Enjoy!a journey through East Hertfordshire

ContentsPages

Introduction 1

History & Folklore 2 - 12

Local Attractions 13 - 14

Tourist Information 15

Local Markets 16

Map of the Area 17 - 18

IntroductionSet in attractive rolling countryside, East Hertshas a great deal to offer both the visitor andthe people who live and work here.

This leaflet takes you through some of ourpicturesque villages situated between thetraditional market towns of Bishop’s Stortford,Buntingford, Hertford, Sawbridgeworth andWare highlighting some of our history andfolklore.

Find out which village has Hertfordshire’s lastsurviving 17th Century Mill and which villagewas home to a witch. Discover what town hada Great Bed that could sleep a dozen at anyone time.

During your journey you will discover manytraditional pubs, tea rooms and restaurantsproviding refreshments and hospitality.If you’re looking to stay you will findaccommodation from farmhouse bed andbreakfast to 5 star hotels.

1

Albury - Folklore says that Albury has been touchedby the Devil’s hand. In 1880 one of the four churchbells fell to the foot of the tower but before it could berepaired or replaced, it disappeared. Some say it wasstolen by the Devil.

Anstey - Folklore claims that there is a mile long cavewhich runs from the west to Cave Gate. Locals saythat the passage, rediscovered in 1904, is inhabited bya dragon. Although the cave is now grassed over it ispossible that it was an entrance to a prehistoric flintmine. The last person to have ventured into thepassage was a local fiddler called Blind George whoaccepted a wager to explore it. He set off with his dogwhen suddenly the sound of his fiddle stopped,followed by a scream and then silence. His dogemerged without a tail and his coat singed off. BlindGeorge was never seen again.

Ardeley has an attractive green with a wellsurrounded by thatched cottages, a thatched villagehall and the Norman church of St Lawrence. ArdeleyBury is an Elizabethan hall with Victorian extensionsbuilt very much to resemble a Gothic castle.

Aspenden - The church of St Marys has a tomb whichis one of only five in the country to have colouredbrasses. The tomb is the resting place of Sir RobertClifford. He was a knight to Henry Vll and wasinvolved in a plot to remove him from the throne.

Aston is an attractive compact village in a goodwalking area. Traditional village housing includes athatched 17th century cottage and a Jacobean houseat Aston Bury, which used to be a monastery untilHenry VIII intervened.

2

History & Folklore

This village can boast of having a highwayman. In the17th and 18th Centuries, Colonel Jack Whitneywaylaid farmers on their way back from HertfordMarket. One night he was caught and shot on thespot. He was buried in a grave without a headstone(halfway between Aston and Aston End) on a hill, laternamed after him as Major’s Hill.

Bayford - The parish boundaries offer a host offootpaths through woodland, including BrickendonWoods, and a recently added well-signposted cycleroute.

Bengeo - The church of St Leonard at Bengeo is a rareexample of a Norman village church. Built around1120, St Leonard’s has undergone little change overthe centuries. The church’s treasures include aNorman font, an Anchorite’s cell and a wall painting,featuring the deposition from the cross.

Benington is a picturesque village set around a perfectgreen with a duck pond, and is regarded as one of themost attractive villages in the county. Its reputation hasgrown in part from the magnificent gardens of theGeorgian house, Benington Lordship, as well as thetimbered cottages clustered around the green. TheLordship lies next to a fine medieval church. Its groundscontain the ruins of a Norman Castle, whose keep wasdestroyed by King John’s henchmen in 1212.

Bishop’s Stortford - The market town of Bishop’sStortford has many old buildings including 16th and17th century inns. The George Hotel is said to datefrom the 14th century.

William the Conqueror built Waytemore Castle, awooden castle which was replaced by a flint and stonestructure in the 12th century. All that remains today isa massive castle mound.

3

Bishop’s Stortford is the birthplace of Cecil Rhodes,the founder of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. His familyhome is now a museum.

The town’s prosperity as a staging post on mail coachroutes was enhanced by the opening of the StortNavigation in 1769. The arrival of the railway inVictorian times laid the foundation for a market town.

