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Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 81,143 at the 2001 Census. Developed after World War II as a new town, it has existed as a settlement since the 8th century. It is part of the district (and borough since 1984) of Dacorum and the Hemel Hempstead constituency.
GeographyHemel Hempstead is located at Latitude 51° 45'N and Longitude 0° 28' 20" W . Hemel Hempstead (known locally as "Hemel", but pre WWII the residents knew it as "Hempstead") lies in a shallow chalkland valley at the confluence of the rivers Gade and Bulbourne. The main railway line from London Euston to the Midlands passes through Apsley and Hemel Hempstead railway stations to the west of the town, alongside the Grand Union Canal. These communication links, as well as the original A41 trunk road, all follow the natural course of the Bulbourne valley. In the 1990s, a motorway style bypass was built further west and numbered as the A41, which does not follow the natural lie of the land. Hemel is also linked to the M1 motorway to the east. The M25 is a few miles to the south. To the North and West lie mixed farm and woodland with scattered villages (such as the villages of Bovingdon and Bourne End) part of the Chiltern Hills. To the South lies Watford and east lies St Albans. Possibly the best view of Hemel Hempstead in its physical setting is from the top of Roughdown Common, a chalk hill to the south of the town. Origin of the nameThe settlement was called by the name Henamsted or Hean-Hempsted, i.e. High Hempstead, in Saxon times and in William the Conqueror's time by the name of Hemel-Amstede.[1] The name is referred to in the Domesday Book as "Hamelamesede", but in later centuries it became Hamelhamsted.
The modern Dutch place names of Haamstede and Heemstede probably have a similar root[2] which means homestead. The town may have given its name to the Town of Hempstead, New York. HistoryImage:Hemel55605.jpg Hemel Hempstead Old Town Remains of Roman villa farming settlements have been found at Boxmoor and Gadebridge which span the entire period of Roman Britain. The first recorded mention of the town is the grant of land at Hamaele by Offa, King of Essex, to the Bishop of London in AD705. Hemel Hempstead on its present site is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a vill, Hamelhamstede, with about 100 inhabitants. The church of St Mary was built in 1140, one of the finest Norman churches in the county. The church features a very tall 200 foot spire added in the 12th century, and one of Europe's tallest. After the Norman conquest the land thereabouts was given to Robert , Count of Mortain, the elder half brother of William the Conqueror as part of the lands associated with Berkhampstead castle. The estates passed through many hands over the next few centuries including Thomas á Becket in 1162. In 1290 King John's grandson, the Earl of Cornwall, gave the manor to the religious order of the Bonhommes when he endowed the monastery at Ashridge. The town remained part of the monastery's estates until the Reformation and break-up of Ashridge in 1539. In that same year the town was granted a charter by King Henry VIII to become a Bailiwick with the right to hold a Thursday market and a fair on Corpus Christi Day. The King and Anne Boleyn are reputed to have stayed in the town at this time. In 1953 some unusually fine medieval wall paintings were discovered in some cottages in Piccotts End, very close to Hemel. The paintings date to between 1470 and 1500 and show a number of religious scenes, including the baptism of Jesus by St John (wearing camel skin complete with head and hoofs) and a scene of the Virgin Mary holding Christ's body in front of the cross. Also depicted are St Peter, St Catherine of Alexandria with her wheel and sword and St Margaret of Antioch emerging from the belly of the dragon.[3] It's believed that these wall paintings show a link to the 'heretical' Cathar beliefs of southern France and adjacent areas of Catalonia and northern Italy [4]. The building was also found to have a hidden room in the roof, suggesting it was a priest hole and an Elizabethan painted room in the next door cottage. In 1827 the building was converted into the first cottage hospital by Astley Cooper providing free medical services.