Hemel Hempstead
Encyclopedia
Hemel Hempstead is a town
in Hertfordshire
in the East of England
, 24 miles (38.6 km) to the north west of London
and part of the Greater London Urban Area
. The population
at the 2001 Census
was 81,143 (but now estimated at around 89,000 by Hertfordshire County Council
).
Developed after World War II
as a new town
, it has existed as a settlement since the 8th century and was granted its town charter
by King Henry VIII
in 1539. It is part of the district
(and borough
since 1984) of Dacorum
and the Hemel Hempstead
constituency.
times and in William the Conqueror's time by the name of Hemel-Amstede. The name is referred to in the Domesday Book
as "Hamelamesede", but in later centuries it became Hamelhamsted. In Old English, "-stead" or "-stede" simply meant a place, such as the site of a building or pasture, as in clearing in the woods, and this suffix is used in the names of other English places such as Hamstead
and Berkhamsted
.
Another opinion is that Hemel probably came from "Haemele" which was the name of the district in the 8th century and is most likely either the name of the land owner, or could mean "broken country".
The town is now known to residents as "Hemel" however before The Second World War
locals called it "Hempstead".
The town has given its name to the town of Hempstead, New York. Immigrants from Hemel Hempstead migrated to the area which is now Hempstead, New York, including the surrounding areas such as Roosevelt, in the late 17th century.
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 Saxon Bishop of London
in AD 705.
Hemel Hempstead on its present site is mentioned in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as a vill
, Hamelhamstede, with about 100 inhabitants. The parish church of St Mary's
was built in 1140, and is recognised as one of the finest Norman
parish church
es in the county. The church features an unusual 200 feet (61 m) tall spire
, added in the 12th century, 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 Berkhamsted Castle
. The estates passed through many hands over the next few centuries including Thomas Becket
in 1162. In 1290 King John of England
'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 Royal 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 first Bailiff of Hemel Hempstead was William Stephyns (29 December 1539). The King and Anne Boleyn
are reputed to have stayed in the town at this time.
Unusually fine medieval wall paintings from the period between 1470 and 1500 were discovered in some cottages in Piccotts End
, very close to Hemel Hempstead in 1953. This same building had been converted into the first cottage hospital
providing free medical services by Sir Astley Cooper
in 1827.
In 1581, a group of local people acquired lands — now referred to as Box Moor — from the Earl of Leicester
to prevent their enclosure
. These were transferred to trustees in 1594. These have been used for public grazing and they are administered by the Box Moor Trust
.
Hemel's position on the shortest route between London and the industrial Midlands
put it on the Sparrows Herne turnpike
Toll road
in 1762, the Grand Junction Canal
in 1795 and the London and Birmingham Railway
in 1837. However it remained principally an agricultural market town
throughout the 19th century. In the last decades of that century development of houses and villas for London commuters began. The Midland Railway
built a branch line connecting to its mainline at Harpenden
in 1877 (see The Nicky Line). Hemel steadily expanded, but only became a borough on 13 July 1898. During World War II
90 high explosive bombs dropped on the town by the Luftwaffe
. The most notorius incident was on 10 May 1942 when a stick of bombs demolished houses at Nash Mills killing 8 people. The nearby Dickinson factories which were used to produce munitions, were the target.
, in 1946, the government designated Hemel Hempstead as the site of one of its proposed New Towns
designed to house the population displaced by the London Blitz, since slums and bombsites were being cleared in London. On 4 February 1947, the Government purchased 5910 acres (23.9 km²) of land and began work on the "New Town". The first new residents moved in during 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".
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 New Towns). However, following a public inquiry the following year, the town got the go-ahead. Hemel officially became a New Town on 4 February 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 shopping square she visited is named Queen's Square, and the nearby area has street names commemorating the then-recent conquest of Everest
, such as Hilary and Tenzing Road. This conquest is also celebrated in the name of a pub in Warners End – the 'Top of the World'.
The redevelopment of the town centre was started in 1952, with a new centre based on Marlowes south of the old town. This was alongside a green area called the Water Gardens, designed by Jellico, formed by ponding back the River Gade
. 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 up 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 United States Air Force
base of Bovingdon
, which had served as the town's de facto airport, closed at this time, though private flying continued for a further seven years. A campus of West Herts College
, the library, new Police station and the Pavilion (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 Hollywood star 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-sac
s 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. A significant issue was how to choose names for all the new roads. Many areas of the new town used themes e.g. fields, birds, rivers, poets, explorers, leaders, etc.
In the 1970s, the government abolished the Borough of Hemel Hempstead and the town was incorporated into Dacorum District Council along with Tring
and Berkhamsted
. The first chairman of that council was Chairman John Johnson (1913–1977). In the 1980s, Dacorum District Council successfully lobbied to be recognised as the successor for the Royal Charter establishing the Borough of Hemel Hempstead and thus regained the Mayor and its Aldermen and became Dacorum Borough Council. The political atmosphere of the town has changed significantly. Once a Labour Party
stronghold, the town has seen an increase in Conservative Party
voting in recent years, and the current Member of Parliament, 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
.
, Buncefield. (See 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire
). This was one of the largest explosions ever to occur in the UK, and put Hemel briefly in the headlines with the incident being described as the biggest of its kind in peacetime Europe.
The Maylands Avenue industrial estate was severely damaged and much of it needed to be demolished. Nearby residential districts of Adeyfield
, Woodhall Farm
, Highfield
and Leverstock Green
were also badly damaged and around 300 people were made temporarily homeless. 41 people sustained minor injuries and two were seriously hurt. It is believed that the only reason that no one was killed was because the explosion occurred before dawn on a Sunday.
land valley at the confluence
of the rivers Gade
and Bulbourne
, 27 miles (43.5 km) north-west of central London.
The main railway
line between London Euston
and the Midlands
passes through Apsley
and Hemel Hempstead railway station
s a mile south of the town centre, as does the Grand Union Canal
. These links, as well as the A41 trunk road
, follow the course of the River Bulbourne river valley
. The New Town expansion took place up the valley sides and on to the plateau above the original Old Town. In the 1990s, a motorway-style bypass numbered A41 was built to the south and west of the town across the upland chalk plateau, which does not follow the lie of the land. Hemel Hempstead 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, part of the Chiltern Hills
. To the northwest lies Berkhamsted
. To the south lies Watford
and the beginnings of the Greater London
conurbation
. To the east lies St Albans
, a historic cathedral
and market town
and now like Hemel Hempstead, part of the London commuter belt
. 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, at .
(Köppen climate classification
Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.
superstore was built in 1994, which was later expanded into a Tesco Extra and was the first to be built with natural light let in. The Jarman Park Leisure Centre opened in 1995. The Odeon Cinemas
complex had eight film screens and is curently operated by Empire Cinemas
. In addition there is an ice rink
(Planet Ice, originally Silver Blades), a water park (Aqua Splash), a Burger King
, an athletics track for the local sports group Sportspace and a Pizza Hut
. It also included Toddlerworld (play area) until it was closed. Other facilities that were opened included, ten pin bowling (Hotshots), a small bar with snooker and pool tables and a large arcade next to it, and night clubs (Lava and Ignite, previously Visage & Ethos) which all closed down in September 2011. This was due to their parent Luminar Leisure
going into administration. Currently plans have been submitted by the landlords Capital & Regional
to redevelop the site. The parts being redeveloped are those previously owned by Luminar Leisure
. It will not be demolished, but parts are being altered.There is also an athletics track used by the local sports group Sportspace. The most recent facilities, which opened in July 2011, comprised an extreme sports centre (XC), a skate park, caving, climbing walls, high ropes, a cafe and conselling rooms.
The former John Dickinson Stationery
mills site, straddling the canal at Apsley, was redeveloped with two Retail parks, a Sainsbury's supermarket, 3 low rise office blocks, housing, a mooring basin, and a hotel. A further office block is planned. Some buildings have been retained for their historic interest and to provide a home for the Paper Museum.
An indoor shopping mall was developed adjacent to the south end of the Marlowes retail area in 1990, and in 2005 the Riverside development designed by Bernard Engle Architects was opened, effectively extending the main shopping precinct towards the Plough roundabout. The new centre includes several outlets for national retailers including Debenhams
, Starbucks
, HMV
, Waterstones, and more. 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.
Further extensive redevelopment of the northern end of Marlowes has recently (October 2007) been given the green light and is scheduled to be complete by 2013.
Isle of Man based residential developer Dandara is currently redeveloping the former Kodak headquarters into a residential development to be known as "Image".
Since the 2005 Buncefield fire the former Maylands Avenue factory estate, badly affected by the fire, has been re branded as Maylands Business Park and a 40 tonne sculpture by Jose Zavala called Phoenix Gateway placed on the first roundabout off the M1 to symbolise its renewal.
The now disused mill site at Nash Mills is being redeveloped to build housing and community facilities, retain some historic buildings and use various watercourses as amenities.
and others sited at schools, since April 2004. Dacorum Sports Trust is a non-profit company limited by guarantee and a registered charity managed by a Board of Trustees. Surpluses (profits) are reinvested into sports facilities.
Hemel Hempstead Town
football
club dates back to 1885 and now play in the Southern Football League Premier Division. Nicknamed The Tudors, they play at Vauxhall Road in the Adeyfield
area of the town; this was the site of the former sports club for the employees of Brocks Fireworks
. There are, of course, many amateur sides throughout the town.
The Camelot Rugby Club plays Rugby Union
and it is one of the oldest clubs in England, being founded in 1919. The club's home ground is in Chaulden
. Hemel Stags
, founded in 1981, are the only rugby league
team from the South of England to play in the Rugby League Conference National league
.
Hemel Hempstead Town Cricket
Club, founded in 1850, has a pitch and practice facilities at Heath Park, near the town centre. The Boxmoor
Cricket Club, founded in 1857, have a ground nearby on Blackbirds Moor. At Leverstock Green
, there is the eponymously named Leverstock Green Cricket Club.
