Watford

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Borough of Watford
Shown within Hertfordshire
Geography
Status:	Borough
Region:	East of England
Admin. County:	Hertfordshire
Area: - Total	Ranked 347th 21.43 km²
Admin. HQ:	Watford
ONS code:	26UK
Demographics
Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density	Ranked 296th 79,300 3,700 / km²
Ethnicity:	86.0% White 8.2% South Asian 2.7% Afro-Caribbean
Politics
Watford
Leadership:	Mayor & Cabinet
Control:	Liberal Democrats
MPs:	Claire Ward

Watford is a town and district in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, situated 34 km (21 miles) northwest of London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough lies just to the north of Greater London.

The most recent official estimates put the population of Watford at 79,300 at mid-2005 [1]. The borough had 79,726 inhabitants at the time of the 2001 Census [2]

The parish of Watford Rural covers an area to the south of the borough of Watford (which is largely urbanised), in the Three Rivers District. The nearby areas of Bushey, Rickmansworth, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley, South Oxhey and Leavesden, located in Three Rivers and Hertsmere districts, form part of the Watford postal area.

The head offices of a number of national companies such as Camelot Group, operator of the National Lottery; Iveco, manufacturers of commercial vehicles; and Haden Young, the building services division of Balfour Beatty are located in the town. The borough is also the UK base of many multi-nationals including Total Oil, Sanyo, TK Maxx, Costco, and Beko.

Watford is also a major regional centre for the East of England region, alongside Basildon, Cambridge, Colchester, Chelmsford, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough and Southend. It is the most westerly of these commercial centres and the only one in Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford and Stevenage to be its major sub-regional centres, heading its list of preferred sites for retail development [3]. The primary shopping area is the Harlequin Shopping Centre, a large purpose-built indoor mall with over 100 shops, restaurants and cafes.

The site of a former Rolls Royce factory in the north of the town has been transformed into Leavesden Film Studios, with the remaining land used for housing and the Leavesden Park business units. Leavesden Park's tenants include BBC Vecta and BT.

Watford was created as an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, and became a municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 Early history 1.3 Industrial Revolution and beyond 2 Transport 2.1 Road 2.2 Rail 2.3 Water 2.4 Air 3 Nightlife 4 Watford Colosseum 5 Watford Palace Theatre 6 "North of Watford" 7 People 8 Sport 9 Nearby places 10 Twinning 11 Other Watfords 12 Future developments 12.1 High Street 12.2 Watford Leisure Centres 12.2.1 Central Baths 12.2.2 Watford Leisure Centre 13 References 14 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

Watford owes its location to its position as the point at which the River Colne was forded by travellers between London and the Midlands. This ford was close to the later site of the old gas works. Its original name, "Watter's ford", was derived from the name of the landowner and was subsequently contracted to Wat's ford, and ultimately its present name.^{[citation needed]} This route aligns with the rivers Gade and Bulbourne to the north and crosses the Chiltern Hills at a low and easily traversed section near Tring. To the south travellers would depart from the ancient Roman Watling Street at Stanmore and head for the Gade valley to take them to this gap in the hills.

The town probably originated in Saxon times as a string of houses on the northern side of this ford. It was located on the first dry ground above the marshy edges of the River Colne. This street is the historical predecessor of the modern High Street.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Early history

Watford is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 1007. It does not get a mention by name in the Doomsday Book, but was included in the entry for the then more important settlement of Cashio which stood half a mile away at the crossroads of the St Albans road and Hempstead road near the modern Town Hall.

The settlement's location helped it to grow, since as well as trade along this north-south through route it possessed good communications into the vale of St Albans to the east and into the Chiltern Hills along the valley of the of the River Chess to the west. In 1100 Henry I granted a charter to Watford to hold a weekly market.

The parish church of St Mary the Virgin was built in 1230 on the same site as an earlier Saxon church. It was extensively restored in 1871.

From mediaeval times, the growth of London led to increasing use of the north-south road, particularly for agricultural produce. By the early nineteenth century the area of the Chiltern Hills to the north was the principal corn-growing district for London and heavy carts took this produce to the capital. This made the route notoriously difficult to travel because of its deep rutting by the heavily laden carts that used it^{[citation needed]}.

