Digswell
Encyclopedia
Digswell is an ancient village in the English county of Hertfordshire
which is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book
.
Digswell's name may be derived from Deacon's Well. There were two Manors, with 2 water Mills, much land under plough, and a large area of woodland. Little changed until 1922 when part of the estate once belonging to Lord Cowper
of Panshanger was sold at auction, and bought by a group of pioneers of the Garden City Movement
including Ebenezer Howard
. On this land which included much of the old Parish of Digswell and further acquisitions nearby, was built Welwyn Garden City
. The name Digswell is now used to describe an essentially 20th century residential area centred around Welwyn North railway station
, on the northern outskirts of the original Parish, but the Church of St John the Evangelist
(13th century, much altered) (3) and the 19th century Digswell House built on the site of a much earlier residence (3) still mark the original centre. The impressive Digswell Viaduct built by Lewis Cubitt
in 1850 carries the Great Northern Railway
over the valley of the River Mimram
(River Maran) on some 40 brick arches. The residential workshop for sculptors, artists and musicians sponsored by the Digswell Arts Trust
, was once located in Digswell House. Part of the southern Parish Boundary Baulk (raised bank) between the ecclesiastical parishes of Digswell and Hatfield
may still be seen in Sherrardspark Wood
, a local woodland, nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest
.(5) Much of Digswell is now part of the borough of Welwyn and Hatfield
.
The present Digswell local residential area centred around Welwyn North station has a population of about 1600, with a shop or two, and a pub called the Cowper Arms. Notable past residents here include Kenneth Allsop
, Alan Brazil
, Graham Richard James
, the police reformer Sir Arthur Young, H.G. Wells and American actor Barry Chapman.
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
which is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
.
Digswell's name may be derived from Deacon's Well. There were two Manors, with 2 water Mills, much land under plough, and a large area of woodland. Little changed until 1922 when part of the estate once belonging to Lord Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper PC KC FRS was an English politician who became the first Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. Cowper was the son of Sir William Cowper, 2nd Baronet, of Ratling Court, Kent, a Whig member of parliament of some mark in the two last Stuart reigns...
of Panshanger was sold at auction, and bought by a group of pioneers of the Garden City Movement
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
including Ebenezer Howard
Ebenezer Howard
Sir Ebenezer Howard is known for his publication Garden Cities of To-morrow , the description of a utopian city in which people live harmoniously together with nature. The publication resulted in the founding of the garden city movement, that realized several Garden Cities in Great Britain at the...
. On this land which included much of the old Parish of Digswell and further acquisitions nearby, was built Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
. The name Digswell is now used to describe an essentially 20th century residential area centred around Welwyn North railway station
Welwyn North railway station
Welwyn North railway station serves the villages of Digswell and Welwyn in Hertfordshire, England. The station is located approximately north of London Kings Cross, on the East Coast Main Line.-Location:...
, on the northern outskirts of the original Parish, but the Church of St John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
(13th century, much altered) (3) and the 19th century Digswell House built on the site of a much earlier residence (3) still mark the original centre. The impressive Digswell Viaduct built by Lewis Cubitt
Lewis Cubitt
Lewis Cubitt was born on 29 September 1799 and died on 9 June 1883. He married Sophia Kendall on 23 January 1830.He was the younger brother of Thomas Cubitt, the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and he designed many of the housing developments constructed...
in 1850 carries the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
over the valley of the River Mimram
River Mimram
The Mimram Valley is named after the River Mimram, which rises from a spring to the north of Whitwell, in North Hertfordshire, England, and makes its confluence with the River Lea near Horn's Mill in Hertford. At Whitwell there are cress beds which have existed since Roman times and these are fed...
(River Maran) on some 40 brick arches. The residential workshop for sculptors, artists and musicians sponsored by the Digswell Arts Trust
Digswell Arts Trust
Digswell Arts Trust was the brainchild of Henry Morris, a pioneering educationalist. Through his enthusiasm, dedication and influence he persuaded the Government and the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation to establish a Trust for professional artists in Welwyn Garden City, England.It was...
, was once located in Digswell House. Part of the southern Parish Boundary Baulk (raised bank) between the ecclesiastical parishes of Digswell and Hatfield
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
may still be seen in Sherrardspark Wood
Sherrardspark Wood
Sherrardspark Wood is a 74.9 hectare biological and geological, site of Special Scientific Interest in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire...
, a local woodland, nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.(5) Much of Digswell is now part of the borough of Welwyn and Hatfield
Welwyn Hatfield
The Borough of Welwyn Hatfield is a local government district in southern Hertfordshire, England.Its covers the two towns of Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, along with numerous smaller settlements from Woolmer Green in the north to Little Heath in the south. Each of the towns has a railway station...
.
The present Digswell local residential area centred around Welwyn North station has a population of about 1600, with a shop or two, and a pub called the Cowper Arms. Notable past residents here include Kenneth Allsop
Kenneth Allsop
Kenneth Allsop was a British broadcaster, author and naturalist. He was a regular reporter on the BBC current affairs programme "Tonight" during the 1960s. He also was Rector of Edinburgh University and won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize...
, Alan Brazil
Alan Brazil
Alan Bernard Brazil is a Scottish former football player and broadcaster. He was a forward before retirement due to injury. He is now a radio presenter on Talksport.-Club career:...
, Graham Richard James
Graham Richard James
Graham Richard James is a British Anglican bishop. He is the current Bishop of Norwich.James was born in Bideford, Devon, the son of the Reverend Lionel James and his wife Florence...
, the police reformer Sir Arthur Young, H.G. Wells and American actor Barry Chapman.
Further reading
- Dora Ward, 'Digswell from Domesday to Garden City' first published 1953 and since reprinted.