Hemel Hempstead has an indoor Snow Centre, a real snow indoor sports venue
which, opened in April 2009, and offers a range of indoor snow based sports and activities.
Dacorum Athletic Club is based at Jarmans Park. Hemel Hempstead Bowls
Club has its greens at Gadebridge Park.
Gadebridge Park also has an outdoor skatepark
that was designed and supplied by local extreme sports fanatics "Hemel Skates" after earning ₤65,000 through fundraising.
Leverstock Green Tennis
Club provides courts and coaching for members and other courts are available in public parks. There are private indoor facilities at Hemel Indoor Tennis Centre at Abbot's Hill School
, Nash Mills
.
The local authority (Dacorum Borough Council
) provides the infrastructure for several of the sports mentioned above. In addition, there is a sports centre at Boxmoor and shared public facilities at a number of secondary schools, provided via Sportspace. These provide multi-purpose courts (badminton
, basketball
, etc.), gymnasia and swimming pools. There are also private, member only gymnasia.
There are two 18-hole golf
courses just outside the south western edge of the town. One is in the grounds of Shendish Manor and the other, Little Hay is off Box Lane, on Box Moor Trust
land. There is also a nine hole course (Boxmoor) also located on Box Lane.
, the town also has FIFOLITS Swimming club and also boasts a swimming squad Dacorum Borough Swimming Squad which brings together the best swimmers in the Borough. Dacorum Borough Swimming Squad is an elite Swimming Squad made up of members from the swimming
clubs in Dacorum including Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club
, FIFOLITS Swimming Club, Berkhamsted Barracudas Swimming Club, Berkhamsted Sports Centre Swimming Club, Kings Langley Swimming Club and Tring Swimming Club.
s in the town:
There are also independent (fee-paying) school
s in, or adjacent, to the town:
In addition there is a West Herts College
Campus based in the town centre.
In 2006, the local education authority has judged that there are too many primary school places in the town and has published proposals to reduce them. The options involved school amalgamations and closures. A list of schools taking children of primary age is at Primary schools in Dacorum
.
. 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%. In May 2010 Mike Penning was again returned as MP taking 50% of the vote with an increased majority of 13,406. The previous MP was Tony McWalter
, (Labour Co-operative
), first elected 1997.
, Germany
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 18th 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.
The chalk on which Hemel is largely built has had commercial value and has been mined and exploited to improve farmland and for building from the 18th century. In the Highbarns area, now residential, there was a collapse in 2007 of a section of old chalk workings and geological studies have been undertaken to show the extent of these workings.
In the 19th century, Hemel was a noted brickmaking, paper manufacturing and straw-plaiting centre. In later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Hemel was also a noted watercress
growing area, supplying 1/16 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 gasworks
. It became the Hemel Hempstead Engineering Company and stayed in business until World War II
. 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.
From 1967 to 1983, it was home to one of the most remarkable newspaper experiments of recent times, when the Thomson Organisation launched the Hemel Hempstead Evening Post-Echo
. This comprised two evening papers - the Evening Echo and the Evening Post - and was based at a modern headquarters in Mark Road which had previously been used as a hot water bottle factory. The dual operation was conceived by Lord Thomson of Fleet to take on the Northcliffe and Beaverbrook domination of the London evening paper market and tap into what he saw as a major source of consumer advertising. The papers were remarkable not only for technological innovation but also journalistic excellence. Both the Evening Echo and Evening Post won design awards during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but it was the Evening Echo that took the major writing honours, with John Marquis being voted Provincial Journalist of the Year in 1974 and Melanie Phillips being named Young Journalist of the Year in 1975. Many outstanding journalists worked on both papers during their heyday, with several going on to be editors and leading Fleet Street figures. Unfortunately, the operation fell victim to the freesheet revolution of the 1980s, the titles closing in 1983 with the loss of 470 jobs.
Significant historic local firms:
companies and has attracted a significant number of information technology
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:
" (officially called the Moor End roundabout, or "The Plough Roundabout" from a former adjacent public house), an interchange at the end of the town centre (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 contains many sculptures by notable artists from the 1950s including a 1955 stone mural by sculptor Alfred Gerrard
entitled Stages in the Development of Man . There is also the Rock & Rollers sculpture, the Discobulous fellow, who once resided outside Bank Court but has been moved to the water gardens, Water Play, a fountain, a 3D map of 1940s Hemel, and a giant rainbow mosiac, which is the most recognisable sculpture in Hemel.
The new town centre is laid out alongside landscaped gardens and water features formed from the River Gade known as the Watergardens designed by G.A. Jellicoe. 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 metres away, overlooking the 'Magic Roundabout', is Hemel's tallest building; the 22-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 Kodak's other Hemel offices. It is now being converted into 434 apartment homes.
The Heathrow airport holding area known as the Bovingdon stack
lies just west of the town. On a clear day, at peak times, several circling aircraft can be visible.
The national headquarters of the Boys' Brigade
is located at Felden Lodge, near Hemel.
A series of 10m high blue steel arches called the Phoenix Gateway has been installed on the roundabout closest to the Hemel Hempstead junction of the M1 motorway
. The aim is to regenerate the town after the Buncefield explosion with a striking piece of commercial art. It is Funded by the East of England Development Agency
.
used Hemel Hempstead, which was at the time under development, for the fictional new town of Winerton Flats.
Pie in the Sky (a BBC police drama) was filmed in Hemel. At one point, the site for the restaurant was a florist but is currently a shop selling Dolls Houses. A nearby restaurant changed its name to Pie in the Sky for a short time while the series was popular.
Birthday Girl
(a 1998 film starring Nicole Kidman
and Ben Chaplin
) features Hemel Hempstead prominently during scenes showing the main character going to and from his place of work (a fictional bank somewhere in Bank Court). However scenes shown in the parking garage and the side streets show St Albans
.
A film version of the TV series Till Death Us Do Part was filmed in part around the town.
The Old Town appeared for a few seconds in the Oasis soft drink 'Fruity drinks and lunchtime dreams' TV commercial first aired in 2010 – the moving sandwich shop rolls down High Street.
, 12 November 2000 by Chris Partridge; p. 15
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Hertfordshire
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...
in the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
, 24 miles (38.6 km) to the north west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and part of the Greater London Urban Area
Greater London Urban Area
The Greater London Urban Area is the conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, England, as defined by the Office for National Statistics. It had an estimated population of 8,505,000 in 2005 and occupied an area of at the time of the 2001 census. It includes most of Greater London,...
. The population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
at the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
was 81,143 (but now estimated at around 89,000 by Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
).
Developed after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
, it has existed as a settlement since the 8th century and was granted its town charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
by King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1539. It is part of the district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
(and borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
since 1984) of Dacorum
Dacorum
The Borough of Dacorum is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England that includes the towns of Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring and Kings Langley. The district, which was formed in 1974, had a population of 137,799 in 2001...
and the Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead (UK Parliament constituency)
Hemel Hempstead is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
constituency.
Origin of the name
The settlement was called by the name Henamsted or Hean-Hempsted, i.e. High Hempstead, in Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
times and in William the Conqueror's time by the name of Hemel-Amstede. The name is referred to in the 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...
as "Hamelamesede", but in later centuries it became Hamelhamsted. In Old English, "-stead" or "-stede" simply meant a place, such as the site of a building or pasture, as in clearing in the woods, and this suffix is used in the names of other English places such as Hamstead
Hamstead
Hamstead can refer to:* Hamstead, Isle of Wight* Hamstead, West Midlands**Hamstead railway station* Hamstead Marshall, Berkshire, England.**Hamstead Lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal- See also :*Hampstead *Hempstead...
and Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
.
Another opinion is that Hemel probably came from "Haemele" which was the name of the district in the 8th century and is most likely either the name of the land owner, or could mean "broken country".
The town is now known to residents as "Hemel" however before The Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
locals called it "Hempstead".
The town has given its name to the town of Hempstead, New York. Immigrants from Hemel Hempstead migrated to the area which is now Hempstead, New York, including the surrounding areas such as Roosevelt, in the late 17th century.
Early history
Remains of Roman villaRoman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
farming settlements have been found at Boxmoor
Boxmoor
Boxmoor, or Boxmoor Village, is a district of Dacorum in Hertfordshire, England. It is now part of Hemel Hempstead. It is a district of mainly nineteenth century housing and meadowland, repeatedly cut through by transport links from London to the The Midlands....
and Gadebridge
Gadebridge Park Roman Villa
Gadebridge Roman Villa was a chance discovery in 1962 of a Roman villa near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. It was excavated in 1963-68 under the direction of David S. Neal.-External links:*-Further reading:*Neal, David S....
which span the entire period of Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
.
The first recorded mention of the town is the grant of land at Hamaele by Offa
Offa of Essex
Offa was King of Essex until 709, when he abdicated in order that he may take up life in a monastery in Rome along with Cenred, King of Mercia. He was the son of Sigeheard of Essex, and, according to some sources, St...
, King of Essex, to the Saxon Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
in AD 705.
Hemel Hempstead on its present site is mentioned in the 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...
of 1086 as a vill
Vill
Vill is a term used in English history to describe a land unit which might otherwise be described as a parish, manor or tithing.The term is used in the period immediately after the Norman conquest and into the late medieval. Land units in Domesday are frequently referred to as vills, although the...
, Hamelhamstede, with about 100 inhabitants. The parish church of St Mary's
St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead
St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, is the parish church of the town and its oldest place of worship.-Background:...
was built in 1140, and is recognised as one of the finest Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es in the county. The church features an unusual 200 feet (61 m) tall spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, added in the 12th century, 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 Berkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted Castle is a ruined Norman motte-and-bailey castle at Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England.The original fortification dates from Saxon times. Work on the Norman structure was started in 1066 by William the Conqueror who later passed the castle to his half-brother, Robert, Count of...
. The estates passed through many hands over the next few centuries including Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
in 1162. In 1290 King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
's grandson, the Earl of Cornwall
Earl of Cornwall
The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...