Watford was half a day’s journey from London and this made it an attractive location for noblemen to locate a country seat and still be in contact with the capital^{[citation needed]}. The great houses of Cassiobury and The Grove were built in the seventeenth centuries and expanded and developed throughout the following centuries. Cassiobury became the family seat of the Earls of Essex.

The Sparrows Herne Turnpike was established in 1762 to improve the route across the Chilterns, with the road maintained from charges levied at toll houses along the way. The location of a toll house can be seen at the bottom of Chalk Hill on the Watford side of Bushey Arches close to the Wickes builders' merchants; set in an old flint stone wall is a Sparrows Herne Trust plaque.

[edit] Industrial Revolution and beyond

Watford remained an agricultural community with some cottage industry for many centuries. The Industrial Revolution brought the Grand Junction Canal in 1798 and the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837, both located here for the same reasons the road had followed centuries before, seeking an easy gradient over the Chiltern Hills. The land-owning interests permitted the canal to follow closely by the river Gade, but the prospect of smoke-emitting steam trains drove them to ensure the railway gave a wide berth to the Cassiobury and Grove estates. Consequently, although the road and canal follow the easier valley route, the railway company was forced to build an expensive tunnel under Leavesden to the east of the town. The main Watford railway station was and remains outside of town to the east at Watford Junction.

These developments gave the town excellent communications and stimulated its industrial growth during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

[edit] Transport

[edit] Road

Watford is close to strategic roads - the M25 motorway that rings London and the M1 motorway that connects London to the Midlands and northern England.

[edit] Rail

The town is served by one of the principal north-south rail routes - the West Coast Main Line - which connects London (terminus at Euston) to the Midlands, north-west England and Scotland. Some long-distance trains on this route serve Watford Junction, where there are also frequent suburban and regional trains. There is a shuttle train service to St Albans Abbey, via some local stations in North Watford, and there is a suburban loop to Watford High Street station between Watford Junction and Bushey station. There is a direct rail connection to Gatwick Airport and the south coast via Clapham Junction.

London Underground serves Watford Metropolitan Line station at the outer north-western boundary of the system. The Metropolitan Line branch is due to be diverted to Watford Junction via the disused Croxley Green branch.[4]

[edit] Water

Watford is on the main Grand Union Canal route northwards from London. There is little commercial use, since the advent of the railway, but the canal is used for recreational purposes.

[edit] Air

A regular and frequent coach service connects Watford Junction station to Heathrow Airport and direct train services run from Watford Junction Station to Gatwick and Birmingham International Airports.

Watford's closest airfield is Elstree Aerodrome [5], 3 miles east of the town. Many private charters, as well as occasional holiday charters take off from here, with the on-request customs service contributing to the popularity of this airfield.

Leavesden Aerodrome, to the north of Watford, is no longer operational and has been converted into Leavesden Film Studios, now famously the home of the Harry Potter films.

[edit] Nightlife

The High Street running through the town centre is the main place for any activity at night. This part of town is sometimes referred to as the Café Quarter^{[citation needed]}, and has a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants.

[edit] Watford Colosseum

The Watford Colosseum was used to record the Lord of the Rings soundtracks and is world renowned for its acoustic qualities, which are often said to be the best available in the UK. It is now in administration after funding difficulties, but is still open to bookings whilst the local council decides its fate.

[edit] Watford Palace Theatre

The Watford Palace Theatre is the only producing theatre in Hertfordshire^{[citation needed]}. It presents a selection of comedy, drama, world premieres, family-friendly shows and an annual traditional pantomime. Situated just off the High Street, the Edwardian theatre building is approaching its centenary and has recently been refurbished.

[edit] "North of Watford"

The phrase "North of Watford" is used light-heartedly to describe areas of the United Kingdom that are north of London. This is possibly because Watford was one of the first places that horses were changed on the route to the north-west from London^{[citation needed]}. Alternatively, the phrase may refer to the Northamptonshire village of Watford, about 50 miles further north, which was traditionally an important waypoint on the old east-west and north-south coaching routes. This was the point where the main north-south road, rail and canal routes came together at a gap in the hills known as Watford Gap. Watford in Hertfordshire is much better known and so frequently mistaken, in the context of this phrase, for the same place. It is also possible that the phrase relates to the Watford Gap services, which are the oldest motorway services in England and would have been a popular stopping point for travellers on the M1 motorway.