Bramfield - St Andrew’s Church was there in Saxontimes, near the Saxon manor house called the Bury.Bramfield was the first parish for martyr Thomas aBecket. After he was murdered in 1170, whileArchbishop of Canterbury, a Saxon well at Bramfieldchurch was renamed the Holy Well of St Thomas,attracting pilgrims for its reputed healing powers.

Bramfield was also home to a witch, provided a hidingplace for Dick Turpin, and saw the murder of a localfelon.

Brickendon - Archaeological finds, now in HertfordMuseum, have led to speculation that Queen Boadiceaused to camp in the area. The parish is calledBrickendon Liberty, which stems from its connectionwith the Priory at Waltham Abbey. Monks used to live inthe village, growing vegetables for daily delivery to theAbbey. Their home has survived and is now known asthe White House.

Braughing - Folklore tells of a 16th century farmerwho was dropped from his coffin on the way to thechurchyard. The jolt awoke the body and he lived forseveral more years. In his will he asked that thechurch bells be rung on October 2, the anniversary ofhis escape. Braughing is also famous for its localsausages.

4

Brent Pelham - Piers Shonks was a 23 foot tall giantwho lived on an island in Shonks’ Moat, Peppsall Field.One day, whilst out hunting, he encountered aferocious dragon and with an arrow killed it. Thisbeast was in fact the devil’s favourite and in outragethe evil one swore that he would have Piers’ soulwhether the giant was buried inside or outside of thechurch. When Piers was finally on his deathbed, hefired an arrow to determine where he would be buried.The arrow sailed through a window into the church ofSt Mary the Virgin at Brent Pelham and embeddeditself in the wall. Thus Piers was buried in the wall ofthe church and cheated the devil as he was neitherinside nor outside of the church. Piers’ tomb remainsto this day.

Buntingford - The earliest mention of Buntas Ford isin a document of 1185 which related to land ownedby the Knights Templar. The first time Buntingford wasreferred to as a town was in the time of Henry lll’sCharter of 1253, which allowed it to hold a weeklymarket. In the early 18th century, the inns ofBuntingford served many travellers on the RomanLondon to York road. Diarist Samuel Pepys recordedthat he once stayed in one of the inns in the town.

Chipping - during the reign of Henry VIII, Chippingwas a busy village because it had the right to hold amarket. In the 1300s that market was moved toBuntingford.

Cold Christmas - is on the map because theGreenwich Meridian 0 degrees longitude passesthrough it.

Colliers End - The Lamb and Flag pub, the emblem ofthe Knights Templar, is exactly 25 miles from bothTemple Church in London and the Round Church inCambridge, both Templar churches.

5

Cromer Windmill is Hertfordshire’s last surviving 17thcentury mill. Now fixed in one position, the sails usedto run on a rail and would rotate out over the road.

Dane End - means the ‘valley ends’ and refers towhere a tributary of the River Lea comes off thesurrounding chalk. The village has a 12th centurychurch with examples of medieval graffiti and a stonefont.

Datchworth has a museum housed in an old villageblacksmith’s shop on the green.

A whipping post which stands on the green was usedfor public floggings until July 1665. Rectory Lane,which runs from the green towards the churchyard, isreputed to be haunted by a horseless cart. It is said tobe a manifestation of the ‘death coach’ or hellwainwhich carried off the souls of the dead.

Furneux Pelham is one of three Pelham villages eachof which was owned by the Furneaux (pronouncedfurnix) family in the 13th century. The church israther grand, with stained glass by William Morris andBurne-Jones in the chapel. The countryside aroundthe Pelhams gives the impression of great remoteness,combining the low hills and valleys of Hertfordshirewith the large, hedgeless fields of East Anglia.

Great Amwell - The church of St John the Baptiststands by the picturesque waters of the New River.The river was constructed between 1609-13 toprovide water for London. In the graveyard of thechurch lies Issac Reed, a Shakespearean editor.

6

Hertford - historically a major market for agriculturalproduce, a lucrative trading post and a base for royaltyand nobility to enjoy country life and sport.