, gave the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
to the religious order of the Bonhommes when he endowed the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Ashridge
Ashridge Priory
Ashridge Priory was a medieval abbey of the Brothers of Penitence.The seventeenth century historian Polydore Vergil said that Edmund founded in 1283 a monastery at Ashridge, Hertfordshire, for a rector and twenty canons of "a new order not before seen in England, and called the Boni homines"...
. The town remained part of the monastery's estates until the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
and break-up of Ashridge in 1539.
In that same year, the town was granted a Royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
by King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
to become a Bailiwick
Bailiwick
A bailiwick is usually the area of jurisdiction of a bailiff, and may also apply to a territory in which the sheriff's functions were exercised by a privately appointed bailiff under a royal or imperial writ. The word is now more generally used in a metaphorical sense, to indicate a sphere of...
with the right to hold a Thursday market and a fair on Corpus Christi Day
Corpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
. The first Bailiff of Hemel Hempstead was William Stephyns (29 December 1539). The King and Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
are reputed to have stayed in the town at this time.
Unusually fine medieval wall paintings from the period between 1470 and 1500 were discovered in some cottages in Piccotts End
Piccotts End
Piccotts End is a village in Hertfordshire, England situated on the upper River Gade. It includes several medieval cottages and a number of Georgian and Regency villas. One of these, Marchmont, is now a public house. There is an extensively restored 19th century watermill...
, very close to Hemel Hempstead in 1953. This same building had been converted into the first cottage hospital
Cottage Hospital
The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds. One advantage of such a hospital in villages was the familiarity the local physician might have with their patient that may affect their treatment...
providing free medical services by Sir Astley Cooper
Astley Cooper
Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet was an English surgeon and anatomist, who made historical contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathology and surgery of hernia.-Life:Cooper was born at Brooke Hall in Brooke, Norfolk...
in 1827.
In 1581, a group of local people acquired lands — now referred to as Box Moor — from the Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
to prevent their enclosure
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
. These were transferred to trustees in 1594. These have been used for public grazing and they are administered by the Box Moor Trust
Box Moor Trust
The Box Moor Trust is a charitable trust responsible for the management of certain open lands in the parishes of Hemel Hempstead and Bovingdon, in Hertfordshire.-History:In 1574 Queen Elizabeth I gifted certain Hertfordshire lands to the Earl of Leicester...
.
Hemel's position on the shortest route between London and the industrial Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
put it on the Sparrows Herne turnpike
Sparrows Herne turnpike
The Sparrow's Herne Turnpike road was an 18th century English turnpike road from London to Aylesbury.Its route was approximately that of the later A41 trunk road, , and much of the original route is now numbered as the A4251...
Toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
in 1762, the Grand Junction Canal
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
in 1795 and the London and Birmingham Railway
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
in 1837. However it remained principally an agricultural market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
throughout the 19th century. In the last decades of that century development of houses and villas for London commuters began. The Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
built a branch line connecting to its mainline at Harpenden
Harpenden
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
in 1877 (see The Nicky Line). Hemel steadily expanded, but only became a borough on 13 July 1898. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
90 high explosive bombs dropped on the town by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. The most notorius incident was on 10 May 1942 when a stick of bombs demolished houses at Nash Mills killing 8 people. The nearby Dickinson factories which were used to produce munitions, were the target.
New town
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1946, the government designated Hemel Hempstead as the site of one of its proposed New Towns
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
designed to house the population displaced by the London Blitz, since slums and bombsites were being cleared in London. On 4 February 1947, the Government purchased 5910 acres (23.9 km²) of land and began work on the "New Town". The first new residents moved in during 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".
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 New Towns). However, following a public inquiry the following year, the town got the go-ahead. Hemel officially became a New Town on 4 February 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
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
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
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
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 shopping square she visited is named Queen's Square, and the nearby area has street names commemorating the then-recent conquest of Everest
Timeline of climbing Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at 8,848 metres above sea level.- 1921: Reconnaissance expedition:The first British expedition – organized and financed by the newly formed Mount Everest Committee – came under the leadership of Colonel Ashton Rushton, with Kyle Carter as...
, such as Hilary and Tenzing Road. This conquest is also celebrated in the name of a pub in Warners End – the 'Top of the World'.
The redevelopment of the town centre was started in 1952, with a new centre based on Marlowes south of the old town. This was alongside a green area called the Water Gardens, designed by Jellico, formed by ponding back the River Gade
River Gade
The River Gade is a river running almost entirely though Hertfordshire. It rises from a spring in the chalk of the Chiltern Hills at Dagnall, Buckinghamshire and flows through Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley and Croxley Green to Rickmansworth where it joins the The River Colne...
. 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 up 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
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
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 United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
base of Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon
RAF Bovingdon was a Royal Air Force station, located to the west of Bovingdon, two and a half miles south of Hemel Hempstead and two and a half miles south east of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, UK....
, which had served as the town's de facto airport, closed at this time, though private flying continued for a further seven years. A campus of West Herts College
West Herts College
West Herts College is a college in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The College has campuses in Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Kings Langley.-Range of courses:...
, the library, new Police station and the Pavilion (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
Frankie Vaughan
Frankie Vaughan, CBE, DL was an English singer of traditional pop music, who issued more than 80 recordings in his lifetime. He was known as "Mr. Moonlight" after one of his early hits.-Life and career:...
, Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
, Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas
Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as...
, and the new cinema was opened by Hollywood star Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
. The last of the originally-planned neighbourhoods, Grovehill, began construction in 1967. However, further neighbourhoods of Woodhall Farm and Fields End
Fields End
Fields End is a village to the North West of Hemel Hempstead, just beyond Warner's End on Boxted Road, in Hertfordshire, England.The village is formally recognised as village within Hertfordshire by Hertfordshire County Council....
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-sac
Cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
s 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
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
with many unusual and experimental designs for housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
. Not all of these have stood the test of time. A significant issue was how to choose names for all the new roads. Many areas of the new town used themes e.g. fields, birds, rivers, poets, explorers, leaders, etc.
In the 1970s, the government abolished the Borough of Hemel Hempstead and the town was incorporated into Dacorum District Council along with Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
and Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
. The first chairman of that council was Chairman John Johnson (1913–1977). In the 1980s, Dacorum District Council successfully lobbied to be recognised as the successor for the Royal Charter establishing the Borough of Hemel Hempstead and thus regained the Mayor and its Aldermen and became Dacorum Borough Council. The political atmosphere of the town has changed significantly. Once a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
stronghold, the town has seen an increase in Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
voting in recent years, and the current Member of Parliament, Mike Penning
Mike Penning
Michael Alan "Mike" Penning MP is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead and is a junior Transport minister.-Early life and career:...
, is Conservative.
As of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Hemel Hempstead is the most populated urban area in Hertfordshire
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...
, narrowly more populated than its traditionally "larger" rival, Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
.
Europe's largest peacetime explosion
At 6am on Sunday 11 December 2005 there was a major explosion in the town at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage TerminalHertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal
Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal is operated by Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd and commonly known as the Buncefield oil depot. It is an oil depot located on the edge of Hemel Hempstead to the north of London in the United Kingdom...
, Buncefield. (See 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire
2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire
The Buncefield fire was a major conflagration caused by a series of explosions on 11 December 2005 at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, an oil storage facility located near the M1 motorway by Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England. The terminal was the fifth largest oil-products...
). This was one of the largest explosions ever to occur in the UK, and put Hemel briefly in the headlines with the incident being described as the biggest of its kind in peacetime Europe.
The Maylands Avenue industrial estate was severely damaged and much of it needed to be demolished. Nearby residential districts of Adeyfield
Adeyfield
Adeyfield was the first planned neighbourhood to be built in the postwar new town expansion of Hemel Hempstead, in the English county of Hertfordshire. The keys to the first houses to be occupied, in Homefield Road, were handed over to their tenants in February 1950...
, Woodhall Farm
Woodhall Farm
Woodhall Farm is a neighbourhood on the northern tip of Hemel Hempstead in the county of Hertfordshire. It was built on the former Brocks Fireworks site....
, Highfield
Highfield, Hertfordshire
Highfield is a neighborhood district in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. It was constructed on a green field site as part of the construction of the postwar newtown expansion of Hemel Hempstead. It is located north of the old town centre...
and Leverstock Green
Leverstock Green
Leverstock Green is a suburb in Hemel Hempstead, in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is located on the eastern edge of the town.Leverstock Green contains a village school , village cricket club, village football club , village hall, village shops, village pubs and Holy Trinity church...
were also badly damaged and around 300 people were made temporarily homeless. 41 people sustained minor injuries and two were seriously hurt. It is believed that the only reason that no one was killed was because the explosion occurred before dawn on a Sunday.
Geography
Hemel Hempstead grew up in a shallow chalkChalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
land valley at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the rivers Gade
River Gade
The River Gade is a river running almost entirely though Hertfordshire. It rises from a spring in the chalk of the Chiltern Hills at Dagnall, Buckinghamshire and flows through Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley and Croxley Green to Rickmansworth where it joins the The River Colne...
and Bulbourne
River Bulbourne
The River Bulbourne is a river in Hertfordshire, England. It runs from Dudswell in Northchurch, through Berkhamsted , Bourne End and Boxmoor to where it joins the River Gade at Two Waters in Apsley near Hemel Hempstead. The total length of the river is 11 Km....
, 27 miles (43.5 km) north-west of central London.
The main railway
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
line between London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
and the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
passes through Apsley
Apsley railway station
Apsley railway station is in Apsley, on the southern outskirts of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England.The station is north west of London Euston on the West Coast Main Line...
and Hemel Hempstead railway station
Hemel Hempstead railway station
Hemel Hempstead railway station is on the West Coast Main Line, on the western edge of the town of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. The station is 39 km north-west of London Euston on the West Coast Main Line...
s a mile south of the town centre, as does the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
. These links, as well as the A41 trunk road
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
, follow the course of the River Bulbourne river valley
River Valley
River Valley is the name of an urban planning area within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.The River Valley Planning Area is defined by the region bounded by Orchard Boulevard, Devonshire Road and Eber Road to the north, Oxley Rise and Mohamed Sultan Road to the east, Martin...