[4] Hemel's position on the shortest route between London and the industrial Midlands put it on the Grand Junction Canal in 1795 and the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837. However it remained principally an agricultural market town throughout the nineteenth century. In the last decades of that century development of houses and villas for London commuters began. The Midland railway built a branch connecting to its main line at Harpenden in 1877 (see The Nicky Line). Hemel steadily expanded, but only became a borough on 13th July, 1898. During World War II, a stick of bombs demolished houses at Nash Mills. The nearby Dickinson factories were used to produce munitions. After World War II, in 1946, the government designated Hemel Hempstead as the site of one of its proposed New towns designed to house the displaced population of London where slums and bombsites were being cleared. On 4th February 1947 the Government purchased 5,910 acres of land and began work on the "New Town". The first new residents moved in April 1949 and the town continued its planned expansion through to the end of the 1980s. Hemel grew to its present population of 80,000, with new developments enveloping the original town on all sides. The original part of Hemel is still known as the "Old Town". Its geographical position, between London and the Midlands, acted again in the 1960s when the M1 motorway was routed just to the east of the town. This gave it a central position on the country's motorway network. Image:MG 6532.jpg Buncefield oil fire explosion In the 1970s, the town decided to abolish its mayor and set up in place, a district council. The first chairman of that council was Chairman John Johnson (1913-1977). In the 1980s, the town then decided to revert back to its original state, with a mayor. The political atmosphere of the town has changed significantly. Once a Labour stronghold, the town has seen an increase in Conservative Party voting in recent years, and the current MP, Mike Penning, is Conservative. As of the 2001 census, Hemel Hempstead is the most populated urban area in Hertfordshire, narrowly more populated than its traditionally "larger" rival, Watford. There was a major explosion in the town at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, Buncefield at 6am on Sunday 11 December 2005. See 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire . The Maylands Avenue industrial estate was severely damaged and much of it will need to be demolished. Nearby residential districts of Adeyfield, Woodhall Farm and Leverstock Green were also badly damaged and around 300 people made temporarily homeless. There were 41 people with minor injuries and 2 were seriously hurt. The only reason no one was killed was because it occurred before dawn on a Sunday. New townImage:Hemel Marlowes 2006.JPG Marlowes shopping centre and pedestrianised high street, the centre of Hemel Hempstead since the Newtown was built, taken 2006 Hemel Hempstead was announced as candidate No 3. for a New Town in July 1946, in accordance with the government's "policy for the decentralisation of persons and industry from London". Initially there was much resistance and hostility to the plan from locals, especially when it was revealed that any development would be carried out not by the local council but by a newly appointed government body, the Hemel Hempstead Development Corporation (later amalgamated with similar bodies to form the Commission for the New Towns). However, following a public inquiry the following year, the town got the go-ahead. Hemel officially became a New Town on February 4, 1947. The initial plans for the New Town were drawn up by architect G. A. Jellicoe. His view of Hemel Hempstead, he said, was “not a city in a garden, but a city in a park.” However the plans were not well-received by most locals. Revised, and less radical plans were drawn up, and the first developments proceeded despite local protests in July 1948. The first area to be developed was Adeyfield. At this time the plans for a double "magic" roundabout at Moor End were first put forward, but in fact it was not until 1973 that the roundabout was opened as it was originally designed. The first houses erected as part of the New Town plan were in Longlands, Adeyfield, and went up in the spring of 1949. The first new residents moved in early 1950. At this time, work started on building new factories and industrial areas, to avoid the town becoming a dormitory town. The first factory was erected in 1950 in Maylands Avenue. As building progressed with continuing local opposition, the town was becoming increasingly popular with those moving in from areas of north London. By the end of 1951, there was a waiting list of about 10,000 wishing to move to Hemel. The neighbourhoods of Bennett's End, Chaulden and Warner's End were started. The Queen paid a visit shortly after her accession in 1952, and laid a foundation stone for a new church in Adeyfield - one of her first public engagements as Queen. Image:MG 3207.jpg Riverside, extension to the Marlowes shopping precinct opened 2005 The redevelopment of the town centre was started in 1952, with a new centre based on Marlowes. The old centre of the High Street was to remain largely undeveloped, though the market square closed and was replaced by a much larger one in the new centre. The former private estate of Gadebridge was opened as a public park. New schools and roads were built to serve the expanding new neighbourhoods. New housing technology such as prefabrication started to be used from the mid-50s, and house building rates increased dramatically. Highfield was the next neighbourhood to be constructed. The M1 motorway