens County public records[/mage]
Why Visit Hertfordshire in England
Hertfordshire’s magnificent cathedral in St Albans which dominates the surrounding countryside is where England’s first recorded Christian martyr is buried.
It also has a fine museum that houses one of the best Roman collections in the country.
In Hertfordshire you can find many major cities of interest like Hertford itself, Watford and Welwyn Garden City which is not far from your St Albans City Tour.
This area was assigned a fortress constructed in Hertford under the rule of Edward the Elder in 913AD.
The name Hertford is derived from the Anglo Saxon heart ford which means deer crossing.
Hertford is located immediately to the north of Greater London and is therefore a part of South East England.
Despite the spread of built-up areas, much of the county is still given over to farming and agriculture.
Local rivers although small, do support developed local industries such as paper production at Nash Mills.
Alden ham is a village approximately 3 miles North-East of Watford, Hertfordshire and about 2 miles from Radlett town.
Many historic buildings are here like Alden Social Club and Wall Hall. Alden Social Club is a medieval hall built in 1500 a very fine example of red brick architecture.
Also situated in Hertfordshire is Wall Hall which is a magnificent gothic revival mansion with a castellated fa?e created in the early nineteen century for George Woodford Thelluson, a very prosperous city banker mentioned in Charles Dickens ‘A tale of two cities’.
Then you have Bridgewater Monument which is a tower on the Ashbridge estate, built in 1832. In around 1959 Ashbridge college was relaunched to provide management training and is now Ashbridge Business School.
The Hertfordshire and Middlesex Trust are responsible for protecting the land forms and natural habitat which is sometimes threatened by urban development.
At the northern end of the County are the Ivinghoe Hills – an outstanding area of chalk down land and dominated by the impressive Ivinghoe Beacon.
At Paradise Wildlife Park you can see an extensive range of animals like lions, tigers, zebra, monkeys and camels.
It also has many new attractions including the On Safari adventure golf, The Angkor reptile temple, tiger falls, gold panning, wonders of the rainforest, the wild west parrot show, battle of the robots and Children’s craft area. There are many indoor and outdoor activities for a great day with your family.
There are three themed adventure playgrounds, children rides, indoor soft play areas – don’t forget to bring socks as children can’t play without them and there are many modern attractions, so come and discover the fun !
The timber framed Grange, once the market hall, is Hertfordshire’s most carved building and a very rare example of the work of John Abel, the king’s carpenter.
Hertfordshire’s museum and art gallery is housed in a Victorian gothic building exhibiting publicly since 1874 with regularly constantly changing exhibitions.
Hertfordshire is a great place to live even if you don’t have a vehicle with great shopping arcades. The old town market is within walking distance from anywhere in town and London is only half an hour way by train.
There are many museums in Hertfordshire like the Ashwell Village Museum, Baldock Museum, Bishops Stortford Museum, Buntingford Heritage Centre, Bushey Museum, Cromer Windmill, Dacorum Heritage Centre, Datchworth Museum, De Havelland Aircraft Heritage Centre, Elsetree Heritage Centre, Elsetree Film and Television Heritage Group, Hertford Museum, British Schools Museum, Hitchin, Hitchin Museum and Art Gallery, Knebworth House, Letchworth Museum and Art Gallery, Lowewood Museum Hoddesdon, Mill Green Museum, Museum of St Albans, Museum of Technology, The Great War & WW II, Potters Bar Museum, Redbourn Museum, Royston & District Museum, St Albans Organ Theater, Scott’s Grotto Ware, Stevenage Museum, Three Rivers Museum Rickmansworth, Natural History Museum Tring, Watford Museum, Ware Museum, and Welwyn Roman Baths.
Hertfordshire, an inland UK County, is bound on the North West by Bedfordshire, and on the North by Cambridgeshire, in the East by Essex, in the South by Middlesex and London and in the South West by Buckinghamshire.
Its Eastern boundary, from the middle southward is traced by the rivers Stort and Lea.
A portion of the Chiltern Hills is in the North West and West and there are heights of 904 feet at Kensworth and 664 feet at Little Offley which of course command an extensive view of the surrounding area.
Hertfordshire farms range from 160 to 400 acres and are held either yearly or on leases of seven to fourteen years.
The farm grasslands are used more for hay than for pasturage and the orchards produce chiefly apples and cherries.
The cattle here are principally of the Suffolk, Hereford, Devon and Welsh breeds and the horses used for farm work are the Suffolk punches and a few Lincolns.
There are many tourist attractions in Hertfordshire, but first of all try Woodside Animal and Leisure Park. It is located in seven acres of beautiful English countryside in the quiet village of Woodside. This award winning farm offers a fun packed day with more animals and things to do than any other farm in the county. Everything in the park is signposted and all paths are concreted so families with pushchairs and wheelchairs don’t face a problem.
Then you have a Mead Open Farm where the kids have a heap of play time, which results in more smiles, and they can meet and play with various types of animals.
Shaggy’s Play World over there has over 13000 sq feet of indoor play, which includes giant drop slides, zig-zag net climber and meet the new baby animals. This farm also has a Crazy Golf, Go karts, outdoor log play adventure and during the summer months Tractor and Trailer rides, there is so much to do.
The Leighton Buzzard Railway is not too far away for a Day Out and it is one very few narrow gauge light railway tracks to survive in England. It was built in 1919 to transport sand, and the line has carried a steam hauled passenger train service since 1968 and now houses the largest collection of narrow gauge locomotives in England.
The Clock Tower and the Eleanor Cross are located in the heart of St Albans the historic city. Behind the cross is the Clock Tower which is the only medieval example in the whole country. Guided tours can be arranged for parties of 10 or more.
For the first time visitor to Hertfordshire another thing not to be missed is a visit to Hatfield house. This Jacobean house was the home of the Marquess of Salisbury and was built in 1611.
It contains treasured famous portraits of, rear tapestries, fine furniture and armour. Within the gardens stands a wing of the Old Palace, childhood home of Elizabeth 1. It is the venue for Elizabethan banquets, weddings and private functions throughout the year.
The ground has 1000 acres of parkland open to the public with nature trails through woodlands, wildlife and waterfowl, picnic areas and children’s play area. The west gardens include the herb, knot and wilderness areas whilst the east gardens offer kitchen garden and formal ornamental flower gardens.
Whatever tickles your fancy from Zoos to Aquariums, Animals to Museums, Theme Parks, Parks and Gardens, Castles, Art Galleries, Monuments and Historical Buildings, Tourist Attractions are plentiful when you visit Hertfordshire.
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