. The New Town expansion took place up the valley sides and on to the plateau above the original Old Town. In the 1990s, a motorway-style bypass numbered A41 was built to the south and west of the town across the upland chalk plateau, which does not follow the lie of the land. Hemel Hempstead is also linked to the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
to the east. The M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
is a few miles to the south. To the north and west lie mixed farm and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
with scattered villages, part of the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
. To the northwest lies Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
. To the south lies Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
and the beginnings of the Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
. To the east lies St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, a historic cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
and market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and now like Hemel Hempstead, part of the London commuter belt
London commuter belt
The London commuter belt is the metropolitan area surrounding London, England from which it is practical to commute to work in the capital. It is alternatively known as the Greater South East, the London metropolitan area or the Southeast metropolitan area...
. 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, at .
Climate
Hemel Hempstead experiences an oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.
Neighbourhoods in Hemel Hempstead
The grand design for Hemel Hempstead newtown saw each new district centred around a parade or square of shops called a neighborhood centre. Other districts existed before the newtown as suburbs, villages and industrial centers and were incorporated into the town.- AdeyfieldAdeyfieldAdeyfield was the first planned neighbourhood to be built in the postwar new town expansion of Hemel Hempstead, in the English county of Hertfordshire. The keys to the first houses to be occupied, in Homefield Road, were handed over to their tenants in February 1950...
— Located on a hill to the east of the old town, this was the first of the New Town districts to be started. The first four families of Hemel Hempstead’s new town moved into their homes in Adeyfield on Wednesday, 8 February 1950. - ApsleyApsleyApsley is a 19th century mill town in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is a historic industrial site situated in a valley of the Chiltern Hills. It is positioned below the confluence of two permanent rivers, the Gade and Bulbourne. In an area of little surface water this was an obvious site...
— a nineteenth century mill town a mile south of old Hemel which grew up around the paper making industry — notably the John Dickinson StationeryJohn Dickinson StationeryJohn Dickinson Stationery Limited was a leading British stationery company founded in west Hertfordshire, that was later merged to form Dickinson Robinson Group. In the 19th century, the company pioneered a number of innovations in paper-making.-History:...
mills. Now a suburbSuburbThe word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Hemel with many warehouse outlets set in Retail parks, a large office facility for Hertfordshire County CouncilHertfordshire County CouncilHertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. It currently consists of 77 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 55 councillors, 17 Liberal Democrats, versus 3 Labour...
and a large Sainsbury's Supermarket. - Bennetts EndBennetts EndBennetts End is a neighbourhood within Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the southeast of the town and consists almost entirely of public housing built as part of the new town in the 1950s...
— Located on the rising ground to the south east and another original district of the new town. Construction began in 1951 and by autumn 1952 300 houses were occupied. - BoxmoorBoxmoorBoxmoor, or Boxmoor Village, is a district of Dacorum in Hertfordshire, England. It is now part of Hemel Hempstead. It is a district of mainly nineteenth century housing and meadowland, repeatedly cut through by transport links from London to the The Midlands....
— A mostly Victorian eraVictorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
developed district to the southwest which grew up because of its proximity to the London Midland and Scottish Railway station and trains to London. - ChauldenChauldenChaulden is a residential district in Hemel Hempstead , Hertfordshire, England located west of the town centre and bordering on open countryside. It was an early development in the construction of Hemel Hempstead new town , commenced in 1953 and has its own neighbourhood shopping centre.The name...
— an early new town district, west of the town, commenced in 1953 with its own neighbourhood shopping centre. - Corner Hall — an estate adjacent to the plough roundabout frequently thought to be part of Apsley. Bounded by Lawn lane and St Albans Hill.
- Cupid Green — a sixties estate north east of the town on the site of the old fireworks factory.
- FeldenFeldenFelden is a semi-rural neighbourhood of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, situated to the south west of the town, close to the railway station....
— Felden is a partly rural area south west of Hemel Hempstead that has many wealthy detached houses. It is home to the national headquarters of the Boys' BrigadeBoys' BrigadeFor the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...
. - Gadebridge — A later 1960s development located north west of the old town.
- GrovehillGrovehillGrovehill is an area of Hemel Hempstead, it comprises two distinct developments. 'Precinct A' laid out and developed by the New Town Commission in 1967/8 and from the beginning a mixture of private and rented housing specifically intended to accommodate families of migrating management and...
— Grovehill is a housing estate towards the northern edge of Hemel Hempstead. It was developed as part of the second wave of development of the New Town commencing in 1967 and completed in stages by the early 1980s. Within the estate there are such features as 'Henry Wells Square' containing local shops, off licences, a pub, a 12 table snookerSnookerSnooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
club. The estate also contains 'Grovehill Community Centre', the local 'Grovehill Playing Fields', home to many football (soccer)Football (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
pitches, a baseball ground and changing facilities. Grovehill also incorporates various churches, a doctor's surgery and a dental surgeryDental surgeryDental surgery is any of a number of medical procedures that involve artificially modifying dentition, in other words surgery of the teeth and jaw bones.-Types:Some of the more common are:...
as well as several schools including The Astley Cooper SchoolAstley Cooper SchoolThe Astley Cooper School is an 11-18 comprehensive school on the edge of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. It was established in 1984 following a merger of two local schools, Grove Hill School and Highfield School. It occupies the former Grove Hill site on St Agnells Lane. The former Highfield...
. - HighfieldHighfield, HertfordshireHighfield is a neighborhood district in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. It was constructed on a green field site as part of the construction of the postwar newtown expansion of Hemel Hempstead. It is located north of the old town centre...
— a district of the original new town located north of the old town. - Leverstock GreenLeverstock GreenLeverstock Green is a suburb in Hemel Hempstead, in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is located on the eastern edge of the town.Leverstock Green contains a village school , village cricket club, village football club , village hall, village shops, village pubs and Holy Trinity church...
— A village 4 km east of the old town which pre-existed the new town and which has now been subsumed into it, although retaining its original village centre. It was once a popular place for actors and artists to live. - Nash MillsNash MillsNash Mills is a civil parish within Hemel Hempstead and Dacorum Borough Council on the northern side of the Grand Union Canal, formerly the River Gade, and in the southernmost corner of Hemel Hempstead...
— a historic name for a district beside the River Gade downstream and southeast of the town which had water mills present since at least the in the 11th century. It is now a mix of industrial use and housing from the nineteenth century through to small modern developments. - Warner's EndWarner's EndWarners End is a neighbourhood or district of Hemel Hempstead, a new town in Hertfordshire, England. It was the fourth of the new districts built during the expansion of Hemel Hempstead into a new town with work on its construction commencing in 1953....
— an original new town residential district on chalk upland to the west of Hemel Hempstead where work commenced in 1953. - Woodhall FarmWoodhall FarmWoodhall Farm is a neighbourhood on the northern tip of Hemel Hempstead in the county of Hertfordshire. It was built on the former Brocks Fireworks site....
— A housing estate on the north eastern edge of town towards Redbourn. Woodhall Farm was built in the mid to late 1970s on the former Brock's Fireworks site with a mix of private and housing association stock. Built by Fairview Estates it has property ranging from four-bedroom detached houses down to one bedroom low-rise flatApartmentAn apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s. The area has a shopping centre with a Sainsbury's, NewsagentNewsagentA newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
s, TakeawayTakeawayTakeaway can refer to:* Take-out food* The Takeaway , an American public radio morning news show* Turnover * Turnover * Subtraction—an alternative name...
and Off-licence. It also has two infant schoolInfant schoolAn Infant school is a term used primarily in the United Kingdom for school for children between the ages of four and seven years. It is usually a small school serving a particular locality....
s and middle schools and a doctors surgery serving the local area.
Developments since the new town
Jarman Fields was previously agricultural land. Thes development, including that of the adjacent McDonalds restaurant were built on land originally donated to the town for recreational purposes. Land had also been reserved for a hotel , but still remains derelict. Replacement openspace was created to the east of the town, near Leverstock Green, Longdean Park and Nash Mills. The first phase of recreational facilities, which opened in 1978, was the Loco Motion Skate park. Subsequently, it became a dry ski slope with a small nursery (Jack & Jills) next to it. Both areas were removed to make way for The Snow Centre which opend in 2011. A TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
superstore was built in 1994, which was later expanded into a Tesco Extra and was the first to be built with natural light let in. The Jarman Park Leisure Centre opened in 1995. The Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
complex had eight film screens and is curently operated by Empire Cinemas
Empire Cinemas
Empire Cinemas Limited is a multiplex cinema chain in the UK. There are 17 Empire Cinemas with 141 screens in total, including the flagship Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London which hosts various film premières and first-runs.-Ownership & Management:...
. In addition there is an ice rink
Ice rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
(Planet Ice, originally Silver Blades), a water park (Aqua Splash), a Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, an athletics track for the local sports group Sportspace and a Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
. It also included Toddlerworld (play area) until it was closed. Other facilities that were opened included, ten pin bowling (Hotshots), a small bar with snooker and pool tables and a large arcade next to it, and night clubs (Lava and Ignite, previously Visage & Ethos) which all closed down in September 2011. This was due to their parent Luminar Leisure
Luminar Leisure
Luminar Group Holdings plc is a public limited company operating leisure and entertainment venues throughout the United Kingdom. Luminar currently specialises in nightclubs, bars and restaurants but is struggling due to difficult market conditions, it has recently started struggling to pay its...
going into administration. Currently plans have been submitted by the landlords Capital & Regional
Capital & Regional
Capital & Regional plc is a large British manager of property assets - mainly shopping centres - for funds in which it has a significant stake.-History:...
to redevelop the site. The parts being redeveloped are those previously owned by Luminar Leisure
Luminar Leisure
Luminar Group Holdings plc is a public limited company operating leisure and entertainment venues throughout the United Kingdom. Luminar currently specialises in nightclubs, bars and restaurants but is struggling due to difficult market conditions, it has recently started struggling to pay its...
