Libraries and leisure

History of Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire has always been a popular place to live.

Archaeological relics date its first residents back to the early Stone Age, although it was the Romans that later left a more lasting impression.

Roman occupation ended in the fifth century with the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. The new rulers founded their own towns such as Hertford which was built as a fortress, and the county became a frontier in the struggle against the Danes.

The Normans, creators of the Domesday Book, were the next settlers in the county leaving their mark in a series of castles such as those at Hertford, Bishop's Stortford and Berkhamsted.

Over the next few centuries, proximity to London made the county a popular retreat for the nobility, whose grand homes often welcomed visiting royalty.

The industrial revolution had a significant impact on Hertfordshire - the county saw a spectacular growth of population. It was in response to this that Victorian pioneer Ebenezer Howard came up with his plan for a Garden City. Letchworth was chosen in 1903 as the first site for this experiment in town planning. Pressure for space continued and in 1946 the New Towns Act was passed. Stevenage was the first of these New Towns, planned to combine residential, shopping, industrial and leisure areas in discrete self-contained `neighbourhood communities'.