[edit] People

Watford was the birthplace of:

• Barbara Amiel, Lady Black of Crossharbour, journalist
• Stephen Andrew, Canadian television reporter, anchor and talk show host
• Michael Bentine, politician and ex-Goon
• Michaela Breeze, female weightlifter
• Captain Everything!, rock band
• Ian Cashmore, television presenter of Ghosthunters
• Ray Cooper, percussionist (performed in both Elton John's and Eric Clapton's bands)
• Anthony Berkeley Cox, crime fiction author
• Cyril Fletcher, comedian
• Terry Flynn, political author
• Nikki Grahame, reality star and television personality
• Geri Halliwell, singer and former Spice Girl
• Kenny Jackett, former Swansea City FC manager
• Vinnie Jones, a British football player turned actor.
• Nick Knight, cricketer
• Nick Leeson, rogue securities trader responsible for the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995
• Tim Lovejoy, Sky Sports Soccer AM presenter
• Gerald Moore, pianist
• Mo Mowlam, Labour politician
• Mark Oaten, Liberal Democrat politician
• Stuart Parkin, physicist
• Paul Robinson, West Bromwich Albion football player
• Terry Scott, TV and Carry On actor and comedian
• Grant Shapps, Conservative MP for nearby Welwyn Hatfield
• Kelly Smith, England and Arsenal footballer
• Gareth Southgate, Middlesbrough F.C manager and former England footballer
• Bradley Walsh, Coronation Street actor and comedian

[edit] Sport

Watford is home to professional football club Watford F.C., who reached the FA Cup Final in 1984 (as well as three other semi-finals), also finishing as league runners-up in 1983. They were promoted back to top-flight football, after beating Leeds United 3-0 in a Championship playoff match in May 2006, under the management of Adrian Boothroyd.

Since 1997 the club has shared its ground, Vicarage Road, with Saracens F.C. rugby club.

Singer-songwriter Sir Elton John is a keen, long-term supporter of Watford F.C. and a former club chairman. He still maintains his links with Watford as one of its most valuable benefactors and creditors. The current Chairman is Graham Simpson and the Chief Executive is Mark Ashton.

[edit] Nearby places

• Bushey
• Garston
• Leavesden
• Rickmansworth
• Maple Cross
• Kings Langley
• Abbots Langley
• Radlett
• Oxhey
• South Oxhey

[edit] Twinning

Watford has five twin towns. These are:

• Mainz in Germany. Linked since 1956.
• Nanterre in France. Linked since 1960.
• Novgorod in Russia. Linked since 1984.
• Wilmington, Delaware in the United States. Linked since 1985.
• Pesaro in Italy. Linked since 1988.

[edit] Other Watfords

• Watford, Ontario, Canada
• Watford, Northamptonshire, of Watford Gap fame.

[edit] Future developments

[edit] High Street

Watford Council have announced plans to develop the High Street and the Café Quarter to open up the areas in and around the High Street and develop a more diverse centre for the town.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Watford Leisure Centres

Watford Central Baths and Watford Leisure Centre are being improved.^[1]

[edit] Central Baths

Central Baths will include: 6 lane 25 metre swimming pool, learner pool, viewing gallery, 4 court sports hall, 60 station gym fitness suite, dance studio, climbing wall, cafe, function room, creche, changing facilities - wet and dry.

[edit] Watford Leisure Centre

Watford leisure Centre will include: 8 lane 25 metre competition swimming pool, learner pool, viewing gallery/spectator area, 8 court sports hall, 100 station gym fitness suite, dance studio, squash courts, cafe, function room, creche, changing facilities - wet and dry.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Watford Borough Council
• Watford Observer Newspaper
• http://www.watfordjunction.org.uk/
• Watford Museum
• A Short History of Watford from the Geography department of Haberdashers School Accessed Oct 2006
• A Watford history site 1
• Watford history site 2
• Watford Brass Band
• Watford Rugby Club
• Watford Palace Theatre

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 51.6547° -0.3981°
  • Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
  • Aerial image from TerraServer
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia
• Photographs of Watford including Cassiobury Park, Cheslyn Gardens & The Grand Union Canal

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