. It will not be demolished, but parts are being altered.There is also an athletics track used by the local sports group Sportspace. The most recent facilities, which opened in July 2011, comprised an extreme sports centre (XC), a skate park, caving, climbing walls, high ropes, a cafe and conselling rooms.
The former John Dickinson Stationery
John Dickinson Stationery
John Dickinson Stationery Limited was a leading British stationery company founded in west Hertfordshire, that was later merged to form Dickinson Robinson Group. In the 19th century, the company pioneered a number of innovations in paper-making.-History:...
mills site, straddling the canal at Apsley, was redeveloped with two Retail parks, a Sainsbury's supermarket, 3 low rise office blocks, housing, a mooring basin, and a hotel. A further office block is planned. Some buildings have been retained for their historic interest and to provide a home for the Paper Museum.
An indoor shopping mall was developed adjacent to the south end of the Marlowes retail area in 1990, and in 2005 the Riverside development designed by Bernard Engle Architects was opened, effectively extending the main shopping precinct towards the Plough roundabout. The new centre includes several outlets for national retailers including Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
, Waterstones, and more. 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.
Further extensive redevelopment of the northern end of Marlowes has recently (October 2007) been given the green light and is scheduled to be complete by 2013.
Isle of Man based residential developer Dandara is currently redeveloping the former Kodak headquarters into a residential development to be known as "Image".
Since the 2005 Buncefield fire the former Maylands Avenue factory estate, badly affected by the fire, has been re branded as Maylands Business Park and a 40 tonne sculpture by Jose Zavala called Phoenix Gateway placed on the first roundabout off the M1 to symbolise its renewal.
The now disused mill site at Nash Mills is being redeveloped to build housing and community facilities, retain some historic buildings and use various watercourses as amenities.
Sport
A wide range of sports and physical activities are catered for within the town and its immediate locality. Most sports facilities in the town, and the wider borough, are provided through Sportspace (the operating name of Dacorum Sports Trust). They have operated several facilities including a Sports Centre, Swimming Pools and Running Track previously run by Dacorum Borough CouncilDacorum Borough Council
Dacorum Borough Council is the local authority for the Dacorum non-metropolitan district of England, the United Kingdom. Dacorum is located in the north-west of Hertfordshire, in the East of England region. The Council itself is based in Hemel Hempstead, the largest settlement in the district.The...
and others sited at schools, since April 2004. Dacorum Sports Trust is a non-profit company limited by guarantee and a registered charity managed by a Board of Trustees. Surpluses (profits) are reinvested into sports facilities.
Hemel Hempstead Town
Hemel Hempstead Town F.C.
Hemel Hempstead Town are a football club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, who currently play in the Southern League Premier Division. They are known as the Tudors and play their games at Vauxhall Road...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club dates back to 1885 and now play in the Southern Football League Premier Division. Nicknamed The Tudors, they play at Vauxhall Road in the Adeyfield
Adeyfield
Adeyfield was the first planned neighbourhood to be built in the postwar new town expansion of Hemel Hempstead, in the English county of Hertfordshire. The keys to the first houses to be occupied, in Homefield Road, were handed over to their tenants in February 1950...
area of the town; this was the site of the former sports club for the employees of Brocks Fireworks
Brocks Fireworks
Brocks Fireworks, formerly known as Brocks Explosives Ltd, was a well-known manufacturer of fireworks, founded in London and subsequently based in Hemel Hempstead, Dumfriesshire and Norfolk...
. There are, of course, many amateur sides throughout the town.
The Camelot Rugby Club plays Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and it is one of the oldest clubs in England, being founded in 1919. The club's home ground is in Chaulden
Chaulden
Chaulden is a residential district in Hemel Hempstead , Hertfordshire, England located west of the town centre and bordering on open countryside. It was an early development in the construction of Hemel Hempstead new town , commenced in 1953 and has its own neighbourhood shopping centre.The name...
. Hemel Stags
Hemel Stags
Hemel Stags are a rugby league team based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire playing in the National Division of the Rugby League Conference.The club has played in a number of leagues over the years, from the London League, MASWARLA, National Conference League and the Alliance League...
, founded in 1981, are the only rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team from the South of England to play in the Rugby League Conference National league
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
.
Hemel Hempstead Town Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Club, founded in 1850, has a pitch and practice facilities at Heath Park, near the town centre. The Boxmoor
Boxmoor
Boxmoor, or Boxmoor Village, is a district of Dacorum in Hertfordshire, England. It is now part of Hemel Hempstead. It is a district of mainly nineteenth century housing and meadowland, repeatedly cut through by transport links from London to the The Midlands....
Cricket Club, founded in 1857, have a ground nearby on Blackbirds Moor. At Leverstock Green
Leverstock Green
Leverstock Green is a suburb in Hemel Hempstead, in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is located on the eastern edge of the town.Leverstock Green contains a village school , village cricket club, village football club , village hall, village shops, village pubs and Holy Trinity church...
, there is the eponymously named Leverstock Green Cricket Club.
Hemel Hempstead has an indoor Snow Centre, a real snow indoor sports venue
Indoor ski slope
Indoor ski slopes are found in several countries, proving a climate controlled environment can be maintained in which snow can be manufactured using a snow cannon, enabling skiing and snowboarding to take place year-round.-Notable mentions:...
which, opened in April 2009, and offers a range of indoor snow based sports and activities.
Dacorum Athletic Club is based at Jarmans Park. Hemel Hempstead Bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
Club has its greens at Gadebridge Park.
Gadebridge Park also has an outdoor skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
that was designed and supplied by local extreme sports fanatics "Hemel Skates" after earning ₤65,000 through fundraising.
Leverstock Green Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Club provides courts and coaching for members and other courts are available in public parks. There are private indoor facilities at Hemel Indoor Tennis Centre at Abbot's Hill School
Abbot's Hill School
Abbot's Hill School is an independent girls' school in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.-Abbot's Hill House:It had been the home of John Dickinson who was his own architect in its building, just east of his paper mill, Nash Mills. Construction was commenced in 1836...
, Nash Mills
Nash Mills
Nash Mills is a civil parish within Hemel Hempstead and Dacorum Borough Council on the northern side of the Grand Union Canal, formerly the River Gade, and in the southernmost corner of Hemel Hempstead...
.
The local authority (Dacorum Borough Council
Dacorum Borough Council
Dacorum Borough Council is the local authority for the Dacorum non-metropolitan district of England, the United Kingdom. Dacorum is located in the north-west of Hertfordshire, in the East of England region. The Council itself is based in Hemel Hempstead, the largest settlement in the district.The...
) provides the infrastructure for several of the sports mentioned above. In addition, there is a sports centre at Boxmoor and shared public facilities at a number of secondary schools, provided via Sportspace. These provide multi-purpose courts (badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, etc.), gymnasia and swimming pools. There are also private, member only gymnasia.
There are two 18-hole golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
courses just outside the south western edge of the town. One is in the grounds of Shendish Manor and the other, Little Hay is off Box Lane, on Box Moor Trust
Box Moor Trust
The Box Moor Trust is a charitable trust responsible for the management of certain open lands in the parishes of Hemel Hempstead and Bovingdon, in Hertfordshire.-History:In 1574 Queen Elizabeth I gifted certain Hertfordshire lands to the Earl of Leicester...
land. There is also a nine hole course (Boxmoor) also located on Box Lane.
Aquatics
Hemel Hempstead has several swimming clubs the most notable of which is Hemel Hempstead Swimming ClubHemel Hempstead Swimming Club
Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club is a swimming club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and was established in 1913. Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club ranks as one of Hertfordshire’s premier clubs...
, the town also has FIFOLITS Swimming club and also boasts a swimming squad Dacorum Borough Swimming Squad which brings together the best swimmers in the Borough. Dacorum Borough Swimming Squad is an elite Swimming Squad made up of members from the swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
clubs in Dacorum including Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club
Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club
Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club is a swimming club based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and was established in 1913. Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club ranks as one of Hertfordshire’s premier clubs...
, FIFOLITS Swimming Club, Berkhamsted Barracudas Swimming Club, Berkhamsted Sports Centre Swimming Club, Kings Langley Swimming Club and Tring Swimming Club.
Schools
There are six state maintained secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in the town:
- Adeyfield SchoolAdeyfield SchoolAdeyfield School is an 11-18 secondary school in Adeyfield, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. The school has specialist status as a Business and Enterprise College...
— Business and Enterprise College - Astley Cooper SchoolAstley Cooper SchoolThe Astley Cooper School is an 11-18 comprehensive school on the edge of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. It was established in 1984 following a merger of two local schools, Grove Hill School and Highfield School. It occupies the former Grove Hill site on St Agnells Lane. The former Highfield...
— A Specialist College for the Visual Arts. - Cavendish SchoolCavendish School (Hemel Hempstead)Cavendish School is a secondary school in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. The school has specialist Sports College status. The Head Teacher is Dr. Stephen Pam.-History:...
— A Specialist Sports College - The Hemel Hempstead SchoolThe Hemel Hempstead SchoolThe Hemel Hempstead School is a specialised performing arts secondary school located in the town of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.-Admissions:...
— A Specialist Performing Arts, Maths & Science School - John F Kennedy Catholic SchoolJohn F Kennedy Catholic SchoolJohn F Kennedy Catholic School is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic comprehensive secondary school located in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. It opened in 1967 and now has a student population of approximately 1100, aged 11 to 18. The headteacher is currently Bernadette Jenkins...
— A Specialist Technology and Modern Foreign Languages College (Roman Catholic) - Longdean SchoolLongdean SchoolLongdean School is a academy in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. The academy has specialist status as a Maths and Computing College.-Grammar school:Originally called Apsley Grammar School, it began as a state grammar school in Hemel Hempstead...
