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Market town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England
Photo: Jamsta at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire in England and has a population of around 29,000 in 2021. It was the birthplace of Samuel Stone, who is credited with being the founder of Hartford, Connecticut. The medieval town was built next to Hertford Castle that protects the ford through the River Lee replacing an earlier Saxon burh.
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Dates back to 900 AD, although only the gatehouse and some walls are remaining. The building is now the government office of Hertford Town Council, a museum, and an event space.
A Norman church built about 1120 and the oldest building in Hertford.
Beckwith & Son
Russel proposed the theory of natural selection more or less at the same time as Charles Darwin. It is marked with a plaque.
The oldest purpose-built one in the world (in Railway Street), in use since 1670.
It was built in 1779 and designed by the noted architect, Robert Adam.
A statue of the founder of Hartford.
Although small, this museum in the town centre offers a fascinating range of artifacts and an oversight of the history of the town.
Bluecoat's School
Paint your own pottery.
Live music, dance, comedy and events venue in a Victorian hall with a large dance floor.
Hertford's leading visual arts venue.
White lions, tigers, snow leopards, zebras, reindeer, tapir, meerkat, red pandas and capybaras - find the big and small at Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne.
Fish Bar
Chippy.
Japanese restaurant.
Mediterranean restaurant.
European bistro specialising in fish and grill dishes amid clean, modern decor with a cosy basement.
McMullens.
Green King
Wetherspoons.
Fullers
Traditional free house established in 1817.
McMullens
Real ale and cider free house.
small-batch, hand-roasted coffee, made in Hertford.
A shake bar
Italian family-run cafe.
coffee & bagels.
4-star hotel with night club and 14 individually decorated rooms. Fair restaurant with extensive wine list.
Gorgeous arty B&B with three rooms in a Georgian town house. No children under 12 or dogs.
was the Bell
Beautiful Grade II* 15th-century McMullens Hotel with white pargeted façades. (Closed for renovation as of Aug 2022.)
A country inn dating from the 15th-century, this pub with guest rooms is in the quiet village of Hertingfordbury.
Fine art auctioneer.
Homewares shop.
Fruit & vegetables, cheese.
By bicycle
By rail
Hertford is easily accessed by train, generously served by two train stations. Both stations accept Oyster and contactless payments.
By bus
Hertford bus station is at Bircherley Green.
By road
Hertford is close to the A10, A414, A1(M) and M25. From the A10 take the junction for Hertford at Rush Green. From the A1(M) take Junction 4 for Welywn Garden City and follow the A414 Eastbound.
By plane
Hertford can be reached by public transport from all five London airports:
Hertford has a small town centre and everything can be seen by walking around.
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