Hertford

Also known as Hertford, Hertfordshire, Hertford, England

Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. It lies north of Charing Cross in central London. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 29,418 and the built up area had a population of 28,800.

Key facts

UK place.country: England
UK place.civil_parish: Hertford
UK place.static_image_name: HertfordParlSq.jpg
UK place.static_image_caption: Parliament Square, Hertford Town Centre
UK place.official_name: Hertford
UK place.population: 29,418
UK place.population_ref: (Parish, 2021)
UK place.shire_district: East Hertfordshire
UK place.shire_county: Hertfordshire
UK place.region: East of England
UK place.constituency_westminster: Hertford and Stortford
UK place.post_town: HERTFORD

~22 min read

Article

27 sections

Contents

Toponymy
History
Governance
Administrative history
Coat of arms
Geography
Economy
Sport and leisure
Football
Cricket
Notable people
Landmarks
Transport
Rail
Hertford East
Hertford North
Road
Bus and coach
Cycling
River
Education
Media
Entertainment
Town twinning
Notes
References
External links

The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, near its confluences with the rivers Mimram, Beane, and Rib. The Lea is navigable from the Thames up to Hertford. Fortified settlements were established on each side of the ford at Hertford in 913AD. The county of Hertfordshire was established at a similar time, being named after and administered from Hertford. Hertford Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest and remained a royal residence until the early seventeenth century.