— A Maths and Computing College
There are also independent (fee-paying) school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
s in, or adjacent, to the town:
- Abbot's Hill SchoolAbbot's Hill SchoolAbbot's Hill School is an independent girls' school in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.-Abbot's Hill House:It had been the home of John Dickinson who was his own architect in its building, just east of his paper mill, Nash Mills. Construction was commenced in 1836...
, a day and boarding school for girls - Lockers Park SchoolLockers Park SchoolLockers Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for 140 boys, situated in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Each year it sends boys to the main public schools in the UK, including Harrow, Eton, Radley, Bradfield and Rugby. Its current headmaster is David Farquharson.-History:Lockers Park...
, a day and boarding school for boys aged 5–13 - Westbrook Hay SchoolWestbrook Hay SchoolWestbrook Hay Prep School is a co-educational independent school which educates children from rising 3 -13 years. The school is primarily a day school but with flexi boarding....
, a co-educational school for children aged 3–13
In addition there is a West Herts College
West Herts College
West Herts College is a college in Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The College has campuses in Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Kings Langley.-Range of courses:...
Campus based in the town centre.
In 2006, the local education authority has judged that there are too many primary school places in the town and has published proposals to reduce them. The options involved school amalgamations and closures. A list of schools taking children of primary age is at Primary schools in Dacorum
Primary schools in Dacorum
This article gives brief information on schools that cater for pupils up to the age of 11 in the Dacorum district of Hertfordshire, England. Most are county maintained primary schools, sometimes known as "junior mixed infant" . A small number are voluntary aided church schools or independent...
.
Political representation
Hemel Hempstead returns its own MP at Westminster as the Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituencyHemel Hempstead (UK Parliament constituency)
Hemel Hempstead is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
. At the May 2005 General election the seat changed from Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
to Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Mike Penning
Mike Penning
Michael Alan "Mike" Penning MP is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead and is a junior Transport minister.-Early life and career:...
, (Conservative), was elected with a majority of 499, just over 1%. In May 2010 Mike Penning was again returned as MP taking 50% of the vote with an increased majority of 13,406. The previous MP was Tony McWalter
Tony McWalter
Tony McWalter is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Labour Party and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead between 1997 and 2005.-Education:...
, (Labour Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
), first elected 1997.
Twinned towns
Hemel Hempstead, as part of the Borough of Dacorum, is twinned with: Neu-IsenburgNeu-Isenburg
The “Huguenot Town” of Neu-Isenburg with its outlying centres of Gravenbruch and Zeppelinheim is found in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany, right near Frankfurt am Main...
, Germany
Historical
Historically, the area was agricultural and was noted for its rich cerealCereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
production. The agricultural journalist William Cobbett
William Cobbett
William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
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 18th 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.
The chalk on which Hemel is largely built has had commercial value and has been mined and exploited to improve farmland and for building from the 18th century. In the Highbarns area, now residential, there was a collapse in 2007 of a section of old chalk workings and geological studies have been undertaken to show the extent of these workings.
In the 19th century, Hemel was a noted brickmaking, paper manufacturing and straw-plaiting centre. In later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Hemel was also a noted watercress
Watercress
Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings...
growing area, supplying 1/16 of the country's national demand — following development of the New Town, the watercress growing moved to nearby Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
and Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
. 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 gasworks
Gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
. It became the Hemel Hempstead Engineering Company and stayed in business until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. 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
Papermaking
Papermaking is the process of making paper, a substance which is used universally today for writing and packaging.In papermaking a dilute suspension of fibres in water is drained through a screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibres is laid down. Water is removed from this mat of fibres by...
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
John Dickinson Stationery
John Dickinson Stationery Limited was a leading British stationery company founded in west Hertfordshire, that was later merged to form Dickinson Robinson Group. In the 19th century, the company pioneered a number of innovations in paper-making.-History:...
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.
From 1967 to 1983, it was home to one of the most remarkable newspaper experiments of recent times, when the Thomson Organisation launched the Hemel Hempstead Evening Post-Echo
Hemel Hempstead Evening Post-Echo
The Evening Post-Echo was a British newspaper published in Hemel Hempstead and launched in 1967.This newspaper was notable for three reasons:...
. This comprised two evening papers - the Evening Echo and the Evening Post - and was based at a modern headquarters in Mark Road which had previously been used as a hot water bottle factory. The dual operation was conceived by Lord Thomson of Fleet to take on the Northcliffe and Beaverbrook domination of the London evening paper market and tap into what he saw as a major source of consumer advertising. The papers were remarkable not only for technological innovation but also journalistic excellence. Both the Evening Echo and Evening Post won design awards during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but it was the Evening Echo that took the major writing honours, with John Marquis being voted Provincial Journalist of the Year in 1974 and Melanie Phillips being named Young Journalist of the Year in 1975. Many outstanding journalists worked on both papers during their heyday, with several going on to be editors and leading Fleet Street figures. Unfortunately, the operation fell victim to the freesheet revolution of the 1980s, the titles closing in 1983 with the loss of 470 jobs.
Significant historic local firms:
- AddressographAddressographAn addressograph is an address labeler and labeling system.In 1896, the first U.S. patent for an addressing machine, the Addressograph was issued to Joseph Smith Duncan of Sioux City, Iowa. It was a development of the invention he had made in 1892. His earlier model consisted of a hexagonal wood...
, address labels & labelling systems - Apple ComputerApple ComputerApple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's UK operations were originally based in Hemel, though they moved to much larger premises in UxbridgeUxbridgeUxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
during the late 1980s. - British Petroleum.
- Brocks FireworksBrocks FireworksBrocks Fireworks, formerly known as Brocks Explosives Ltd, was a well-known manufacturer of fireworks, founded in London and subsequently based in Hemel Hempstead, Dumfriesshire and Norfolk...
, Firework manufacturer - Crosfield Electronics — digital imaging systems, now part of FFEI Ltd.
- Hemel Hempstead Evening Post-EchoHemel Hempstead Evening Post-EchoThe Evening Post-Echo was a British newspaper published in Hemel Hempstead and launched in 1967.This newspaper was notable for three reasons:...
, then part of Thomson Regional Newspapers and one of the few nightly regional newspapers - John DickinsonJohn Dickinson StationeryJohn Dickinson Stationery Limited was a leading British stationery company founded in west Hertfordshire, that was later merged to form Dickinson Robinson Group. In the 19th century, the company pioneered a number of innovations in paper-making.-History:...
and Sons, paper manufacturing - Kodak.
- Lucas Aerospace — relocated (as TRW Aeronautical Systems) to PitstonePitstonePitstone is a village and civil parish within the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, about seven miles east of Aylesbury and six miles south of Leighton Buzzard...
in 2002.
Present day
Hemel Hempstead has a mixture of heavy and light engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
companies and has attracted a significant number of information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
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
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
and St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
.
Significant firms with a local presence include:
- 3Com3Com3Com was a pioneering digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network infrastructure products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney, Bruce Borden, and Greg Shaw...
, Telecommunications equipment - ACT (formerly Apricot ComputersApricot ComputersApricot Computers is a British manufacturer of business personal computers, originally founded in 1965 as "Applied Computer Techniques" , changing its name to Apricot Computers, Ltd. in the 1980s...
) - AquascutumAquascutum"Aquascutum" is a UK-based luxury clothing manufacturer and retailer, owned by Jaeger.-Company history:Aquascutum was established in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, when tailor and entrepreneur John Emary opened a high quality menswear shop at 46 Regent Street...
, Clothing manufacturer - ASOS.comASOS.comASOS.com is the UK's largest online-only fashion and beauty store. Primarily aimed at 16-34 year old men and women, it offers over 35,000 own-label and branded fashion goods. Sales for the financial year ending 31 March 2011 were £339.7 million....
, UK's largest online fashion retailer - Bourne LeisureBourne LeisureBourne Leisure Holdings Limited is a British private company which owns a number of subsidiary undertakings operating in the leisure and holiday sectors in the United Kingdom....
- BPBPBP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
Oil, petroleum - BSI Product Services
- Gist Food distribution for Marks & SpencerMarks & SpencerMarks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
- Glanville Consultants, Civil and Structural Engineering Consultants.
- British Telecom, telecommunications
- BSIBritish StandardsBritish Standards are the standards produced by BSI Group which is incorporated under a Royal Charter...
(British Standards Institution) materials testing - DSG International plc (formerly Dixons Group), electrical retailer (global headquarters)
- Dixons, electrical retailer (national headquarters)
- DuPontDuPontE. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, petrochemicals - Epson, Consumer Electronics
- Friedheim International, pre- and postpress printing & bookbinding equipment
- Filippo Berio UK Olive Oil
- Hewitt AssociatesHewitt AssociatesHewitt Associates , based in Lincolnshire, Illinois, United States was a global human resources outsourcing and consulting firm delivering a complete range of integrated services to help companies manage their total HR and employee costs, enhance HR services, and improve their workforces.Hewitt...
, Human resources (personnel) out-sourcing organisation - HSBCHSBCHSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
Bank, Telephone services & Head Office Operations - Kent Brushes (G B Kent & Sons Ltd) — Established in 1777 & has been manufacturing brushes in Apsley for most of that time.
- Kodak, photography — (formerly in central Hemel, now located on 3Com Campus)
- NEXTNext (retailer)Next plc is a British retailer marketing clothing, footwear, accessories and home products with its headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire, England. The company has over 550 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East...
, clothing (distribution centre) - Northgate Information SolutionsNorthgate Information Solutions-Early years:The company was founded as CMC, or Computer Machinery Company, in 1969. They were originally distributors and subsequently manufacturers of Key to Disk computer systems made by the US-based Computer Machinery Corporation. The CMC Key to Disk systems were used by major companies and...