Archaeological finds have uncovered earthworks andpossible Bronze Age burials (1800BC - 600BC) andthere have been Iron Age discoveries, plus evidence ofa settlement in late Pre-Roman Iron Age (150BC-43AD).

Hertford Castle was used by monarchs as a countryhome and a prison! The Black Prince brought thecaptive King John of France and his son Prince Philipto Hertford Castle in 1359.

Henry VI spent much of his childhood there and it washome to many of Henry VIII’s children, includingElizabeth I, who visited the castle after her coronation.

Hertford Heath was a notorious area for highwaymenin years gone by.

Hertford Heath was home to a prominent politicaleconomist of the early 19th century, Thomas Malthus(1766-1834).

Hertingfordbury - Hertingfordbury Park wasidentified in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudiceand was visited by diarist John Evelyn (1620-1706).

The original structure of St Mary’s Church dates frombefore 1400. Tombs include Lady Anne Calvert,ancestress of the founders of Maryland, USA and thecity of Baltimore.

Hormead - The parish of Hormead consists of GreatHormead, Little Hormead and Hare Street. St Marythe Virgin, at Little Hormead, is a small Saxon churchcontaining an important ironwork door which datesfrom the 12th century.

7

Hunsdon - in the heart of the village stands an 18thcentury village hall and an early 19th century pump.In St Dunstan’s Church is a brass plate marking thedeath of James Gray, “parke and housekeeper”, whodied in 1591. Etched on the brass is the hunterhunted: “Death” as a skeleton stabbing Gray as heaims at a stag. Death is saying “Sic pergo” - translatedas, “I do as you do”.

Layston - The medieval village of Layston is home tothe ruined church of St Bartholomew. Although thechurch was abandoned, it is said that bells continuedto be heard. One night when the villagers went toinvestigate, they found the church empty but lit.

Little Berkhamsted - one of its former residents,retired Admiral John Stratton, decided to build a towerso he could see ships sailing up the Thames. The100ft brick tower was built in 1789 and becameknown as Stratton’s (or Admiral’s) Folly because of theimpossibility of achieving his aim! It is now a privatehouse.

Little Hadham - In the church there is a memorialstone to Lord Arthur Capel, who was executed fortreason and hanged on March 9 1649. A Royalistduring the Civil War, he was sent to the Tower ofLondon. One of his last requests was for his heart tobe buried with King Charles I.

Much Hadham - Haedham (Much Hadham) datesback to Saxon times and is one of Hertfordshire’soldest villages. It was once the centre of a Romanpottery industry. Edmund Tudor, who was born inMuch Hadham, was the father to King Henry VII, thefirst Tudor king.

The Forge was a workshop which operated from 1811to 1983, and is now home to a museum that puts onworking displays. The museum also has a Victoriancottage garden with an early 19th century beehouse.

8

Puckeridge - was once a coaching stop which is stillevident today in the High Street archways which leadto the stable yards. On the outskirts of Puckeridge, inSkelton Green, a Roman cremation site was excavated.

Sacombe remains a very rural parish. Sacombe’sancient Church of St Catherine was substantiallyrebuilt in 1885-6 by the patron Abel Smith, who livedat Woodhall Park.

Sacombe lies on a Roman road, part of which remainsin use today - Sacombe Green Road.

Sawbridgeworth - At the time of the NormanConquest, Sawbridgeworth was one of the mostvaluable estates in the country, owned by Asgar theStaller, who was in charge of King Harold’s stables.Sawbridgeworth was home to one of the oldestnurseries in the country, Thomas Rivers & Sons, firstestablished in 1725. Many new fruit varieties wereraised there, including 30 kinds of plum. The nurseryclosed in the 1980s. To the south of the town isPishiobury, a fine Tudor mansion on an estate given toAnne Boleyn by Henry VIII.

Sawbridgeworth has many attractive riverside walksclose to the town and the River Stort. The Stort isvery popular for boating.

Stapleford is one of East Herts’ newer villages,consisting mainly of houses built after the First WorldWar for returning soldiers. It is centred around thechurch of St Mary’s.

