This time took my road warrior skills to go again to jolly England with the Le Shuttle train service (see post), and my Ford ; towing along my good boys and wonderful Rex! It was a very nice trip going into the countryside and seeing several towns of wonderul architecture and history, This one was rather quickly merits more time, we enjoyed it, and shall return , ventually, Therefore, let me tell you about this is Watford, England !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The City of Watford is located in Hertfordshire, England, It is 33 km (20 miles) from London, 12 km (8 mi ) from Hemel Hempstead, and 14 km (10 mi) from St Albans . It lies on the banks of two rivers, the Gade and the Colne. We came from our base in Hemel Hempstead along the A41 motorway/highway same A411 Hempstead Road to Beechen Grove continue then right on High St left on King st , and right on George St to church, Watford being close to several motorway junctions on both the M1 motorway /highway, and the M25 London Orbital Motorway/highway. The town takes its name from Watter’s Ford, named after a landowner whose property was crossed by a ford that connected the Midlands to the London road. Watter’s Ford later became Wat’s Ford and then simply Watford.
The Holy Rood Church is situated on the western corner of Market Street and Exchange Road. I came thru this town rather quickly in my road warrior trails and saw it took pics and continue on , The church and more of the town is worth a detour indeed, This church was designed by John Francis Bentley, who also designed Westminster Cathedral it is noted as a particularity fine example of Gothic Revival architecture. In 1863, Fr George Bampfield came to Watford to say Catholic Mass in rented accommodation in Carey Place. That year, he bought some land and had a hut built there, which became a chapel In 1882, with the number of Catholics in the town increasing, a new, larger, site was needed. Fr Bampfield bought a place on Water Lane and had another chapel built there. The chapel was opened in 1883, and was used until the opening of Holy Rood Church On 29 August 1889, the foundation stone for Holy Rood Church was laid. All the work had been completed by 1900, and the completed church was consecrated on 5 July 1900.
Some other things to see here are the St Mary’s Church dates from the 12C, the Cheslyn House and Gardens has been open to the public since 1965 as a formal gardens and house The Cassiobury Park is a public park that was once the manor estate of the Earls of Essex. formed from the grounds of Cassiobury House and consists of 190 acres (0.77 km2) of open space. The town grew partly due to travellers going to Berkhamstead Castle, and the royal palace at Kings Langley. A mansion was built at Cassiobury in the 16C. This was partly rebuilt in the 17C and another country house was built at The Grove. The Watford PalaceTheatre opened in 1908 and is the only producing theatre in Hertfordshire. It presents an annual traditional pantomime, world premières, dance and family shows The Museum of Watford holds a collection of fine art and sculpture which includes works by J. M. W. Turner, Sir Joshua Reynolds, William Blake and Jacob Epstein. The museum also hold special collections related to the Cassiobury Estate, Watford Football Club, and local heritage, as well as an archive collection of documents, printed ephemera, photographs and diaries related to Watford townsfolk, local government, nobility and businesses The Hertfordshire Fire Museum is dedicated to the history of firefighting in the county. It is based in a purpose-built building at Watford Fire Station. The Museum includes a wide range of vehicles, equipment, uniforms and archive material,
A bit of history I like tell us that it was first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon document from 1007, the village grew and was granted a charter in 1100 under Henry I, allowing it to hold a weekly market. The Cassiobury Manor, built in the 17C, later became the residence of the Earls of Essex. Around 1809, William Turner created an unfinished painting that likely depicts a harvest feast on the estate. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and breweries. While industry has declined in Watford, its location near London and transport links have attracted several companies to site their headquarters in the town. The de Havilland factory at Leavesden was responsible for the manufacture of the aircraft engines and later became Leavesden Aerodrome, to the north of Watford. No longer operational, it was converted into Leavesden Film Studios, now famously the home of the Harry Potter films (see post )
The City of Watford on its heritage : https://www.watford.gov.uk/parks-sports-leisure
The Herfordshire area tourist office on Watford : https://www.visitherts.co.uk/see-and-do/destinations/watford/
The Parish of Watford on the Church of Holy Rood : https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/watford/
There you go folks , do dare drive in jolly England, it’s an adventure of a lifetime, and you will be back !!! as we have lol! Until another round chasing Sherlock we will be saying elementary my dear Watson to you all. Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Watford, England !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 