, specialist software for human resources - SappiSappiSappi Limited is a global pulp and paper company group.Sappi is a producer of coated fine paper and chemical cellulose. The company conducts its business through three business units: Sappi Fine Paper, Sappi Forest Products and Sappi Trading....
group, paper, at Nash Mills. Has announced the mill will close in 2006 - SteriaSteriaSteria delivers IT enabled business services, focusing on key vertical market sectors: public services, finance, telecommunications, utilities and transport. The company provides consulting services for its clients' core business processes, and also develops and operates their information...
(formerly BullGroupe Bull-External links:* * — Friends, co-workers and former employees of Bull and Honeywell* *...
, HoneywellHoneywellHoneywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
), computers, IT services - TranscendTranscendTranscend Information, Inc. is a Taiwanese company that manufactures and distributes of memory products headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Transcend's product portfolio consists of over 2,000 devices including memory modules, flash memory cards, USB flash drives, digital audio players, Portable...
UK office of DRAM and Flash memory manufacturer - UnisysUnisysUnisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...
, computers - Xerox Office SuppliesXeroxXerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
, Document supplies, paperPaperPaper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
development
Hemel's notable features
Hemel is famous for its "Magic RoundaboutMagic Roundabout (Hemel Hempstead)
The Magic Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England is the familiar name given to a complex road junction also known as the Moor End or Plough roundabout. The familiar name comes from the children's television programme of the same name and is also used for a similar junction in Swindon...
" (officially called the Moor End roundabout, or "The Plough Roundabout" from a former adjacent public house), an interchange at the end of the town centre (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
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
(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
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
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 contains many sculptures by notable artists from the 1950s including a 1955 stone mural by sculptor Alfred Gerrard
Alfred Gerrard
Alfred Horace "Gerry" Gerrard RBS was an English modernist sculptor. He was head of the sculpture department at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1925 and professor of sculpture there from 1949 to 1968, where he taught a number of well-known sculptors.-Early life:Gerrard was born on 7 May 1899 in...
entitled Stages in the Development of Man . There is also the Rock & Rollers sculpture, the Discobulous fellow, who once resided outside Bank Court but has been moved to the water gardens, Water Play, a fountain, a 3D map of 1940s Hemel, and a giant rainbow mosiac, which is the most recognisable sculpture in Hemel.
The new town centre is laid out alongside landscaped gardens and water features formed from the River Gade known as the Watergardens designed by G.A. Jellicoe. 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
Harpenden
Harpenden is a town in Hertfordshire, England.The town's total population is just under 30,000.-Geography and administration:There are two civil parishes: Harpenden and Harpenden Rural....
railway, known as The Nicky Line
Nicky Line
The Nicky Line is the local nickname for the railway that once linked the English towns of Hemel Hempstead and Harpenden via Redbourn. It was officially known as the Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead Railway...
. When the new town was constructed, this part of the railway was no longer in use and the viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
demolished. The office building, occupied by BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
, 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
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
and HMV.
A few metres away, overlooking the 'Magic Roundabout', is Hemel's tallest building; the 22-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 Kodak's other Hemel offices. It is now being converted into 434 apartment homes.
The Heathrow airport holding area known as the Bovingdon stack
Bovingdon stack
The Bovingdon stack is a section of airspace to the north west of London where inbound planes to London Heathrow Airport, which is 20 miles to the south, are held. It is a busy example of a hold. It extends above the village of Bovingdon and the town of Chesham, and requires the VOR navigational...
lies just west of the town. On a clear day, at peak times, several circling aircraft can be visible.
The national headquarters of the Boys' Brigade
Boys' Brigade
For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...
is located at Felden Lodge, near Hemel.
A series of 10m high blue steel arches called the Phoenix Gateway has been installed on the roundabout closest to the Hemel Hempstead junction of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. The aim is to regenerate the town after the Buncefield explosion with a striking piece of commercial art. It is Funded by the East of England Development Agency
East of England Development Agency
The East of England Development Agency is a non-departmental public body and the regional development agency for the East of England region of England....
.
Notable people
Notable people associated with the town in order of birth date:- Nicholas Breakspear (c. 1100–1159), the only English PopePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
(Adrian IV 1154-1159) was born in nearby Bedmond, a village between Hemel and Abbots LangleyAbbots LangleyAbbots Langley is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is an old settlement and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Economically the village is closely linked to Watford and was formerly part of the Watford Rural District...
. - Richard Field (1561–1616) a theologian associated with the founding of the Anglican Church, was born in Hemel Hempstead.
- Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) was lord of the manorLord of the ManorThe Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Gorehambury which included Hemel Hempstead from 1601. - Robert SnooksRobert SnooksRobert Snooks was the last man to be executed in England for highway robbery, on 11 March 1802.Born in Hungerford in Berkshire, he was christened as James Blackman Snook on 16 August 1761...
(c. 1761-1802) England's last highwaymanHighwaymanA highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
to be executed and buried at the scene of his crime lies here. - Sir Astley CooperAstley CooperSir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet was an English surgeon and anatomist, who made historical contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathology and surgery of hernia.-Life:Cooper was born at Brooke Hall in Brooke, Norfolk...
(1768–1841) English surgeonSurgeonIn medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and anatomist. Lived at Gadebridge House, the grounds of which are now a public park. - John Dickinson (1782–1869), inventor and founder of the paper millPaper millA paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
s at ApsleyApsleyApsley is a 19th century mill town in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is a historic industrial site situated in a valley of the Chiltern Hills. It is positioned below the confluence of two permanent rivers, the Gade and Bulbourne. In an area of little surface water this was an obvious site...
and Nash MillsNash MillsNash Mills is a civil parish within Hemel Hempstead and Dacorum Borough Council on the northern side of the Grand Union Canal, formerly the River Gade, and in the southernmost corner of Hemel Hempstead...
which evolved into John Dickinson plc, built and lived at Abbots Wood, Nash Mills. - Sir Arthur EvansArthur EvansSir Arthur John Evans FRS was a British archaeologist most famous for unearthing the palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete and for developing the concept of Minoan civilization from the structures and artifacts found there and elsewhere throughout eastern Mediterranean...
, (1851–1941) archaeologist, was born at "The Red House", Nash Mills. - Lyn HardingLyn HardingLyn Harding was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio...
(1867–1952) actor and film star lived at a house called Logandene in Tile Kiln Lane, Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead. - Prince Maurice of BattenbergPrince Maurice of BattenbergPrince Maurice of Battenberg, KCVO, was a member of the Hessian princely Battenberg family and the extended British Royal Family, the youngest grandchild of Queen Victoria...
(1891–1914), grandson of Queen Victoria was a student at Lockers Park SchoolLockers Park SchoolLockers Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for 140 boys, situated in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Each year it sends boys to the main public schools in the UK, including Harrow, Eton, Radley, Bradfield and Rugby. Its current headmaster is David Farquharson.-History:Lockers Park...
. - Loben Edward Harold Maund (1892-1957) was a rear admiralRear Admiral (Royal Navy)Rear Admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It is immediately superior to Commodore and is subordinate to Vice Admiral. It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7....
of the Royal Navy and captain of HMS Ark RoyalHMS Ark Royal (91)HMS Ark Royal was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design...
at the time of her sinking in November 1941. - Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
(1900–1979), admiral, statesman and an uncle of the Duke of Edinburgh, was a student at Lockers Park SchoolLockers Park SchoolLockers Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for 140 boys, situated in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Each year it sends boys to the main public schools in the UK, including Harrow, Eton, Radley, Bradfield and Rugby. Its current headmaster is David Farquharson.-History:Lockers Park...
. - Guy BurgessGuy BurgessGuy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
, (1911–1963), Russian spy, was a student at Lockers Park SchoolLockers Park SchoolLockers Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for 140 boys, situated in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Each year it sends boys to the main public schools in the UK, including Harrow, Eton, Radley, Bradfield and Rugby. Its current headmaster is David Farquharson.-History:Lockers Park...
. - Ashley George OldAshley George OldAshley George Old was an artist best known for documenting the lives of prisoners of war forced to construct the Thailand-Burma railway...
, (1913-2001), the artist spent many months in Hemel Hempstead in 1959 recording the changes as the New Town evolved. - Salem Hanna KhamisSalem Hanna KhamisSalem Hanna Khamis was a Palestinian economic statistician for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization who helped formalise the Geary-Khamis method of computing purchasing power parity of currencies....
(1919–2005) was a Palestinian economic statistician for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization who helped formalise the Geary-KhamisGeary-Khamis dollarThe Geary-Khamis dollar, more commonly known as the international dollar, is a hypothetical unit of currency that has the same purchasing power that the U.S. dollar had in the United States at a given point in time. It is widely used in economics. The years 1990 or 2000 are often used as a...
method of computing purchasing power parity of currencies. In later life lived in Hemel Hempstead and died there. - Roger MooreRoger MooreSir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
, (born 1927) actor, famous for his roles as The SaintThe Saint (TV series)The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
and James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, lived in Tile Kiln Close, Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead in the 1960s. - Christopher TraceChristopher TraceChristopher Leonard Trace was an English actor and television presenter, best remembered for his nine years as a presenter of the BBC children's programme Blue Peter.-Career:...
(1933–1992) first presenter of BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV's Blue PeterBlue PeterBlue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
children's show lived for a time in Blacksmiths Row, Leverstock Green. - James PurvesJames PurvesJames Hamilton Purves is a former English cricketer. Purves was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and educated at Uppingham School....
(born 1937), cricketer - Bill MorrisBill MorrisWilliam Manuel Morris, Baron Morris of Handsworth, OJ , generally known as Bill Morris, was general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union from 1992 to 2003, and the first black leader of a British trade union....
OJ (born 1938), former leader of the TGWU, lived in Hemel Hempstead and still lives within the Borough of Dacorum. - Michael BradshawMichael BradshawMichael Bradshaw was an English/Canadian actor.- Early life in England :Born in Plumstead, London, he grew up Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire to the north west of London...