Standon has a 13th century church with a detachedtower which was joined in 1865 as an organ chamber.St Mary’s, the Virgin contains monuments to notablepeople, including Sir Ralph Sadlier, Privy Councillor forHenry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I.

9

Standon Green End has a boulder in a field known asthe balloon stone. This stone commemorates thelanding of the first balloon voyage in England onSeptember 15 1784. Vincenzo Lunardi, secretary tothe Neopolitan ambassador, took off two hours earlierfrom Moorfields in London.

Stanstead Abbotts has a lovely riverside walk whichtakes you past the marina towards Ware and Hertford,or in the other direction towards the Lea Valley Park.Many of the 200 year old buildings on the High Streetare listed, and the Red Lion pub is reputed to have anold priest hole.

Stocking Pelham - Arthur Mee’s “Hertfordshire”describes the village as follows:- “It has three goodcompanions, a little church, a barn about twice as big,and the rectory still guarded by part of its old moat.The plain little church has been here about 600 years,and in its belfry hangs a bell which may have rung outnews of Agincourt”.

Tewin - The north wall of St Peter’s Church dates fromSaxon times. The Normans carried out restoration andother changes were made during 1335 - 1530.

Thorley - The three times Lord Mayor of London, DickWhittington was Lord of the manor of Thorley.Another resident of Thorley was the infamous 19thcentury hanging judge, Lord Chief JusticeEllenborough. Thorley has archaeological finds datingback 3,000 years.

Thundridge - The parish of Thundridge, Wadesmilland High Cross has the busy A10 road runningthrough it. The Old North Road from Wadesmill wasthe first toll road in England under the 1663 TurnpikeAct.

10

Tonwell - has a small church, which is only open formajor festivals such as harvest and Christmas.

Walkern was the home of the last person in England tobe sentenced to death for witchcraft. Jane Wenhamwas condemned by a Hertford court in 1711 but wasgiven a reprieve from the death sentence and latergranted a Royal pardon by Queen Anne. Jane lived outher days in Hertingfordbury and is buried in anunmarked grave in its churchyard.

St Mary’s Church is rumoured to have been built withstones meant for a church at Boxbury. It is said thatthe stones were whisked through the air to Walkern bythe Devil’s trickery.

Ware once had a prosperous brewing industry andwas an important coaching stop. The 10ft 10in longGreat Bed of Ware could sleep a dozen at any onetime. The bed has been on display in the Victorian andAlbert Museum since 1931.

The Priory in Ware was once a Benedictine priory, wasused as a hospital for wounded troops during the FirstWorld War. Ware Museum and visitor informationcentre is housed at the Priory Lodge.

One of Wares interesting attractions is Scott’s Grotto.The Grotto was created in 1766 by John Scott, a Quakerpoet and comprises of seven underground chambersdecorated with shells from around the world.

Wareside - A clematis plant nursery and specialistpropagator, Priorswood, is run on Widbury Hillbetween Ware and Wareside.

11

Watton-at-Stone - The “stone” of Watton-at-Stone ispresumed to refer to a prehistoric or Roman markstone of Hertfordshire puddingstone, which can befound at the right of the door of the Waggon andHorses.

Watton’s most exciting archaeological find was abronze mirror, discovered near the burial site of anIron Age princess in the Great Humphreys area. It iscalled the Aston Mirror because it was technicallyfound in that parish. It is now on display in the BritishMuseum.

The existence of a church is recorded in theDomesday Book, but the present St Andrew’s andSt Mary’s building is 15th century. During the CivilWar the Roundheads held their Royalist prisoners inthe church.

Westmill has a traditional green and thatchedcottages overlooked by the spire of the Anglo-SaxonSt Mary’s Church. It is a peaceful backwater in theRib Valley with many ancient trees.

Widford - has a church which dates from the12th century and has several wall paintings fromabout 1500.

