Everything about Watford totally explained
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Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire
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Watford
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Mayor
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Dorothy Thornhill
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Liberal Democrat
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MP
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Claire Ward (
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|population_blank1_title =Ethnicity
|population_blank1 =83.7% White
8.9% South Asian
3.4% Black
2.4% Mixed Race
1.6% Chinese or other
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WD
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www.watford.gov.uk
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}}
Watford is a town and
district in
Hertfordshire,
England, situated 19 miles (30 km) northwest of
London and within the bounds of the
M25 motorway. The borough lies just to the north of
Greater London.
The parish of
Watford Rural covers an area to the south of the borough of Watford (which is largely urbanised), in the
Three Rivers District. The nearby areas of
Bushey,
Rickmansworth,
Chorleywood,
Kings Langley,
Abbots Langley and
South Oxhey, located in
Three Rivers and
Hertsmere districts, also form part of the
Watford postcode area.
The most recent official estimates put the population of Watford at 79,600 at mid-2006.
The borough had 79,726 inhabitants at the time of the 2001
Census. The Watford urban area, which includes much of neighbouring Three Rivers, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census, making it the
47th largest urban area in England.
Watford was created as an
urban district under the
Local Government Act 1894, and became a
municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922.
History
Origins
Watford stands on a low hill near the point at which the
River Colne was
forded by travellers between
London and the
Midlands.
This route, originally a
pre-Roman trackway, departed from the ancient Roman
Watling Street at
Stanmore, heading for the
Gade valley and thence up the
Bulbourne valley to a low and easily traversed section of the
Chiltern Hills near
Tring.
The modern High Street follows the route of this road.
The ford was close to the later site of the old gas works, now the car park of the
Tesco Extra store.
The town probably originated in
Saxon times as a string of houses on the northern side of this ford. It was located on the first dry ground above the marshy edges of the River Colne.
It is generally agreed that the town is named after the ford, but the origin of the first part of the name is uncertain.
Theories include the
Old English words
wæt (wet),
wadan (wade),
watul (wattle, a fence) or
wath (hunter), Watling Street, and a hypothetical Saxon landowner called "Wata".
The settlement's location helped it to grow, since as well as trade along this north-south through route it possessed good communications into the vale of
St Albans to the east and into the
Chiltern Hills along the valley of the
River Chess to the west. In 1100
Henry I granted a charter to Watford to hold a weekly market.
The great houses of
Cassiobury and The Grove were built in the seventeenth centuries and expanded and developed throughout the following centuries.
Cassiobury became the family seat of the
Earls of Essex, and The Grove the seat of the
Earls of Clarendon.
Industrial Revolution
Watford remained an agricultural community with some cottage industry for many centuries. The
Industrial Revolution brought the
Grand Junction Canal (now
Grand Union Canal) in 1798 and the
London and Birmingham Railway in 1837, both located here for the same reasons the road had followed centuries before, seeking an easy gradient over the
Chiltern Hills. The land-owning interests permitted the canal to follow closely by the river Gade, but the prospect of smoke-emitting
steam trains drove them to ensure the railway gave a wide berth to the Cassiobury and Grove estates. Consequently, although the road and canal follow the easier valley route, the railway company was forced to build an expensive tunnel under
Leavesden to the north of the town. The main Watford railway station was and remains outside of the town centre to the east at Watford Junction.
These developments gave the town excellent communications and stimulated its industrial growth during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Economy
Watford is a major regional centre for the northern
home counties. It is the most westerly of these commercial centres and the only one in Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford and
Stevenage to be its major sub-regional centres, heading its list of preferred sites for retail development.
The primary shopping area is the
Harlequin Shopping Centre, a large purpose-built indoor mall with over 140 shops, restaurants and cafes built during the 1990s, opened officially in June 1992.
The High Street, running through the town centre, is the main focus of activity at night having a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants.
The head offices of a number of national companies such as
Camelot Group, operator of the National Lottery;
Iveco, manufacturers of commercial vehicles; and
Haden Young, the building services division of
Balfour Beatty are located in the town. The borough is also the UK base of many multi-nationals including
Total Oil,
Sanyo,
TK Maxx,
Costco, and
Beko.
The town was home to the
Scammell Lorries Factory from 1922 until its closure in 1988. The site is now a residential area.
Transport
Road
Watford is close to strategic roads - the
M25 motorway that rings London and the
M1 motorway that connects
London to the
Midlands and northern England.
Rail
The town is served by one of the principal north-south rail routes – the
West Coast Main Line – which connects
London (terminus at
Euston) to the Midlands, north-west England and
Scotland. Some long-distance trains on this route serve
Watford Junction, where there are also frequent suburban and regional trains. There is a
shuttle train service to
St Albans, via some local stations in
North Watford, and there's a suburban loop to
Watford High Street station between Watford Junction and Bushey station. There is a direct rail connection to
Gatwick Airport and the south coast via
Clapham Junction.
