A County of Small Towns (From Watford Observer)

A County of Small Towns

4:18pm Friday 13th February 2009 in

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The curious nature of Hertfordshire’s towns unfolds in this meticulously detailed volume compiled by our county’s leading historians.

Dotted with medieval marketplaces, Hertfordshire proved a popular stopping point for merchants and farmers en route to London.

The effects of events such as the dissolution of the monasteries, the Black Death and industrialisation are amply covered and there are also separate chapters on Ashwell, Hitchin, Royston, Berkhamsted, Barnet and St Albans. During the course of the book, we learn that access to the capital via the River Lea influenced the development of towns such as Hertford and Ware and there are surprises in that Watford, as described by former Watford Observer archivist Mary Forsyth, has many hidden architectural gems such as the 16th Century timber framed house lurking behind the doors of the stuccoed One Crown pub on the High Street and the 17th Century Monmouth House, home to Help The Aged among others at the top of the town. A cracking good read.

Published by Hertfordshire University Press, priced £16.99