Wyddial is situated 500ft above sea level and is oneof the smallest villages in the county. The only publicbuilding is its medieval parish church

12

ArtshedWestmill Farm, Westmill Road, Ware, Herts SG12 0ESWebsite: www.artshed-ware.com

Audley End HouseSaffron Walden, Essex, CB11 4JFTel: 01799 522 399www.english-heritage.org.uk

Bennington Lordship GardensBennington, Stevenage, Herts SG2 7BSTel: 01438 869668Email: rhbott@benningtonlordship.co.ukWebsite: www.benningtonlordship.co.uk

Buntingford Heritage CentreThe Manor House, BuntingfordTel: 01763 273220

Courtyard ArtsPort Vale, Hertford, Herts SG14 3AAWebsite: www.courtyardarts.org.uk

Cromer WindmillThe Windmill stands beside the B1037 to thenorth-east of Stevenage.Tel: 01279 843301

Datchworth Museum9A Datchworth Green, Datchworth, Nr Knebworth,Herts SG3 6TLTel: 01438 813477

Duxford Imperial War MuseumCambridgeshire, CB2 4QRTel: 01223 835000Website: www.duxford.iwm.org.uk

Hatfield House Park and GardensHatfield, Herts AL9 5NQTel: 01707 287010Email: curator@hatfield-house.co.ukWebsite: www.hatfield-house.co.uk

13

Local Attractions

14

Henry Moore FoundationDane Tree House, Perry Green, Much Hadham, HertsSG10 6EETel: 01279 843333Email: visits@henry-moore-fdn.co.ukWebsite: www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk

Hertford Museum18 Bull Plain, Hertford, HertsTel: 01992 582686Website: www.hertfordmuseum.org

Hopleys GardenHigh Street, Much Hadham, Herts SG10 6BUTel: 01279 842509Website: www.scotts-grotto.org

Knebworth HouseKnebworth, Herts SG3 6PYTel: 01438 812661Email: info@knebworth.comWebite: www.knebworth-house.com

Paradise Wildlife ParkWhite Stubbs Lane, Broxbourne, Herts EN10 7QATel: 01920 470490Email: info@pwpark.comWebsite: www.pwpark.com

Bishop’s Stortford MuseumSouth Street, Bishop’s Stortford, HertsTel: 01279 651746Website: www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk

Scott’s GrottoScotts, Road, Ware, Herts SG12 9JQTel: 01920 464131Website: www.scotts-grotto.org

The Forge MuseumHigh Street, Much Hadham, Herts Tel: 01279 843301

Ware MuseumThe Priory Lodge, High Street, Ware, Herts SG12 9ADTel: 01920 487848

BirchangerWelcome Break Services,Junction 8 M11 MotorwayBishop’s StortfordHerts CM23 5QZTel: 01279 508656

Bishop’s StortfordThe Old Monastery, Windhill,Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2ND(Next to St Michael’s Church)Tel: 01279 655831Email: tic@bishopsstortford.orgWebsite: www.bishopsstortford.org

BuntingfordVisitors Information PointThe Manor House, High StreetTel: 01763 272222Email: btc.manorhouse@btclick.com

Hertford10 Market Place, Hertford SG14 1DGTel: 01992 584322Email: www.hertford@eetb.infoWebsite: www.hertford.gov.uk

WarePriory Lodge, High StreetWareTel: 01920 487848Website: www.waremuseum.org.uk

Other Useful Contactswww.eastherts.gov.ukwww.growninherts.org.ukwww.enjoyhertfordshire.comwww.visitbritain.comwww.visiteastofengland.comwww.bhl.org.uk

15

Tourist Information

Bishop’s StortfordMarket held Saturdays and Thursdays

Buntingford

Market held Mondays

Dane End

Farmers Market held second Saturday -monthly

Datchworth

Farmers Market held fourth Sunday - monthly

Great Amwell

Farmers Market held first Thursday - monthly

Great Hormead

Farmers Market held first Saturday - monthly

Hertford

Market held Saturdays

Hertford Heath

Farmers Market held third Sunday - monthly

Little Hadham

Farmers Market held last day of month

Ware

Market held Tuesdays

Woolmer Green

Farmers Market held fourth Sunday - monthly

16

Local Markets

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www.eastherts.gov.uk

Published by EHC May 2006

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