opened to the east in 1959, and a new road connecting it to the town was opened. By 1962, the redevelopment of the new town as originally envisaged was largely complete, though further expansion plans were then put forward. The nearby USAF base of Bovingdon, which had served as the town's de facto airport, closed at this time, though private flying continued for a further 7 years. Dacorum College, the library, new Police station and the Paviliion (theatre and music venue) were all built during the 1960s. The town seemed to attract its fair share of celebrity openings, with shops and businesses opened by Frankie Vaughan, Benny Hill, Terry-Thomas, and the new cinema was opened by Lauren Bacall. The last of the originally-planned neighbourhoods, Grovehill, began construction in 1967. However, further neighbourhoods of Woodhall Farm and Fields End were later built as part of the extended plans. Like other first generation new towns, Hemel is divided into residential neighbourhoods, each with their own "village centre" with shops, pubs and services. Each neighbourhood is designed around a few major feeder roads with many smaller cul-de-sacs and crescents, intended to minimise traffic and noise nuisance. In keeping with the optimism of the early postwar years, much of the town features modernist architecture with many unusual and experimental designs for housing. Not all of these have stood the test of time. Neighbourhoods in Hemel Hempstead
Developments since the new townImage:MG 7195.jpg Apsley Lock Marina on the Grand Union Canal, Hemel Hempstead The Jarman Park Leisure centre (Leisure World) was opened, containing eight film screens (Empire Cinema), ten pin bowling (Hotshots), ice rink (Silver Blades), water park (Aqua Splash)and night clubs (Lava and Ignite). This development, and those of the adjacent MacDonalds and restaurant Tesco superstore, were built on land originally donated to the town for recreational purposes. Land has also been reserved for a hotel, but to date (March 2007) this remains derelict. Replacement openspace was created to the east of the town, near to Leverstock Green, Longdean Park and Nash Mills. The former Dickinsons factory site, straddling the canal at Apsley, has been redeveloped with housing, a mooring basin, and an hotel. An office block is planned. Some buildings have been retained for their historic interest and to provide a home for the projected Paper Museum. An indoor shopping mall was developed adjacent to the south end of the Marlowes retail area, and in 2005 the Riverside development was opened, effectively extending the main shopping precinct towards the Plough roundabout. The new centre includes several outlets for national retailers including Debenhams, Starbuck, Virgin Records, etc. These two developments have moved the "centre of gravity" of the retail centre away from the traditional market and the north end of Marlowes has become an area for secondary outlets. SportHemel Hempstead Town football club [5] play in the Southern Football League Premier Division. The Tudors play at Vauxhall Road in the Adeyfield area of the town. Hemel Stags, founded in 1981, are the only rugby league team from the South of England to play based in the Rugby League Conference National league. SchoolsThe six secondary schools in the area are
In addition there is a West Herts College Campus based in the town centre. Political representationHemel Hempstead returns its own MP at Westminster. At the May 2005 General election the seat changed from Labour to Conservative. Mike Penning, (Conservative), was elected with a majority of 499, just over 1%. The previous MP was Tony McWalter, (Labour), first elected 1997. Commerce, industry and agricultureHistoricalHistorically, the area was agricultural and was noted for its rich cereal production. The agricultural journalist William Cobbett noted of Hemel Hempstead in 1822 that "..the land along here is very fine: a red tenacious flinty loam upon a bed of chalk at a yard or two beneath, which, in my opinion, is the very best corn land that we have in England." [6]. By the eighteenth century the grain market in Hemel was one of the largest in the country. In 1797 there were 11 watermills working in the vicinity of the town. [7]. In the nineteenth century, Hemel was a noted brickmaking, paper manufacturing and straw-plaiting centre. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Hemel was also a noted watercress growing area, supplying 1/16th of the country's national demand - following development of the New Town, the watercress growing moved to nearby Berkhamsted and Tring. The cress beds were redeveloped as the modern day Water Gardens. Joseph Cranstone's engineering company was founded in 1798, and was responsible for much of the early street lighting in the town as well as it first gas works. It became the Hemel Hempstead Engineering Company and stayed in business until World War Two. In 1867 Cranstone's son built a steam powered coach which he drove to London, but which was destroyed in a crash on the return journey. A local Boxmoor pub commemorates the event. In 1803 the first automatic papermaking machinery was developed in Hemel by the Fourdrinier brothers at Frogmore. Paper making expanded in the vicinity in the early nineteenth century and grew into the huge John Dickinson mills in the twentieth. A traditional employer in the area was also Brock's, manufacturer of fireworks. The factory was a significant employer since well before World War II, and remained in production until the mid 1970s. The present-day neighbourhood of Woodhall farm was subsequently built on the site. Significant historic local firms:
Present dayHemel Hempstead has a mixture of heavy and light engineering companies and has attracted a significant number of information and telecommunications sector companies helped by its proximity to London and the UK motorway network. However (and again in common with many new towns) it has a much narrower business base than established centres, particularly Watford and St Albans. Significant firms with a local presence include:
Just east of the town is the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal (HOST), known locally as the Buncefield complex. This was a major hub on the UK oil pipeline network (UKOP) with pipelines to Humberside, Merseyside, and Heathrow and Gatwick airports radiating from here. This was destroyed by a huge explosion on 11 December 2005. See 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire. Hemel's notable featuresHemel is famous (or perhaps notorious) for its "Magic Roundabout" (officially called the Moor End roundabout, or "The Plough Roundabout" from a former adjacent public house), an interchange at the end of the new town (Moor End), where traffic from six routes meet. Traffic is able to circulate in both directions around what appears to be a main central roundabout (and formerly was such), with the normal rules applying at each of the six mini-roundabouts encircling this central reservation. It is a misconception that the traffic flows the 'wrong' way around the inner roundabout; as it is not in fact a roundabout at all, and as such no roundabout rules apply to it. It was the first such circulation system in Britain. Hemel claims to have the first purpose built multi-storey car park in Britain. Built in 1960 into the side of a hill in the Marlowes shopping district, it features a giant humorous mosaic map of the area by the artist Rowland Emett. The new town centre is laid out alongside landscaped gardens and water features formed from the River Gade known as the Watergardens. The main shopping street, Marlowes, was pedestrianised in the early 1990s. Hemel also was home of one of the first community based television stations West Herts TV which later became Channel 10 For many years the lower end of Marlowes featured a distinctive office building built as a bridge-like structure straddling the main road. This building was erected on the site of an earlier railway viaduct carrying the Hemel to Harpenden railway, known as The Nicky Line. When the new town was constructed, this part of the railway was no longer in use and the viaduct demolished. The office building, occupied by BP, was designed to create a similar skyline and effect as the viaduct. In the early 1980s it was discovered that the building was subsiding dangerously and it was subsequently vacated and demolished. Adjacent to BP buildings was a unique double-helix public car park. The lower end of Marlowes was redeveloped into the Riverside shopping complex, which opened on 27 October 2005. Retailers taking residence at the Riverside complex, include Debenhams and HMV. A few hundred metres away, overlooking the 'Magic Roundabout', is Hemel's tallest building; the 19-storey Kodak building. Built as the Kodak company's UK HQ the tower was vacated in 2005. It was then temporarily reoccupied in 2006 after the Buncefield explosion destroyed Kodaks other Hemel offices. The Heathrow airport holding area known as the Bovingdon stack lies just west of the town . On a clear day at peak times the sky above can be seen to be filled with circling aircraft. Notable people
Nearby placesTo the north To the south To the east To the west Gallery
See also
References
[1] Edwards, Dennis F.(1994) Hemel Hempstead in old picture postcards European Library , ISBN 90-288-5797-4 [2] Hemel Hempstead Directory of 1797 [8] - Early description of the town. [3] Description of Hemel Hempstead (1870-72), John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.[9] [4] Yaxley, Susan; and others (1973, reprinted 1981). History of Hemel Hempstead. Amplion Press: Hemel Hempstead Local History and Records Society. ISBN 0-9502743-0-5. [5] Buteux, Elizabeth (2005). Hemel Hempstead - A History and Celebration. Salisbury, Wiltshire: The Francis Frith Collection. ISBN 1-84589-206-2. Footnotes"How historic treasures have devalued a house", Sunday Times, Nov 12, 2000 by Chris Partridge; p. 15
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