London Underground serves
Watford Metropolitan Line station at the outer north-western boundary of the system. The Metropolitan Line branch is due to be diverted to Watford Junction via the disused
Croxley Green branch.
Water
Watford is on the main
Grand Union Canal route northwards from London. There is little commercial use, since the advent of the railway, but the canal is used for recreational purposes.
The
River Gade and the
River Colne also run through Watford.
Air
Regular and frequent bus and coach services connect Watford Junction station to
Heathrow Airport and
Luton Airport, direct train services run from Watford Junction Station to
Gatwick and
Birmingham International Airport.
Watford's closest airfield is
Elstree Aerodrome, three miles (5 km) east of the town. Many private charters, as well as occasional holiday charters take off from here, with the on-request customs service contributing to the popularity of this airfield.
The Rolls Royce or
De Havilland factory as it was known in
World War II at Leavesden was responsible for the manufacture of the
Mosquito fighter bomber and the
Halifax bomber during the second world war and later became Leavesden Aerodrome, to the north of Watford, which is no longer operational. It was converted into
Leavesden Film Studios, now famously the home of the
Harry Potter films.
Education
History
William Saunders noted in 1595 a "George Redhead, schoolmaster" of Watford, and in 1640 Francis Coombe gave £10 a year to a Free School in Watford for teaching the poor to cast accounts, to read English and to write.
After these schools, now called the
Watford Grammar School for Boys and the
Watford Grammar School for Girls, moved to new sites in 1907 and 1912, the building housed the Watford
Central School, which taught pupils up to the age of 14.
St Mary's National Schools closed in 1922, and the site is now a car park.
Primary schools
All the state-funded primary schools in Watford are co-educational.
Under an earlier system, schools were divided into
infant schools, covering Reception and Years 1 and 2, and
junior schools, covering Years 3 to 6.
Most such schools have amalgamated to form Junior Mixed Infant schools or (equivalently) primary schools, and all new schools are of this type.
Within the municipal borough, there are now 6 linked pairs of infant schools and junior schools, and 14 JMI or primary schools, of which 2 are
Roman Catholic.
The Watford urban area is also served by schools in the neighbouring districts of
Three Rivers and
Hertsmere.
Secondary schools
Although all state-funded secondary schools in
Hertfordshire are
comprehensive, there's a great deal of differentiation in the southwestern corner of the county, centred on Watford but also including most of the
Three Rivers district and
Bushey in
Hertsmere district.
Within this area, there are:
- partially selective schools, which offer a proportion of places according to ability or aptitude, and the rest to siblings or those living near the school: Parmiter's School, Queens' School, Rickmansworth School, St Clement Danes School, Watford Grammar School for Boys and Watford Grammar School for Girls.
- Bushey Meads School, which selects 10% for technological aptitude and uses banded admissions to ensure a comprehensive intake for the remainder.
- non-selective Roman Catholic schools, whose intake is evenly spread: St Joan of Arc Catholic School and St Michael's Catholic High School.
- other non-selective schools, whose intake is markedly affected by the above partially selective schools: Bushey Hall School, Francis Combe School and Westfield Community Technology College.
The partially selective schools and Bushey Meads School operate common admissions tests in mathematics and non-verbal reasoning each autumn.
In addition to those seeking selective places, all applicants to Bushey Meads and Queens' Schools are required to take the tests, so they're taken by the majority of Year 6 children in the area.
The partially selective schools also operate a common test and audition procedure to select children for specialist music places.
The area also has by far the highest incidence in the county of children allocated to schools to which they hadn't applied.
Sport
Watford is home to professional football team Watford F.C., who reached the FA Cup Final in 1984 (as well as three other semi-finals), also finishing as league runners-up in 1983. They were relegated from the old Division One in 1988. In 1996, Watford were relegated from the new Division One (now Football League Championship).
Watford won the then Nationwide Division Two championship in 1998, then the following season (1998–99) reached the Premiership by winning the First Division Play-Off Final, beating Bolton Wanderers F.C. at Wembley Stadium by two goals to nil. Unfortunately, the club were relegated the season after.
After five years of uncertainty, Watford won the Football League Championship Play-Off Final against all the odds to achieve promotion to the Premiership once again in 2006, this time beating Leeds United A.F.C. by three goals to nil. Again, as before they were relegated to the Football League Championship after a single season (2006–2007) in the Premiership.
Singer-songwriter Sir Elton John is a keen, long-term supporter of Watford F.C. and a former club chairman.
He still maintains his links with Watford as Honorary Life President.
The current Chairman is Graham Simpson and the Chief Executive is Mark Ashton.
Since 1997 the club has shared its ground, Vicarage Road, with Saracens Rugby Football Club.
Places of interest
Cassiobury Park
Cassiobury Park is on the grounds of Cassiobury House and consists of of open space. The house itself was demolished in 1927 and the original imposing gatehouse entrance to the park in the 1970s due to road widening. In July 2007, the park won a Green Flag Award, which recognises the best green spaces in the country. It has a children's play area which includes a paddling pool, play equipment, mini train track for children's rides, bouncy castle, ice cream van and a kiosk where you can buy food and drinks. The Grand Union Canal passes through the park.
Watford Colosseum
The Watford Colosseum was used to record the Lord of the Rings soundtracks and is world renowned for its acoustic qualities, which are often said to be the best available in the UK. It is now in administration after funding difficulties, but is still open to bookings whilst the local council decides its fate.
Watford Palace Theatre
The Watford Palace Theatre is the only producing theatre in Hertfordshire. It presents a selection of comedy, drama, world premieres, family-friendly shows and an annual traditional pantomime. Situated just off the High Street, the Edwardian theatre building is approaching its centenary and has recently been refurbished.
The Pumphouse Theatre and Arts Centre
The Pump House Theatre and Arts Centre is based in an old pumping station situated in Watford's lower high street. The building was converted for use as a theatre, with rehearsal rooms, and meeting place for local arts based groups. Current facilities include a 124 seat theatre, rehearsal rooms, and live music venue. Community groups currently meeting at the Pump House include Dance House (children's ballet), Pump House Clog Morris (women's Morris dancing), Pump House Jazz (jazz club), Open House (live open mic music), Woodside Morris Men (men's Morris dancing) and youth and adult theatre groups.
"North of Watford"
The phrase "North of Watford" is used light-heartedly to describe areas of the United Kingdom that are north of London. This is possibly because Watford was one of the first places that horses were changed on the route to the north-west from London. Alternatively, the phrase may refer to the Northamptonshire village of Watford, about further north, which was traditionally an important waypoint on the old east-west and north-south coaching routes. This was the point where the main north-south road, rail and canal routes came together at a gap in the hills known as Watford Gap. Watford in Hertfordshire is much better known and so frequently mistaken, in the context of this phrase, for the same place.
Suburbs
Including areas outside Watford Borough:
- Aldenham
- Bushey
- Garston
- Leavesden
- Rickmansworth
- Maple Cross
- Kings Langley
- Abbots Langley
- Radlett
- Oxhey
- South Oxhey
- Carpenders Park
- Croxley Green
Twin towns
Watford has five
twin towns:
Mainz, Germany (since 1956)
Nanterre, France (since 1960)
Novgorod, Russia (since 1984)
Wilmington, Delaware, United States (since 1985)
Pesaro, Italy (since 1988)
Notable people
Watford was the birthplace of:
Barbara Amiel, Lady Black of Crossharbour, journalist
Stephen Andrew, Canadian television reporter, anchor and talk show host
Michael Bentine, politician and ex-Goon
Michaela Breeze, female weightlifter
Ian Cashmore, television presenter of Ghosthunters
Ray Cooper, percussionist (performed in both Elton John's and Eric Clapton's bands)
Anthony Berkeley Cox, crime fiction author
Paul Field 1994 Gladiators champion, police officer and two-time Winter Olympian from South Oxhey.
Cyril Fletcher, comedian
Terry Flynn, political author
Nikki Grahame, reality star and television personality (is actually from Northwood)
Robert Glenister, actor
Geri Halliwell, singer and Spice Girl
Kenny Jackett, former Swansea City FC manager
Vinnie Jones, a British football player turned actor.
Nick Knight, cricketer
Nick Leeson, rogue securities trader responsible for the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995
Tim Lovejoy, Sky Sports Soccer AM presenter
Gerald Moore, pianist
Mo Mowlam, Labour politician
Mark Oaten, Liberal Democrat politician
Richard Pacey, radio presenter
Stuart Parkin, physicist
Arthur Peacocke, biochemist and Anglican theologian
Thomas Webster Rammell, engineer Crystal Palace,
Paul Robinson, West Bromwich Albion football player
Terry Scott, TV and Carry On actor and comedian, Blue plaque at 32 Tucker St
Grant Shapps, Conservative MP for nearby Welwyn Hatfield
Kelly Smith, England and Arsenal footballer
Bradley Walsh, Coronation Street actor and comedian
Melanie Walsh, actress and model
Matt King, comedy actor, Peep ShowFurther Information
Get more info on 'Watford'.
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