(1933–2001) English/Canadian actor grew up in Boxmoor from 1938 until the mid-50s - The Nawab of PataudiMansoor Ali Khan PataudiMansoor Ali Khan or Mansur Ali Khan , sometimes M.A.K. Pataudi , nicknamed Tiger Pataudi, was an Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team...
, (1941-2011) captain of the Indian Cricket team, was a student at Lockers Park SchoolLockers Park SchoolLockers Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for 140 boys, situated in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Each year it sends boys to the main public schools in the UK, including Harrow, Eton, Radley, Bradfield and Rugby. Its current headmaster is David Farquharson.-History:Lockers Park...
. - Malcolm PhippsMalcolm PhippsMalcolm Phipps is an 8th Dan Hanshi in Shotokan Karate and is the Chief Instructor internationally to Seishinkai Shotokan Karate International . He started training in karate in the early seventies with a local JKA club, then with Shotokan Karate International with Hirokazu Kanazawa...
(b 1942) 7th Dan Kyoshi in ShotokanShotokanis a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...
Karate and is the Chief Instructor internationally to Seishinkai Shotokan Karate International (SSKI). - Elaine TaylorElaine Taylor (actress)Elaine Regina Taylor is an English-born actress, best known as a leading lady in comedy films of the late 1960s and early 70s. She is married to the Canadian actor Christopher Plummer.-Early life:...
(born 1943), actress, married to Christopher PlummerChristopher PlummerArthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
. - Paul BoatengPaul BoatengPaul Yaw Boateng, Baron Boateng is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Brent South from 1987 to 2005, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister in May 2002, when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury...
, (born 1951) Britain's first black CabinetCabinet of the United KingdomThe Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
minister and Ambassador to South Africa, attended Apsley Grammar School (now part of Longdean School). He first stood for Parliament in Hemel Hempstead's constituency. - Dave Vanian (born 1956)(real name David Letts), the lead singer of The Damned, was born and lived in Chaulden.
- Ian LygoIan LygoIan Lygo , a civil servant, from Hemel Hempstead, is the former sole holder of the record for the most consecutive appearances by a contestant on a television game show, having made 75 appearances on the UK game show 100% in late 1998, with the 75th appearance occurring on 14 December of that year....
, famous for his record-breaking 75 consecutive wins on UK Quiz show 100%, lives in Hemel Hempstead. - Neil MarchNeil March-Life:He was born in Hemel Hempstead of Welsh and English parents. He studied music from a young age and played in various orchestras and ensembles before turning his back on the classical world in his late teens for the lure of the burgeoning Post-Punk scene....
(born 1963) is an internationally renowned contemporary composer, lived in Hemel Hempstead until 1988. - Chris PigChris PigChris Pig is a North-London based printmaker. Born in Hertfordshire, UK in 1965, his passion for printmaking in its many and various guises began at his secondary school which was, unusually, equipped with a decent press....
(born 1965) is an internationally respected master printmaker, lived in Hemel Hempstead and attended Longdean School. - Claire SkinnerClaire SkinnerClaire L. Skinner is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television career.-Biography:Born and brought up in Hemel Hempstead, Skinner, the youngest daughter of a shopkeeper and an Irish-born secretary, was immensely shy as a child...
(born 1965) the distinguished actress was born (1965) and raised in Hemel Hempstead. - Vinnie JonesVinnie JonesVincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
, (born 1965) footballer and actor, is a local resident. - Steven WilsonSteven WilsonSteven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
, (born 1967) multi-instrumental musician, singer, songwriter and producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
was raised here from age 6 after his family moved from London. His band Porcupine TreePorcupine TreePorcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
was also formed in Hemel Hempstead around the year 1987. His home studio "No-Mans Land" is located here. - Oliver LowOliver LowOliver J. Low is an English poet, theologian, composer, role-playing-game designer and writer.Educated at University of Warwick and the College of Law, member of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, and the British Computer...
(born 1970) in Hemel Hempstead a poet, software engineer, composer, games designer and author. - Colin EdwinColin EdwinColin Edwin is a member of the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, where he plays both fretted and fretless bass guitar as well as double bass and guimbri. He joined the band in December 1993...
(born 1970) Bass player with Porcupine Tree was educated and lived in Hemel Hempstead. - Luke DonaldLuke DonaldLuke Campbell Donald is an English professional golfer who is the current World Number One. He plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. In 2006 he reached the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. In January 2007, he...
, (born 1977) was born in Hemel Hempstead. He is a golfer who plays mainly on the US based PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
. - Marc BirchamMarc BirchamMarc Stephen John Bircham is an English-born Canadian international retired defensive midfield footballer, who currently works as Youth Manager at Queens Park Rangers F.C.-Club career:...
, (born 1978) currently lives in Hemel Hempstead near the Shendish estate. He is a retired Canadian footballer who played for QPRQPRQPR usually refers to Queens Park Rangers F.C., an English football club.QPR may also refer to:*Queen + Paul Rodgers, a 2004-2009 musical supergroup*Queen's Park Rangers , a football club playing in the Grenada League...
. Millwall FC and Yeovil Town FC. He has also figured in the Canada men's national soccer teamCanada men's national soccer teamThe Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
. - Anthony DavidsonAnthony DavidsonAnthony Denis Davidson is a British former Formula One racing driver from England, born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. He has raced for Minardi, Super Aguri and been a test and/or reserve driver for the British American Racing, Honda and Brawn GP teams...
, (born 1979) Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver was born here. Formula One drivers Christian KlienChristian KlienChristian Klien is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. In total he has scored 14 points in Formula One.Klien currently drives for Aston Martin Racing in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup-Racing career:...
and Vitantonio LiuzziVitantonio LiuzziVitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi is an Italian race driver who is currently racing in Formula One for the HRT F1 Team. He has homes in Lugano, Switzerland and Pescara, Italy.-Karting:...
live in Apsley. - Tommy W. SmithTommy W. SmithThomas William "Tommy" Smith is an English footballer who currently plays for Premier League club Queen Park Rangers. He is normally used as a right winger or a striker....
, (born 1980) was born in Hemel Hempstead. He is a footballer who currently plays for Queens Park Rangers FC in the Premier League. - Lee GrantLee Grant (goalkeeper)Lee Anderson Grant is an English footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Burnley...
, (born 1983), an English footballer, currently playing as goalkeeper for BurnleyBurnley F.C.Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. - Chris EaglesChris EaglesChristopher Mark "Chris" Eagles is an English footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers...
, (born 1985) footballer for Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
in the Premier League is from Hemel Hempstead. - Jordan ParkesJordan ParkesJordan David Parkes is an English professional association footballer, playing as a full-back for Barnet.Parkes left Parmiter's School in Garston, Hertfordshire aged sixteen in order to pursue a football career at Watford...
,(born 1989), an English footballer, currently playing for Barnet, is from Leverstock Green. - Theo WalcottTheo WalcottTheo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
, (born 1989),an English footballer, currently lives with his family in the Hemel Hempstead area.
Film and television production
Quatermass 2Quatermass 2
Quatermass 2 is a 1957 British science fiction horror film. Made by Hammer Film Productions, it is a sequel to an earlier Hammer film The Quatermass Xperiment. Like its predecessor, it is based on a BBC Television serial – Quatermass II – written by Nigel Kneale...
used Hemel Hempstead, which was at the time under development, for the fictional new town of Winerton Flats.
Pie in the Sky (a BBC police drama) was filmed in Hemel. At one point, the site for the restaurant was a florist but is currently a shop selling Dolls Houses. A nearby restaurant changed its name to Pie in the Sky for a short time while the series was popular.
Birthday Girl
Birthday Girl
Birthday Girl is a 2001 British-American drama and crime film directed by Jez Butterworth. The plot focuses on English bank clerk John Buckingham who orders a Russian mail-order bride, Nadia. It becomes clear upon her arrival that Nadia cannot speak English, and early into her stay, two mysterious...
(a 1998 film starring Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
and Ben Chaplin
Ben Chaplin
Ben Chaplin , is an English actor.-Early life:Chaplin, the youngest of four children, was born in London, the son of Cynthia , a drama teacher, and Peter Greenwood, an engineer. He took his stage name after his mother's maiden name. He was raised in Windsor, Berkshire, England and attended Hurtwood...
) features Hemel Hempstead prominently during scenes showing the main character going to and from his place of work (a fictional bank somewhere in Bank Court). However scenes shown in the parking garage and the side streets show St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
.
A film version of the TV series Till Death Us Do Part was filmed in part around the town.
The Old Town appeared for a few seconds in the Oasis soft drink 'Fruity drinks and lunchtime dreams' TV commercial first aired in 2010 – the moving sandwich shop rolls down High Street.
Further reading
- Edwards, Dennis F.(1994) Hemel Hempstead in old picture postcards European Library, ISBN 90-288-5797-4.
- Hemel Hempstead Directory of 1797 — Early description of the town at Hertfordshire Genealogy. Retrieved November 2009
- Description of Hemel Hempstead (1870–72), John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and WalesImperial Gazetteer of England and WalesThe Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales...
. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/entry_page.jsp?text_id=767460&word=NULL
Footnotes
"How historic treasures have devalued a house", Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, 12 November 2000 by Chris Partridge; p. 15
External links
- Dacorum Borough Council Local authority pages on Hemel Hempstead.
- Hemel Web Community web page.
- Hemel on-line Hemel Hempstead community website.
- Photo gallery showing redevelopment of Kodak building
- Hemel Hempstead Local History & Museum Society
- Map of Hemel Hempstead in 1883 from old-maps.co.uk
- Photos of Hemel and surrounding area Indexed by OS grid square at www.geograph.co.uk
- Hemel Hempstead (Pictures and History) on A Guide to Old Hertfordshire
- A Brief History of Hemel Hempstead A Blog on Hemel Hempstead's local history.
- Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead Hockey Club
- Maylands Business Park
- Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club
- Boho Boxmoor The online magazine for Boxmoor and Hemel Hempstead people.
- Snow Centre The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead.