Hemel Hempstead

Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Statistics
Population: 81,143
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference: TL056071
Administration
District: Dacorum
Shire county: Hertfordshire
Region: East of England
Country: England
Other
Ceremonial county: Hertfordshire
Historic county: Hertfordshire
Services
Police force: Hertfordshire Constabulary
Post office and telephone
Post town: HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
Postal district: HP1, HP2, HP3
Dialling code: 01442
Politics
UK Parliament: Hemel Hempstead
European Parliament: East of England
England

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.

On 11 December 2005 it was brought into the news by the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire.

Geography

Hemel Hempstead is located at Latitude 51° 45'N and Longitude 0° 28' 20" W .

Hemel Hempstead (known locally as "Hemel") 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 name

The 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.

Another opinion is that Hemel probably came from "Haemele" which was the name of the district in the eighth century and is most likely either the name of the land owner, or could mean "broken country". [4]

The modern Dutch place names of Haamstede and Heemstede probably have a similar root [2] which means homestead.

The town probably gave its name to the Town of Hempstead, New York.

History

Hemel Hempstead Old Town
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 when Offa, the King of Essex, granted land at Hamaele 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. 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. 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.

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.

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. 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 town

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.

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

  • Adeyfield
  • Apsley
  • Bennetts End
    • Bennetts End is a small part of Hemel Hempstead highly popular with the asian community, it has a number of pubs and shops.
  • Boxmoor
  • Chaulden
  • Felden
  • Gadebridge
  • Grovehill
    • Grovehill is a small council estate towards the Western edge of Hemel Hempstead. Within the estate there are such features as 'Henry Wells Square' containing the local shops, a pub and the 'Ming Fish Bar', a locally highly-rated fish and chip shop. The estate also contains 'Grovehill Community Centre', the local 'Grovehill Playing Fields', home to many football pitches, a baseball ground and changing facilities. Grovehill also incorporates an evangelist church, a doctor's surgery and a dental surgery as well as several schools.
  • Highfield
  • High Street Green
  • Leverstock Green
  • North End Farm
  • Nash Mills
  • Warner's End
  • Woodhall Farm

Developments since the new town

The Jarman Park Leisure centre was opened, containing eight film screens, ten pin bowling, ice rink, water park and night club.

In 2005 the Riverside development was opened in the Marlowes town centre effectively extending the main shopping precinct towards the Plough roundabout and containing many new shops including a Debenhams department store.

Political representation

Hemel 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.

The previous MP was Tony McWalter, (Labour), first elected 1997.

Commerce, industry and agriculture

Historical

Historically, 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.". 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.

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 Berkhamstead and Tring. The cress beds were redeveloped as the modern day Water Gardens.

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 day

Hemel 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:

  • 3Com, Telecommunications equipment
  • ACT (formerly Apricot Computers)
  • Aquascutum, Clothing manufacturer
  • ASOS (As Seen On Screen) WEB fashion trader.
  • BP Oil, petroleum
  • British Telecom, telecommunications
  • BSI (British Standards Institution) materials testing
  • Steria (formerly Bull (formerly Honeywell)), computers
  • DSG International plc (formerly Dixons Group), electrical retailer (global headquarters)
  • Dixons, electrical retailer (national headquarters)
  • DuPont, petrochemicals
  • Epson, computers
  • Fujifilm UK HQ electronics and photography
  • Kodak, photography - (In March 2005 Kodak announced that it would vacate its central headquarters tower block in Hemel, and will be located on 3Com Campus in Hemel)
  • NEXT, clothing (distribution centre)
  • Northgate Information Solutions , specialist software for human resources
  • Sappi group, paper, at Nash Mills. Has announced the mill will close in 2006
  • Unisys, computers
  • Waverly TBS, wine and spirits wholesale subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle
  • Xerox Office Supplies, Document supplies, paper development
  • Kent's Brushes - has manufactured high quality hair and paint brushes at Apsley since 1901.

Just east of the town is the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal (HOST), known locally as the Buncefield complex. This is 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 0n 11 Dec 2005.

Hemel's notable features

Hemel 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), a huge 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. Easy for locals, it presents a challenge for those who encounter it for the first time, and broken glass and plastic from minor collisions constantly decorate the road surface.

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 places

To the north

To the south

To the east

To the west

References

  1. ^ Origin of the name at hertfordshire genealogy
  2. ^ Newsdat - Town of Hempstead, New York and Haamstede, Schouwen, Netherlands
  3. ^ "Wall paintings on the move", Financial Times, Oct 28, 2000, p. 18; and
  4. ^ Dacorum Heritage Trust

[1] Edwards, Dennis F.(1994) Hemel Hempstead in old picture postcards European Library , ISBN 9028857974

[2] Hemel Hempstead Directory of 1797 - Early description of the town.

[3] Description of Hemel Hempstead (1870-72), John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.

[4] Yaxley, Susan; and others (1973, reprinted 1981). History of Hemel Hempstead. Amplion Press: Hemel Hempstead Local History and Records Society. ISBN 0950274305.

[5] Buteux, Elizabeth (2005). Hemel Hempstead - A History and Celebration. Salisbury, Wiltshire: The Francis Frith Collection. ISBN 1845892062.

Footnotes

"How historic treasures have devalued a house", Sunday Times, Nov 12, 2000 by Chris Partridge; p. 15


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