Berkhamsted is a lively town in the Chiltern Hills with a history stretching back to before the Anglo-Saxons. Substantial ruins of the Norman castle remain, later associated with the Black Prince and Geoffrey Chaucer. Berkhamsted School was founded in 1541 and the High Street and the medieval core of the town contain numerous ancient and listed buildings, many of which are timber framed. In later years Berkhamsted’s prosperity was aided by connections with London and the Midlands through t...

The River Lea and its crossing at Hertford lie at the heart of the town's history. Before the Norman Conquest the river formed a natural boundary between the Danelaw to the north and Saxon Wessex to the south. Saxon villages already existed at Bengeo and Hertingfordbury and, in 911 and 912, Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, founded two fortified burhs, north and south of the Lea crossing. Following the Norman Conquest a castle was established at Hertford, together with a priory an...

The town of Watford, in Hertfordshire, began as a settlement in the twelfth century when the Abbot of St Albans, who owned the land here, was given permission to hold a weekly market. He chose a site on a slight rise above the ford over the River Colne, along a route already used by travellers. The abbot also arranged for the first parish church - St Mary’s - to be built adjacent to the market. In the Domesday Book there is no mention of Watford. The area of the current town and the land a...

Situated a mile from the Hertfordshire village of Welwyn, the Garden City was founded in 1920. It was the vision of Ebenezer Howard, founder of the garden city movement that aimed to combine the benefits of living in a town with those of living in the country. The French-Canadian Louis de Soissons was appointed as architect and planner and ensured the project's success. Welwyn Garden City's historic significance in town and social planning is global, attracting study and visits from touris...